*Note: the requirements (MA and certificate) listed on this page are for students enrolled in the program prior to the Spring 2011 semester; current program requirements can be found on the standard Requirements page.

The Teaching of Writing Program offers both a Master's Degree and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in the Teaching of Writing.

Note that community colleges require applicants to hold an MA degree; an MA would also serve as a strong foundation for students wishing to enter into a PhD program in rhetoric and composition. See MA requirements, below.

For students who hold either a BA or BS in English or another discipline and who do not wish to pursue the full MA program -- or students who already hold an MA degree in another area of specialization and want to gain credit hours in the teaching of writing -- the post-baccalaureate program is available. See Post-Baccalaureate Certificate requirements, below.

For course descriptions, see the specific Teaching of Writing Program course descriptions or the general English Department course descriptions.

 

1. Students are required to complete the six following primary courses (3 credit hrs each):

• ENG 488 History of Rhetoric
  
• ENG 552 Academic Writing and Research Methods in Composition (should be taken in the 1st semester)
  
• ENG 554 Composition Pedagogy
  
• ENG 556 Theory of Composition and Rhetoric
  
• ENG 558 Practicum in the Teaching of Writing
  
• ENG 596 Preparatory Reading/Teaching of Writing (exit exam)

2. Students are required to complete three of the following secondary courses (3 credit hrs each):

• ENG 486 Teaching Creative Writing
  
• ENG 570 Teaching African American Oral and Written Tradition
  
• ENG 572 Theory and Practice of Teaching Writing with Computers
  
• ENG 574 Basic Writing Theory and Pedagogy
  
• ENG 576 Writing Across the Curriculum
  
• ENG 578 Gender, Language, and Pedagogy
  
• ENG 581 Topics in Teaching Writing
  
• ENG 587 Politics of Composition Pedagogy
  

ONE of the secondary courses can also be fulfilled with one of the following linguistics courses: ENG 400 Principles of Linguistics, ENG 541 Discourse Analysis, or ENG 544 Reading and Writing Pedagogy in Teaching English as a Second Language

3. Students elect one additional 400- or 500-level 3-credit hour course (e.g., technical, expository, or creative writing; pedagogy; linguistics; literature; or a course outside the English department. This last option requires written approval of the student's advisor and of the Director of Graduate Studies, with the Graduate Student Request Form (.pdf file) used to obtain approval prior to registration).

4. Students are required to complete one of the following options (9 credit hours inside or outside of the English Department). Course work used to fulfill this option may be completed while students are candidates in the Teaching of Writing specialization or may have been completed during the five years immediately preceding entrance to the program.

• 3 courses in the same foreign language
  
• 3 TESL/linguisitics courses
  
• 3 literature courses
  
• 3 creative writing courses
  
• 3 Computer and/or internet-based courses
  
• 3 literacy and/or reading courses
  
• Alternative 3-course sequence determined by student in consultation with Graduate Advisor (e.g., courses in Curriculum and Instruction, Mass Communications, or Instructional Technology)

5. Students must file for graduation check no later than the first day of classes of the semester in which they plan to graduate.

The above requirements are available as a printable checklist (.pdf), or you may obtain a copy of the checklist from the Teaching of Writing specialization advisor or from the information rack outside the office of the Director of Graduate Studies.

 

NOTE: Students must apply separately for the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program even if they are already admitted to another graduate specialization within the department.

1. Students must complete the following four primary courses (3 credit hrs each):

• ENG 552 Academic Writing and Research Methods in Composition
• ENG 554 Composition Pedagogy
• ENG 556 Theory of Composition and Rhetoric
• ENG 558 Practicum in the Teaching of Writing

2. Students must complete two of the following secondary courses (3 credit hrs each):

• ENG 486: Teaching Creative Writing
• ENG 488: History of Rhetoric
• ENG 541: Discourse Analysis
• ENG 570: Teaching African-American Oral and Written Literature
• ENG 572: Theory and Practice of Teaching Writing with Computers
• ENG 574: Basic Writing Theory and Pedagogy
• ENG 576: Writing Across the Curriculum
• ENG 578: Gender, Language, and Pedagogy
• ENG 581: Topics in Teaching Writing
• ENG 587: Politics of Composition Pedagogy
• ENG 490: Advanced Composition, OR ENG 491: Technical Writing, OR ENG 492: Advanced Fiction Writing, OR ENG 493: Advanced Poetry Writing, OR ENG 592: Creative Writing

Please note that, per University policy, "No substitution or waiver of courses . . . is permissible for a certificate program."

3. Students must file for graduation no later than the first day of classes in the semester in which they intend to graduate.

4. Students must submit a copy of their Post-Baccalaureate Certificate checklist (.pdf) to the English Department's Director of Graduate Studies as they complete their final semester in the program.

The above requirements are available as a printable checklist (.pdf.), or you may obtain a copy of the checklist from the Teaching of Writing specialization advisor or from the information rack outside the office of the Director of Graduate Studies. You will need to submit a hardcopy version of the completed checklist to the Director of Graduate Studies before the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate can be officially awarded.