Certificate in Teaching Composition

Units required for the certificate: 161

Program Description

The English department of California State University, Sacramento, is a community of teachers, scholars, writers, and support staff whose primary mission is to promote learning in composition, creative writing, English education, linguistics, literature, and the teaching of English as a second language. The department seeks to help students acquire knowledge, develop skills, and realize their own intellectual and creative goals.

At the undergraduate and graduate levels, the English Department presents a broad and balanced curriculum designed to develop the reading and writing skills, the interpretative abilities, and the cultural awareness of its students by maintaining and enhancing a tradition of strong teaching, solid scholarship, and vigorous support of creative literary activity.

The "Teaching Composition Certificate" is designed for individuals who seek formal recognition for completing an organized, integrated, specialized program of study:  teaching composition.  This certificate is recommended for those students preparing to teach writing at the community college level or for high school teachers seeking to update their knowledge of composition theory and practice,  Upon successful completion of the designated course of study, a certificate will be awarded. 

Note: Candidates must have an overall GPA of 3.0 in courses submitted for the certificate. Applicants for the Certificate Program in Teaching Composition must have completed all requirements for eligibility for any English graduate program.
This certificate is not recognized by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing; it does not meet the eligibility requirements to teach in K-12 California public schools.

Program Requirements

Required Courses (16 Units)
ENGL 220ATeaching College Composition 4
ENGL 410AWriting Center Theory and Practice: Internships4
ENGL 220CTopics in Composition Studies4
or ENGL 220R Topics in Rhetorical Theory and Practice
or ENGL 220P Professional Writing
ENGL 410EInternship in Teaching Writing (Teaching Associateship in English at Sacramento State) 14
Total Units16