Certificates

Professional and Public Writing

Now, more than ever, employers are seeking students with strong communication and critical thinking skills (see, e.g., AAC&U 2018 and 2021 surveys). Unfortunately, far too many students leave their degree programs with the specialized skills they require but not the so-called “soft” skills that stand to set them apart from their competitors on the job market. This Public & Professional Writing Certificate will meet a growing need in the Texas job market for professional writers, technical writers, and editing professionals. This certificate, which is complementary to any degree a student can earn at TWU, will equip students with the skills employers seek and help students translate knowledge from their degrees to a wide range of audiences. 

Each student will complete a capstone project as part of the program. The capstone project will be an independent research-based experiential learning project developed in cooperation with an advising faculty and will be completed via an independent study course. Capstone projects will also include a significant reflective component. 

Students will also put together a professional portfolio under the oversight of the advising faculty member.

Students must earn a grade of "C" or higher in courses to earn credit toward the certificate.

ENG 3433Professional Writing3
or ENG 3253 Technical Writing
ENG 4363Digital Rhetoric3
ENG 4913Independent Study (Capstone - final course)3
Select three of the following for your chosen concentration9
Creative Writing
Advanced Expository Writing
Professional Writing
Technical Writing
Grant Writing
Topics in Writing and Rhetoric (if writing focused)
Internship
Total SCHs18

Thought Leadership Certificate

Thought leaders are those people in communities and organizations that others turn to for their expertise. They inspire and influence others with their grounded knowledge and innovative thinking. This undergraduate certificate program prepares students to take the knowledge and skills developed while earning their degrees and translate them to the public, teaching them ways to enhance and communicate their credibility as leaders. Through a combination of MWGS coursework focused on social justice and advocacy; English  coursework in rhetoric and writing; and a faculty-mentored, student-led community advocacy project, students who complete this certificate will be poised to put their degrees to work as leaders in their communities.

The Thought Leadership Certificate program is offered to any undergraduate or post-baccalaureate student at Texas Woman's University. Each student will complete a capstone project as part of the program. The capstone project will be an independent research-based experiential learning project developed in cooperation with an advising faculty member via an independent study. Capstone projects will also include a significant reflective component. The capstone project and the reflection will serve as primary and secondary artifacts for program assessment.

English Courses (Choose 2)6
Advanced Expository Writing
Technical Writing
Professional Writing
Grant Writing
Topics in Writing and Rhetoric
Multicultural Womens & Gender Studies Courses (Choose 2)6
U.S. Women of Colors
Women in Politics
Ethics and Feminism
Woman's Roles
Gender, Identity, and the Law
Psychology of Women
Feminist Research Methods
Texts, Trends, and Issues in Women's Studies
Feminist Theory
Independent Study
The student will complete 20 hours of public service with a culminating project. The student will work with either an MWGS or ENG instructor.
ENG 4913Independent Study3
or WS 4913 Independent Study
Total SCHs15