Graduate certificates in composition, rhetoric, writing pedagogy?

[Texas757]

I'm graduating next year with an MFA in nonfiction writing and a PhD in a different (humanities) field. I've worked in a writing program for two years and am looking to beef up my coursework in writing pedagogy. Does anyone have info on grad certificates in teaching writing, rhetoric, composition and the like? Online if possible? Thank you! 

[cowgirlsdontcry]

On 5/26/2017 at 9:42 PM, Texas757 said:

I'm graduating next year with an MFA in nonfiction writing and a PhD in a different (humanities) field. I've worked in a writing program for two years and am looking to beef up my coursework in writing pedagogy. Does anyone have info on grad certificates in teaching writing, rhetoric, composition and the like? Online if possible? Thank you! 

The majority of the English M.A. is a combination in person/online program, and it has students located around the world. It has been rated one of the top 10 online M.A. programs in the country as far as value for the cost. Because I lived in the area, I was a GA and got to know the professors individually, as it is not a large department. The English Department has a Post-Grad Certificate in "Writing for Business, Industry and Technology." They do have a pedagogy class that we took before teaching our own section of rhetoric/composition, but they do not have a specific pedagogy post-grad certificate. I'm not sure that I have seen a pedagogy certificate anywhere. The Ph.D. program I am beginning in the fall has one pedagogy class and two semesters of practicum that are required for teaching rhet/comp, that are more or less discussions about various issues encountered and how to deal with them.

What I have learned thus far about teaching rhet/comp (and it's not much in the grand scheme of things), is that pedagogy classes are full of theory. That's fine to think about and it's usually required before you get to teach, but it takes actually teaching and discussing the issues with peers and professors to understand the ins and outs. Why don't you think about taking a pedagogy course from a school that offers it online, get to know the professor and talk to them about teaching rhet/comp online as an adjunct? You have the necessary qualifications and while it would add a burden to your load (not that gaining an additional certificate while you're writing dissertation wouldn't), you would gain valuable experience teaching that is necessary if you want a job in the future.