Graduate Certificate in English

To teach college-level, dual-credit classes in the State of Texas, high school teachers must hold a graduate degree (Master’s or PhD) and have eighteen graduate hours (six courses) in the teaching field. The English teaching certificate program gives students who hold graduate degrees in fields other than English graduate training designed to enhance students' ability to teaching dual-credit and community college courses.

The dual credit teaching certificate program allows students to

• work with specialists in literature, rhetoric, and writing disciplines;
• complete the eighteen-hour program completely online; and,
• apply all 18 hours of the certificate to the full MA degree in English at Sam Houston State University.

This Graduate Certificate is eligible to receive Title IV funding – Direct Unsubsidized Loans and Graduate PLUS loans by request. To be considered for aid, students need to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Additional information: Reference the Program Landing Page for additional information, such as cost, delivery format, contact information, or to schedule a visit.

Students applying for the Graduate Certificate in English at Sam Houston State University must submit the following materials to the Office of Graduate Admissions:

1. Graduate Application: The Graduate Application is an institutional application required by SHSU. Students must provide biographical and educational information and information relevant to determining State of Texas residency.
2. Application fee: An application fee is required for all applications to graduate programs at SHSU.
3. Transcripts documenting the conferral of an undergraduate degree and conferral of a graduate degree from accredited institutions* (graduate GPA of 3.4 or higher is expected);
4. A letter of purpose stating your professional intentions for applying to the certificate program and discussing your teaching career, works of literature you have taught, and your approach to teaching them.  

Application Deadlines
For Summer admission: May 1
For Fall admission:  August 1
For Spring admission: December 1

*Applicants may submit unofficial transcripts for review by the admissions committee. However, under university policy, admission decisions are contingent upon receipt of official transcripts

Application for MA Degree Program
Students who are accepted into the Graduate Certificate in English and later wish to apply to the MA in English program will be required to submit additional materials related to the MA application process in effect at the time of their application.

Students enrolled in the MA in English may complete the Graduate Certificate in English as part of the MA degree plan. Students who enroll only in the certificate, may (if accepted for degree candidacy) apply the 18 hours of graduate English credit earned in the certificate program to the MA degree.

SHSU requires that a student complete a graduate degree within six years of matriculation. A certificate student who subsequently pursues the MA in English has six years to complete the degree from the first term of enrollment in the certificate program.

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One course must be ENGL 5309, ENGL 5310, or ENGL 5311. 

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) marketable skills initiative is part of the state’s 60x30TX plan and was designed to help students articulate their skills to employers.  Marketable skills are those skills valued by employers and/or graduate programs that can be applied in a variety of work or education settings and may include interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skill areas.

The Graduate Certificate in English is designed to provide graduates with the following marketable skills:

• Provides the credentials for teaching college credit bearing English courses for dual credit or community colleges.
• Improves writing skills.
• Gives students practice in analysis of written and multimodal texts.