Academic Unit:  Department of Educational Studies, Teachers College

Program Description:

This interdisciplinary Certificate Program is designed for graduate students, adjunct and part time faculty, and others interested in pursuing the knowledge and skills necessary for quality undergraduate and graduate teaching. In addition, students will explore the relationship between teaching, research and service responsibilities as they are manifested in different types of institutions of higher education. 

This Certificate Program will fill the ongoing need for improved teaching practices within undergraduate and graduate education and will serve students in an important socialization function into the Professoriate. To this end, the Certificate Program is designed to serve existing graduate degree programs as well as serve the professional development needs of others interested in college and university teaching.

Note:  This Certification Program does not lead to a certification by a professional association OR a licensure of any type.

Requirements:

CORE COURSES (6 credits)

TEACHING PRACTICUM (3 credits)

ELECTIVE COURSES (6 credits)

The CORE COURSES related to the certificate program will use an interdisciplinary approach including the use of historical, sociological, anthropological, psychological, philosophical, political and legal perspectives. This approach will include a critical analysis of race, class and gender issues as they impact the teaching/learning dynamic within higher education. The TEACHING PRACTICUM will provide the students with an apprentice experience designed to meet their needs. The ELECTIVE COURSES will provide students an opportunity to extend their knowledge and skills within a specific discipline and deepen their experience with topic specific courses.

For more information about the courses that can be used to fulfill the Teaching Practicum requirement and the Elective requirements please contact the Program Director listed below.

CORE COURSES (6 credits required):

Curriculum Criteria:

1. No prerequisites are required.
2. No transfer credit will be allowed.
3. While the certificate program is primarily offered on-campus, some courses have on-line versions available.
4. Graduate Faculty will teach courses included in the certificate program.
5. Students must achieve a 3.0 GPA in the certificate program to receive a certificate.
6. No course with a grade below a 2.0 can be counted toward a graduate certificate.
7. The student's official transcript shall contain a listing of the courses taken in this program AND a special designation that the certificate program has been successfully completed.
8. Students will receive a printed certificate acknowledging their completion of the program.

Admission Requirements:

1. Students not yet admitted to Ball State University Graduate School:
   1. Applicants pursuing only a certificate program must first be admitted to the Graduate School as non-degree students. The Graduate School application can be found at www.bsu.edu/gradschool/admissions. International students must apply through the Rinker Center for International Programs.
   2. Applicants pursuing both a graduate degree and a certificate need only submit one application for both, but should indicate they are applying for two programs.
   3. All applicants to the certificate program must complete the Certificate in College and University Teaching Application and submit it to the Certificate Program Director (see below).
2. Current degree-seeking students who wish to enroll in this graduate certificate program:
   1. Applicants who have completed hours toward a graduate degree and who now wish to apply for the graduate certificate program must complete a new application to the Graduate School (www.bsu.edu/gradschool/admissions) and pay the application fee.
   2. These students also must complete the Certificate in College and University Teaching Application and submit it to the Certificate Program Director (see below).
3. Standards for Admission:
   1. Hold an earned bachelor's degree from a college or university that is accredited by its regional accrediting association.
   2. Satisfy one of the following:

• an undergraduate cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale (all undergraduate course work, including work completed prior to the baccalaureate degree, is used to calculate the grade-point average).
• a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in the latter half of the baccalaureate.
• students not meeting these criteria may be considered for admission at the discretion of the Department of Educational Studies Chair.

4. Graduate students enrolled only in a certificate program may not hold a Graduate Assistantship.
5. Students may be enrolled full or part time in the Certificate Program.
6. Completion of a graduate certificate does not guarantee admission into a graduate degree program.

Contact Information:

Thalia M. Mulvihill, Ph.D.
Program Director, Certificate in College & University Teaching
Associate Professor of Social Foundations of Education and Higher Education
Associate Director of the Adult, Higher and Community Education Doctoral Program
Department of Educational Studies, Room 810
Teachers College
Ball State University
Muncie, IN  47306
tmulvihi@bsu.edu