Minimum Requirements for Admission

Applicants to the “Preparing Future Faculty” Graduate Certificate in College Teaching and Career Preparation can be current UMKC graduate students or graduate students who reside in states where UMKC is authorized to deliver online education to residents. All applicants must have the recommendation of their primary graduate advisor or their supervisory committee chair and their faculty mentor, who may serve both these types of roles.

Although space in the program is limited and current doctoral students will be given first preference, all graduate students who are recommended by a faculty member in their discipline area may also be considered for admission to the program.

The course requirements include six 1-credit hour seminar courses completed in four consecutive semesters. The remaining 6 credit hours in the program include one teaching theory practicum course and an elective course chosen from a provided selection that is to be determined by the student in consultation with the Director of the Graduate Certificate Program and/or the graduate faculty member who will serve as their faculty mentor.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating from this program will:

• Students will demonstrate knowledge of theories to develop teaching plans for successful teaching.
• Students will implement teaching theories in demonstrating effective teaching.
• Students will synthesize information about higher education faculty expectations to create a "professional website" academic position search portfolio.

Student learning outcomes for the program are designed to meet the student's individual needs and research interests, and satisfy discipline-specific requirements.

Program Requirements

In today’s competitive academic job market, academic institutions increasingly desire faculty members who not only possess the appropriate academic credentials, but can demonstrate that they are prepared to be excellent teachers and well-rounded colleagues. The 12 credit hour graduate certificate in College Teaching and Career Preparation is intended primarily for doctoral students who are preparing for college-level teaching careers, regardless of the discipline(s) in which they plan to teach; however, students from all graduate degree programs, and who are recommended by a faculty member in their discipline area, will also be considered for admission. The structure of this graduate certificate program balances the emphases on both career exploration and teaching excellence.

The certificate complements the discipline knowledge of graduate programs by (1) focusing on strategies for successful teaching, including incorporating technology into the college classroom and in online learning environments, and (2) familiarizing students with the demands of college teaching and the nature of the academic environment in a variety of institutions of higher education. Courses that satisfy program requirements are taken for graduate credit; and, upon completion, the certificate is officially noted on the student’s transcript.

Curriculum Requirements

The “Preparing Future Faculty” Graduate Certificate in College Teaching and Career Preparation requires a minimum of 12 credit hours. A six-course series of Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) seminar courses is the core of this 12 credit hour graduate certificate curriculum.  The one-credit hour seminar courses are graded on a credit/no credit basis and are offered year-round for four semesters, with a new cohort beginning each Fall semester. Students in the PFF Seminar courses not only refine their teaching skills, but also explore the opportunities at, and differences among, a variety of institutions of higher education --  public, private, 2-year and 4-year.  For the remaining six credits of the certificate program, students complete a 3-credit hour theoretical teaching practicum course, EDUC-C&I 5640, plus one of the following 3-credit hour courses as approved by the graduate certificate program director: EDUC-C&I 5505, EDUC-UL 5556, EDUC-RP 5639, or EDUC-C&I 5591.

All courses are taught completely online, with two online synchronous lecture sessions in the Fall and Spring semesters.

Requirements for Retention

Students must maintain a cumulative 3.0 graduate GPA while enrolled and receive no grade below a B- in courses applied to the certificate program.

Time Limit for Completion of Certificate Program

3 years maximum.