Program of Study - Secondary English Language Arts Certificate

The Certificate in Secondary English Language Arts is a twelve-hour (graduate level) sequence of courses designed to provide the essential content and pedagogical methods for pre-service or current secondary English Language Arts educators who seek competencies in literature, writing, and language study.

This certificate is ideal for the practicing teacher who wants to:

• Develop, critique, and deliver effective English Language Arts curricula.
• Enhance specific areas of professional practice in English Language Arts.
• Understand current English Language Arts theory and research.
• Acquire specific knowledge for teaching AP and Dual Enrollment composition and literature courses. (Students can earn 12 hours toward meeting the 18 –hour, in-discipline graduate course requirement for teaching Dual Enrollment courses. Note: teaching Dual Enrollment courses also requires a master’s degree.)
• Apply College and Career Readiness Standards to English Language Arts teaching. Prepare for the TExES teacher licensure subject area tests in English Language Arts and Reading

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the graduate certificate in secondary English language arts, prospective candidates must meet all requirements for graduate admission to UT Rio Grande Valley.

1. Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or a recognized international equivalent in a similar or related field.
2. Undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 in the last 60 semester credit hours. If applicant does not meet minimum undergraduate GPA criterion, GRE general test with minimum scores of 150 Verbal, 141 Quantitative, and 4.0 Analytical are required for conditional admission.

Application for admission must be submitted prior to the published deadline. The application is available at www.utrgv.edu/gradapply.

Program Requirements

Required Courses (9 Credits)

ENGL 6324	Pedagogy in Rhetoric, Composition and Literacy	3
ENGL 6360	Introduction to Descriptive Linguistics for Teachers	3
ENGL 6390	Special Topics in English	3

ENGL 6390: when content is Literature for Secondary Teachers

Elective (3 Credits)

English course at the 6000 level.

Total Credit Hours: 12