Composition Studies Graduate Certificate

Adam Ellwanger, PhD, Graduate Director
S1050, 713-226-5577, ellwangera@uhd.edu

This graduate certificate program is designed to help prepare students to teach undergraduate-level coursework in English composition. The required 18 graduate semester credit hours are offered through the Masters of Rhetoric and Composition Program. 

Each college and university interprets SACSCOC credentialing guidelines independently. Therefore, we encourage students who are pursuing the certificate in order to meet minimum credentialing requirements for a particular school/institution to check with the institution about which courses are satisfactory prior to registration.

Graduate Certificate in Composition Studies Learning Outcomes

• Use rhetorical theory in the analysis and production of written communication.
• Identify and prepare strategies for teaching writing in a variety of environments: for example, online classes, large groups, and tutoring sessions.
• Identify and prepare strategies that are essential for teaching writing to today’s students: people with different cultural orientations, varying degrees of English language competence, and different levels of preparedness.
• Analyze discrete elements of written communication.
• Design and execute their own research projects in the fields of rhetoric and/or composition.

Admission

Admission is competitive and selective. Applicants must demonstrate that they possess the abilities, interests, and qualities necessary to successfully complete the program and the potential to contribute to the fields of rhetoric and composition pedagogy.

Applicants seeking admission will provide the following application materials for review by the Graduate Curriculum Committee:

• Completed application at www.applytexas.org.
• Official transcript(s) that document a bachelor-degree conferral and the final 60 semester credit hours (or more) of undergraduate coursework.  Applicants who have completed graduate-level courses must also provide graduate transcript(s) in addition to the abovementioned undergraduate documentation. (Note that admission to the degree program is competitive, so candidates with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher will be preferred).
• Personal application statement (see guidelines on degree page at www.applytexas.org).
• A 10 to 15 page sample of the author’s academic writing (no co-authored pieces will be accepted).
• Two letters of recommendation and recommendation forms from individuals acquainted with the applicant’s work and academic potential (Visit www.uhd.edu/marc for recommendation forms).
• Test of English as a Foreign Language scores if applicant graduated from a university at which English is not the native language (minimum score of 550 with section scores of 50 or higher).

The Graduate Curriculum Committee will not review a candidate’s application until the file contains all of the items listed above.

NOTE: Students who are admitted into the certificate program are conditionally admitted into the MARC Program.  To be fully admitted into the MARC program, certificate students must complete the 18SCH program with a 3.0 GPA or better.

Admission Process

The Graduate Curriculum Committee will evaluate applications using a matrix based on GPA, relevant course work or experience, recommendations, and other written materials in the applicant’s file. The Graduate Curriculum Committee will use the results of this evaluation to determine if an applicant is admitted. The Graduate Director will notify students, in writing, of the committee’s decision.