Graduate Certificate in Teaching College-level Language and Literacy

Deadline:  Students may apply for non-degree status until the first day of classes for the semester or until classes are filled. See the academic calendar for semester start dates. Please complete the application for Non-degree Admissions. Non-degree status students pay graduate tuition rates.


CU Denver’s Graduate Certificate in Teaching College-level Language and Literacy (TCLL) is designed to provide graduate students with the subject-area expertise in rhetoric, composition, and language arts necessary for teaching college-level English courses. It fulfills the increasing needs of educators seeking to deepen and broaden their content specialization. Upon successful completion of the program, certificate students will be able to discuss various pedagogical approaches to the teaching of writing, model the rhetorical analysis of a variety of texts, recognize evolving theories of writing and rhetoric throughout history, and understand the unique instruction necessary for teaching writing to English language learners. The certificate does not grant state licensure. It ensures competency for those who already are licensed, provides documentation in expertise for those teaching in community colleges, and enables specialization for those with Master’s degrees in related fields (e.g., education and humanities). This certificate can be completed online or on campus.  For more information, see our program learning goals.


Curriculum:

I. Required Courses (12 credit hours) 

  • ENGL 5093: Teaching of Writing
  • ENGL 5135: Linguistics & Global English
  • ENGL 5155: Genres of Writing OR ENGL 5165: Literacy and Technology 
  • ENGL 5601: Principles and Practices of Second Language Acquisition OR ENGL 5651: Second Language Writing

II. Electives (6 credit hours) 

  • Choose 2 graduate-level courses (may include 6 hours of Denver Writing Project Summer Institute)

Application Requirements and Certificate Rules:

Candidates must possess a Bachelor of Arts in any field. Certificate students must maintain a 3.0 GPA with no courses below a B-. All courses must be taken at the graduate level and in residence at CU Denver. 18 credit hours are required to obtain the certificate.

Application Deadlines:

Students may apply for non-degree status until the first day of classes for the semester or until classes are filled. See the academic calendar for semester start dates. Please complete the application for non-degree admissions. Non-degree status students pay graduate tuition rates.

Financial Information:

Taking classes as a non-degree certificate student may affect your costs. For example, some non-degree certificate students are not eligible for financial aid, student loans, scholarships, or tuition assistance. If you have financial questions about non-degree costs, please contact the Bursar's Office at 303-315-1800 or bursar@ucdenver.edu 

International applicants: Please review information regarding English language proficiency.

Where to send items:

Submit all materials online for faster processing. Send hard copy materials to:

Graduate School
University of Colorado Denver
Campus Box 163
PO Box 173364
Denver, CO 80217-3364


Additional Information:

If you have any questions regarding the Graduate Certificate in Teaching College-Level Language & Literacy, please contact Rodney Herring, Associate Professor and Director of Composition, at Rodney.Herring@ucdenver.edu

If you have any questions regarding the application status or are having technical difficulties, please contact the Graduate School at graduateadmissions@ucdenver.edu.