Composition Studies Graduate Certificate

Michael Dimmick, PhD, Graduate Director
S1067, 713-221-8663, dimmickm@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.

Admissions Criteria                        

Applicants must hold a BA, BS, or an equivalent degree from an accredited college or university in the US or overseas and have proficiency in English (if a graduate of a university in which English is not the native language) provided by adequate TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) scores. The recommended/preferred GPA for applicants is 2.5 or higher.

Admission Materials

Applicant must complete and submit all of the following items in order to be considered for admission. Resumes, personal statements, and writing samples can be uploaded through the myUHD portal, emailed to gradadmissions@uhd.edu, or mailed to:

Office of Admissions - Graduate Admissions
University of Houston-Downtown
One Main Street, Suite GSB 308
Houston, TX 77002-1001

• Submit an application through the www.goapplytexas.org
• Pay the $35 application fee
• Request/submit to the email or mailing address above official transcripts from the institution where applicant received a bachelor’s degree as well as any graduate schools attended. (Community college coursework will not be considered in the admission process and need not be submitted.)
• Provide a 10-15 page academic writing sample. (We ask that you compose a researched, argument-driven academic essay on a topic of general interest using a generally recognized academic style sheet for references (MLA, APA, or Chicago).
• Provide a personal statement of approximately 500 words that addresses the following questions in detail. Support your views with reasons and examples drawn from such areas as your reading, experience, observations, or academic studies. Be sure to develop your ideas fully and organize them coherently:
  • Why do you want to study rhetoric and composition?
  • What topics or issues in our field might you want to study further and why?
  • What qualifies you to embark upon this field of study?
  • What experience do you have in this field?
  • How do you plan to use your degree?

• Provide TOEFL scores of 550 with section scores of 50 or higher (if a graduate of a university in which English is not the native language).

Admission Process

Once an application is complete, the Admissions Committee will evaluate candidates to determine if the applicant will be “admitted” or “denied admission” to the program. The committee may also ask for further information from the candidate before making a final admission decision. The Program Director or the Assistant Director of Graduate Studies will notify prospective students, in writing (via email), of the committee’s decision. This written notification will contain pertinent information and next steps for students, as applicable.

Admission Appeals

Admissions decisions may be appealed through the process found in the CHSS Graduate Student Handbook linked from this page.