• Course Delivery
    100% Online
  • Total Credits
    20
  • In-State Tuition Per Credit
    $320.00
  • Out of State Tuition Per Credit
    $450.00

Composition Studies

Graduate Certificate

How you benefit

The IU Online Graduate Certificate in Composition Studies explores the core principles of writing and literature. Learn to teach students to craft sound arguments using close attention to logic, context, and audience. Develop a fluency with the current debates, schools, and theories of writing instruction.

What you study

Areas of focus include: 

  • Contemporary theory on the pedagogy of composition and literature
  • Linguistic structures and history of the English language
  • Reading strategies and literary analysis, with attention to close reading, style, form, genre, and rhetorical practices
  • Approaches to composition and writing instruction, including the identification and evaluation of sources, use of evidence, generation of ideas, and the development and organization of argument
  • Developing archival research skills and facility with electronic resources
  • Developments, trends, and frontiers in the digital humanities

This 100 percent online, consortial program is taught by IU Bloomington, IUPUI, IU East, IU Kokomo, IU Northwest, IU South Bend, and IU Southeast. 

See courses that are being offered this semester. 

Download a printable PDF summary of all our graduate programs for teachers.

The Graduate Certificate in Composition Studies is ideal for those who want to teach dual-credit courses and who need to meet Higher Learning Commission dual-credit qualification standards. These standards require teachers wanting to teach dual-credit courses to hold either a master's degree in their area of instruction or a master's degree in another discipline (such as education), plus at least 18 credit hours of discipline-specific graduate coursework.

  • If you hold a master's degree in another discipline, you can meet HLC standards by completing the 20 credit hour Graduate Certificate in Composition Studies. 
  • If you plan to pursue the  IU Online MA in English  or the  IU Online Master of Liberal Studies, you may apply the 20 credit hours from the Graduate Certificate in Composition Studies toward the master's degree. 

Your IU Online Graduate Certificate in Composition Studies prepares you for such careers as:
  • Composition dual-credit teacher (high school) 
  • Composition instructor (community college)

To enroll in this program, you must possess either a BA in English (or related bachelor's degree in education with an English specialization, concentration, or outside area) or two years of secondary teaching experience in literature or composition classes. To earn the Graduate Certificate in Composition Studies, you must complete a total of 20 credit hours.

NOTE: If you choose to pursue the IU Online MA in English or the IU Online Master of Liberal Studies, these certificate courses may apply to ("stack into") your degree requirements. Admission to the Certificate in Composition Studies does not constitute admission into any of the face-to-face graduate programs in English at the participating campuses.

To be accepted to this program, you must have:
  1. A bachelor's degree

    To enroll in this program, you must possess either a BA in English (or related bachelor's degree in education with an English specialization, concentration, or outside area) or two years of secondary teaching experience in literature or composition classes.

  2. 3.0 GPA or above on a 4.0 scale
To apply to this program:

Complete an online application that includes: 

  • Transcripts 
  • 250-word personal statement explaining background and reasons for entering the program
  • TOEFL scores (international students only) 
Application Dates

Fall semester: Aug 1

Spring semester: Jan 1

Summer 1 semester: May 1

Summer 2 semester: Jun 15

Core
ENG-G 660 -or- ENG-L 646Stylistics -or- Readings in Media/Literature/Culture4 Credits
ENG-W 500 -or- ENG-W 509Teaching Composition: Issues & Approaches -or- Writing and Literacy Studies4 Credits
ENG-W 501 -or- ENG-W 600Teaching of Composition in College -or- Topics of Rhetoric and Composition4 Credits
ENG-W 590 -or- ENG-W 620Teaching Writing: Theories and Application -or- Advanced Argumentative Writing4 Credits
ENG-W 682Sp. Topics: Rhetoric & Composition4 Credits

Tuition & Fees

Cost for Indiana Residents
  • Per Credit Hour
  • Tuition: $320.00
  • 3 Credit Hours
  • Tuition: $960.00
Note: 

Additional fees will apply.


-This program is eligible for financial aid at IU East and IUPUI. 

Cost for Out of State Residents
  • Per Credit Hour
  • Tuition: $450.00
  • 3 Credit Hours
  • Tuition: $1350.00
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