University of Cincinnati’s Graduate Certificate in the Teaching of Writing

The University of Cincinnati’s Graduate Certificate in the Teaching of Writing is an innovative 18-graduate-credit-hour program that provides graduate students with additional expertise in the theory, history, and pedagogy of writing at the college level. While open to any UC graduate student, this certificate is particularly relevant for practicing K-12 teachers wishing to obtain credentials needed to teach English Composition via the state of Ohio’s Dual Enrollment program, College Credit Plus (CCP).

Graduate Certificate Curriculum

Our Certificate students will work closely with experts in rhetoric and composition to explore writing both as a practice and as a subject of study. Students will take two of the required courses for all beginning Ph.D. students in Rhetoric and Composition, “Teaching College Writing” and “History of Composition.” Additionally, students will take a “Capstone” course at the end of the program where they work one-on-one with the Dual Enrollment Coordinator on a pedagogical research project tailored to their interests. The remaining three electives can be taken in the English department’s existing catalog or through approved courses in adjacent disciplines. In this way, graduates of UC’s Certificate in the Teaching of Writing will emerge as leaders in their communities equipped with relevant expertise in the teaching of writing, further enabling their students to meet college-readiness expectations and ultimately thrive when they matriculate into college.

Coursework

Teaching College Writing (Online; 3-hours)

  • Learn the major disciplinary trends in the teaching of composition;

  • Develop theories for reading, responding, and evaluating student writing;

  • Design a college-level course syllabus

History of Composition (Online or F2F; 3-hours)

  • Learn about the disciplinary and institutional history of college-writing in the United States

  • Develop working knowledge of best practices throughout the history of the discipline, from creating classroom activities, providing effective feedback, and assessing student writing to cultivate community in the classroom.

Certificate Capstone (Online; 3-hours)

  • Develop research skills in primary, secondary, and online research areas

  • Communicate research results to academic and/or professional audiences

  • Design a pedagogical research project relevant to your professional goals/interests

Electives

  • Elective courses explore rhetoric and writing broadly construed. Students can take courses in our existing rhetoric and composition catalog or through adjacent disciplines that offer a variety of courses that explore areas of pedagogy, policy, administration, and research methods. See a tentative list of approved electives below:

Examples of approved electives

English

ENGL 7001: Introduction to Professional Writing (annually; fall)

ENGL 7002: Teaching Technical and Professional Communication (occasionally)

ENGL 7003: Research Methods for Professional Writing (occasionally)

ENGL 7035: Professional Writing Theory (occasionally)

ENGL 7033: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (occasionally)

ENGL 7036: Methods of Teaching Creative Writing (occasionally)

ENGL 7037: Methods of Teaching Literature (occasionally)

ENGL 7038: Topics in Composition (odd years; fall)

ENGL 7043: Science and Health Writing (occasionally)

ENGL 7046: Topics in Rhetoric (occasionally)

ENGL 7135: Feminism and Writing (odd years; spring)

ENGL 8035: Research Methods in Rhetoric and Composition (odd years; fall) 

ENGL 7074: Visual Rhetoric in Composition

 

Educational Studies

EDST 7001: Politics of Education (annually; fall)

EDST 7020: History of Education (annually; spring)

EDST 7021: Philosophy of Education (annually; fall; online)

EDST 7046: Critical Pedagogy (occasionally)

 

Educational Leadership

EDLD 8016: Educational Policy Analysis (annually; spring)

EDLD 8037: School and Community Partnerships (annually; fall/spring/summer; online)

EDLD 8050: Seminar in Higher Education (occasionally)

EDLD 8062: Educational Equity and Diversity in Higher Education (occasionally; online)

 

Communication

COMM 7001: Advanced Critical and Rhetorical Theory (annually; spring)

COMM 7007: Advanced Communication Theory (annually; spring)

COMM 7042: Qualitative and Rhetorical Communication Research Methods (annually; fall)

COMM 8002: Communication and Social Justice (annually; fall/spring/summer)

COMM 8088: Seminar in Visual Rhetoric and Visual Culture (occasionally)

Certificate Background

Come work with us!

For application instructions, please reach out to Tyler Branson, Dual Enrollment Coordinator, at bransots@ucmail.uc.edu.