Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
Sponsored by the Departments of Communication and Administrative Leadership

Professor Liliana Mina in class


This graduate certificate program offers a unique opportunity for students in any major interested in teaching in higher education to gain knowledge about teaching and learning, both generally and within their discipline. The Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Certificate is a multi-disciplinary 15 credit certificate (including current coursework in Communication, the School of Education, and other disciplines with teaching and learning courses in place) where the broad goal is to provide a foundation/n in teaching and learning theory and practice for a student in any discipline. The more specific goal of this certificate program is to bring research on teaching and learning from a variety of disciplines to bear particularly on the practices of teaching at the higher education level, and to do so in a way that would allow post-baccalaureate students either to specialize without pursuing a full graduate degree or to investigate teaching and learning as a part of a graduate program. Hence, this certificate is appropriate for graduate students (both MA and Ph.D.) who plan to teach in higher education, as well as current higher education instructors, or instructors in the community, who may want to learn more about teaching and learning in higher education. Please note: Successful completion of this certificate is NOT a teaching license or credential for K-12 instruction. 

NEW!

Online option for the Graduate Certificate in Teaching
and Learning in Higher Education. Learn more >>


Applicants must have completed a bachelor's degree prior to admission, must have a minimum 2.75 cumulative undergraduate grade point average, and must declare their intent to pursue the certificate before completion of six credits in the certificate sequence. Applicants with a graduate degree must have a minimum 3.00 graduate grade point average. Applicants not already admitted to the Graduate School must complete the UW System online admission application. Select "Graduate courses for personal/professional enrichment" as your reason for applying.

If you are interested in applying for this program, or would like to get more information, please let us know by filling out the Declaration Form, which is available by clicking here.

Required Courses
Core Courses: 6 credits from the following
Course #
Course Title
Credits
AD LDSP 757 Principles and Foundations of Adult Education 3
AD LDSP 687 Instructional Design and Teaching Strategies 3
AD LDSP 900 Role of the Professoriate 3
CURRINS 774 College Teaching 3
GRAD 803 Teaching & Learning in College: Reflections on Theory and Practice 1

Practicum: 3 credits*
Course #
Course Title
Credits
COMMUN 998 or
AD LDSP 750
Teaching and Learning Practicum 3
*These credits should not be taken before completion of at least 9 credits of coursework.

The practicum should be a project that revolves around teaching and learning in higher education, and should result in a scholarly paper analyzing teaching and learning with references (peer review, research findings, etc.) and merit 3 credits. The paper is expected to be at least 15-20 pages and based on research from scholarly references, and written in a scholarly format. More information can be found on thePracticum Project Proposal Form >>

Elective Courses (6 credits)
Teaching and Learning (General)*
Course #
Course Title
Credits
AD LDSP 587 Serving Multicultural and Special Needs Learners 3
AD LDSP 707 Using Technology with Adult Learners 3
AD LDSP 737 Distance Education for Adults 3
AD LSDP 827 Seminar in Adult and Organizational Learning 3
COMMUN 727
Seminar in Communication and E-Learning 3
COMMUN 827
Seminar in Programs in Adult Communication 3
COMMUN 837
Instructional Communication in the College Classroom 3
ED PSY 631
Cognition: Learning, Problem Solving and Thinking 3
*Choose from any of these or any of the core courses not already taken.

Teaching and Learning (Discipline Specific)
Students can count discipline-specific teaching and learning courses from their own department as electives or as one of their core courses (3 credits) with the permission of the Certificate Coordinator. Examples of such courses are included in table below.
Course #
Course Title
Credits
C L SCI 909 or
HCA 909
Guided Teaching Experience in Health Sciences 3
ENGLISH 701 The Teaching of College Composition 4
ENGLISH 706 Seminar in Professional Writing Theory and Pedagogy 3
HIST 716 Professional and Pedagogical Issues in History 3
MAFLL 700
Language Teaching Methods 3
NURS 705
Instructional Strategies for Patient Education 3
NURS 731
Practicum and Seminar in Health Professional Education 3
NURS 752
Curriculum Development in Nursing Education 3
OCC THPY 900 Teaching, Learning & Educational Leadership in the Health Sciences 3
PHYSICS 610
The Art and Science of Teaching Physics
1

Up to 6 certificate credits may also count toward the requirements of a UWM graduate degree, subject to approval of the degree program.

The certificate will be awarded upon successful completion of the certificate program requirements (i.e., once all grades for the certificate courses taken at UWM are officially recorded and show a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or more). Certificate completion will be posted on a student's official transcript.

An Advising Form for recording certificate progress is available by clicking here.

Transfer CreditA maximum of 3 credits may be transferred to count toward the certificate program's 15-credit requirements. Courses will be considered for transfer into the certificate program only if the applicant can provide ample, acceptable evidence that the course taken is substantially the same as one of the five courses that constitute the certificate, and was completed within the last five years with a grade of B or better. The Certificate Committee will make such determinations, and its decision is final.

Time LimitStudents pursuing a Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Certificate without concurrent enrollment in a degree program will have three years from initial enrollment in a certificate course to complete the certificate requirements. Students pursuing same certificate as part of a degree will have the same time limit to complete the certificate requirements as they have for completing the degree program.

For more information or to apply for the certificate program, contact the program coordinators via email at teachHE-certificate@uwm.edu.

Expected Learning Outcomes of the Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Certificate:By the time students have completed this certificate, they will be able to:

  • Assess theory and research on teaching and learning in higher education, and understand how it applies to their teaching practice;
  • Identify and critically analyze the important teaching and learning issues in their own discipline;
  • Perform the core elements of the teaching task (including planning, design, communication in the classroom, assessment, evaluation);
  • Explain the role of technology in the college classroom environment;
  • Identify and apply professional values appropriate to teaching in higher education.
Note: Successful completion of this certificate is NOT a teaching license or credential for K-12 instruction.

Graduate School Bulletin Website for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Certificate:
http://www.graduateschool.uwm.edu/students/prospective/areas-of-study/communication/#tlhe


 
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