Teaching Writing Graduate Certificate

Our 15-credit graduate Certificate in Teaching Writing is designed to support ELA and Education teachers who are practicing and/or have received initial certification, and/or who seek to improve their abilities to offer K-12 writing instruction.  Drawing from composition and education pedagogy, our certificate exposes participants to the best practices in teaching writing and in using writing to motivate inquiry across disciplines.  We focus on supporting your teaching so you can support your students in producing public, academic and creative writing.  While learning about multiple literacies and diverse learners associated with writing and writing practice, we also help you help students practice invention strategies, use writing to learn, support effective peer review, engage students in deep revision, and help students to make informed rhetorical choices in writing.  Starting with our Summer Leadership Institute (SLI) that introduces you to the Western Massachusetts Writing Project (WMWP) and our vast community of teacher-researchers, you will take three required courses and two electives to earn the certificate.  We invite you to earn the certificate itself or use the certificate credits toward a Master's Degree for Initial or Professional Licensure through WSU's Department of English.

Entry to Certificate:

• SLI begins student matriculation into WSU
• Successful completion of the Summer Leadership Institute and presentation at the workshop as part of the student's Teacher Action Research project signifies admission for the certificate.

Transfer Expectations:

• Those who have successfully taken the Summer Leadership Institute and Teacher Action Research course within the past 4 years can apply those six credits toward our degree and Teaching Writing Certificate. 
• Three credits in graduate-level writing pedagogy coursework from other colleges may be transferred into the certificate program; a minimum of 12 credits of coursework that will be applied to the certificate must be satisfied by courses taken at Westfield State University.

This program could be completed in as few as 1.5 years. Students must complete the Graduate Certificate Program within six years; certificate students may move toward completion at their own pace within this time period.

Both the Summer Leadership Institute and the Teacher Action Research project are Pass/Fail and  require successful completion.  Students must complete the remaining three courses (9 credit hours) with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 to earn the certificate.  A student who receives a grade of F or two grades below B- will need to schedule a meeting with the Western Mass Writing Project Coordinator, Dr. Jennifer DiGrazia. 

Required Courses (9 Credits)

Elective Courses (6 Credits)