Vocational Instructional Certificates are issued to Pennsylvania teachers who wish to teach occupational skills to students through state approved, public school vocational education programs. While Pennsylvania offers no special certificate option for teachers holding a master's degree in education, the state offers a program for teachers holding at least 36 hours of graduate-level training.
Vocational Instructional Certificate I allows vocational education teachers to teach in their area of certification and is issued once. After holding Certificate I for three years, teachers may apply for Vocational Instructional Certificate II (a permanent certificate). Pennsylvania does not offer a special certificate for graduates of a master's program, but provides "The Letter of Equivalency for Master's Degree" for teachers who have completed at least 36 hours of graduate-level coursework, according to the Department of Education.
To obtain a Vocational Instructional certification, Pennsylvania teachers must hold an "occupational competency credential" in the area they wish to teach, according to the Department of Education. While teachers obtaining a level II Vocational certificate receive no pay increase, any Pennsylvania teacher with a minimum of 36 hours of graduate-level credit may apply for Master's Degree Equivalency and receive a pay increase, including teachers holding a Vocational Instructional certificate.