The Colorado Department of Education

Offices | Staff Contacts | Colorado.gov

Career & Technical Education (CTE) Authorization
General Information

CTE Definitions

CTE Credential Evaluation Worksheets

CTE Credentials

 

CTE Definitions

Credential

A credential is the content area that attaches to your CTE Authorization or links to your professional license.

Initial CTE Authorization

The CTE 3 year authorization is available to applicants who meet the minimum educational and occupational requirements for the particular CTE credential they are seeking, but have not meet the requirements for issuance of a professional 5 year CTE.  This initial authorization can only be issued once and is non-renewable.  For applicants who only meet the minimum requirements specified within the credential worksheet, upon issuance of the Initial 3 year CTE authorization, CDE will assign any  coursework and/or experience that will fulfill the full requirements for the 3 year authorization, as well as specific Career and Technical Education courses, required to move to a 5 year authorization.  

Occupational Experience (non-teaching)

Career experience that relates to the CTE credential that the applicant is seeking.  This experience must be verified, paid, and non-teaching experience within the last seven years, unless otherwise stated on the evaluation worksheet. 

Pathway

Broad groupings of careers that share similar characteristics and whose employment requirements call for many competencies.

Professional Credential

The 5 year CTE authorization is available to applicants who have completed all coursework and experience specific to the individual CTE credential.  Once an applicant has obtained a 5 year CTE authorization and also holds a professional teaching license, the CTE authorization may be linked to that license.

Reinstatement of a Credential

For a CTE authorization that has lapsed for 2 or more years, in addition to the requirements assigned at the time the CTE credential was issued, the applicant must provide verification of 1,000 hours of related occupational experience completed in the content area within the last 5 years.  For instructors that have been teaching in the CTE content area for the last 7 or more years, 3 school years of full time instructional experience in the credential area may be substituted for the 1,000 hours of relevant occupational experience that is required to renew a lapsed credential.

If the credential has expired/lapsed for less than two years, only the requirements for renewal apply.

Renewal Requirements of Professional Credential

A valid CTE Professional Authorization may be renewed every 5 years with the combined equivalent of 6 semester hours or 90 contact/clock hours of related renewal credit.  A combination of college credit, professional development, and in-service workshops earned no more than 5 years prior to the submission date of the CTE: Renewal/Reinstatement application will be accepted with proper documentation.

If the credential has expired/lapsed for less than two years, only the requirements for renewal apply.

Requirements to Convert a CTE 3 Year Authorization to a CTE 5 Year Authorization

Specific, individual requirements will be emailed to each applicant upon issuance of the CTE 3 year authorization.  

Semester Hour

As a substitution for successfully completing renewal coursework, fifteen (15) participation hours in a seminar or workshop will be considered equivalent to one (1) semester credit hour. Additionally, 15 hours of occupational experience will be considered equivalent to one (1) semester credit hour.

 

CTE Credentials

Specific criteria must be met for each CTE credential being sought, prior to issuance of the authorization.  The Evaluation Worksheets for each CTE Authorization include the specific requirement details. To view the credential's worksheet, click the credential's blue hyperlink.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

  • Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources to include:
    • Agribusiness Systems Pathway
    • Animal Science Pathway
    • Environmental Service Systems Pathway
    • Food Products and Processing Systems Pathway
    • Natural Resources Pathway
    • Plant Science Pathway
    • Power, Structural and Technical Systems Pathway
  • Energy to include:
    • Energy Research Pathway
    • Fossil Energy Production, Transmission, & Distribution Pathway
    • Production Process Technology Pathway
    • Renewable Energy Production Pathway

Business and Public Administration

  • Business to include:
    • All Finance:
    • Accounting Pathway
    • Banking Services Pathway
    • Corporate Finance Pathway
    • Insurance Pathway
    • Securities and Investments Pathway
    • All Government and Public Administration:
    • Foreign Service Pathway
    • Governance Pathway
    • Legal Services Pathway
    • Planning Pathway
    • Public Management and Administration
    • Regulation Pathway
    • Revenue & Taxation Pathway
    • All Management & Administration
    • Administrative Services Pathway
    • Business Information Technology Pathway
    • Corporate/General Management Pathway
    • Human Resource Management Pathway
    • Operations Management Pathway
  • Marketing to include:
    • Marketing Communications Pathway
    • Marketing Management Pathway
    • Marketing Research Pathway
    • Merchandising Pathway
    • Professional Sales/ Sales Management Pathway
  • Business/Marketing

Health Sciences & Public Safety

Hospitality, Human Services & Education

Skilled Trades & Technical Sciences

STEM, Arts, Design & Information Technology

Specialty Areas

 

 

 

For technical problems with this page please contact the Web Content Coordinator