GRADUATE CERTIFICATES

Composition

Literature

Teaching English as a Second Language

English Dual Credit Preparation

All students who wish to pursue a certificate program must apply for admission to the certificate program through Graduate School regardless of whether or not they are current graduate students.

More information can be found at the Graduate School Website.

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Graduate Certificate in Composition (330002GC)

Coordinator, Dr. Lance Svehla

To be eligible for the certificate in composition, a person must be admitted to the University as a graduate student (with either full or provisional status). 

Five Courses in Composition and Rhetoric:

Required Courses

ENGL 673 Theories of Composition  
ENGL 674 Research Methodologies in Composition  
         OR
ENGL 676 Theory and Teaching of Basic Composition 

Optional Courses*

ENGL 600 Teaching Coll Comp Practicum  
ENGL 625 Autobiographical Writing  
ENGL 650 New Rhetorics  
ENGL 651 The Pragmatists 
ENGL 660 Cultural Studies  
ENGL 670 Modern Linguistics  
ENGL 679 Scholarly Writing 
ENGL 574 African American English  
ENGL 577 Sociolinguistics  
ENGL 578 Grammatical Structures of English  

*Other courses may be considered in consultation with the director.

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Graduate Certificate in Literature (330010GC)

Coordinator, Dr. Hillary Nunn

To be eligible for the graduate certificate in literature, a person must be admitted to the University as a graduate student (with either full or provisional status).  An eligible person interested in the program should contact the Certificate Coordinator. 

Required Courses

Of the four required courses (12 credits), two must be core courses, ENGL 690: Critical Approaches to Literature and ENGL 615: Shakespearean Drama*; three of the four courses must be at the 600-level; and one must be in American literature.

 *unless the student has passed a comparable course with a grade of B or better. 

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Graduate Certificate in TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) (330003GC)

Coordinator, Dr. Grace Zhang

This program is intended for both native and non-native speakers of English who seek training in the teaching of English as a second language (ESL) and wish to obtain an initial qualification to teach ESL/EFL (English as a foreign language) in educational settings other than public schools in Ohio or in countries outside the United States. For Ohio qualification in teaching ESL in the Ohio public school system, visit the TESOL Endorsement site.

The program is designed to introduce the student to central issues in the theory and practice of teaching English to non-native speakers through courses in modern and applied linguistics, in second language pedagogy, and in related disciplines.

Students who do not have English as a native language must demonstrate adequate proficiency in English with a valid TOEFL score of 550 (paper based)/213 (computer based)/79 (Internet based/iBT) or higher, or a valid IELTS score of 6.0 or higher.

The awarding of this certificate is not contingent upon completion of a degree program. Graduate certificate programs require a 3.00 grade-point average.

Graduate students must apply for the certificate program through the graduate school.

• All students who wish to pursue the TESL certificate should meet with the program coordinator to discuss the program and availability of courses.

Core Requirements (Min. Credits: 12)

• ENGL 566 Linguistics and Language Arts  3
• ENGL 573 Theoretical Foundations & Principles of ESL*  3
• ENGL 578 Grammatical Structures of English  3
• ENGL 577 Sociolinguistics    OR    ENGL 570 History of the English Language  3

Electives ** (Min. Credits: 3):

• ENGL 570 History of English Language  3
• ENGL 577 Sociolinguistics   3
• ENGL 587 Field Experience: Teaching Second Language Learners    3
• EDCI 543 Techniques of Teaching English as a Second Language   3
• EDCI 541 Teaching Language Literacy to Second Language Learners  3
• EDCI 556 Scaffolding Language and Content for English Learners  3
• SLPA 530 Aspects of Normal Language Development   3

*Students should have successfully completed ENGL 371 and ENGL 566 prior to taking ENGL 573.

**Choice to be decided in consultation with the program director.

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Graduate Certificate in English Dual Credit Preparation (530113GC)

Dr. Hillary Nunn, Coordinator - nunn@uakron.edu

The University of Akron's Graduate Certificate in English Dual Credit Preparation offers a cohesive set of coursework for high school English teachers who wish to meet the credentialing standard for dual-credit instructors in the state of Ohio. Our online Certificate forms a foundation for the teaching of general education courses in both Composition and Literature, providing 18 hours of coursework in the discipline for those teachers who already have or are working toward Master's degrees. Classes are offered through web-based instruction by experienced professors. No travel to campus is required.

Find out more information here.

REQUIREMENTS

Participants must have a Master's Degree in Education or other subject area, or they must be actively enrolled in an Education Master's program, in UA's MA in English program, or the NEOMFA.

Required Courses

ENGL 611 Argument and Research Writing
ENGL 629 Twentieth Century Literature
ENGL 610 New Directions in the Teaching of Writing
ENGL 690 Critical Approaches to Literature
ENGL 673 Theories of Composition
ENGL 615 Shakespearean Drama