The Nebraska Writing Project Institutes can provide the core of several University of Nebraska graduate degrees. Combinations of NeWP institutes can fulfill requirements for the Graduate Certificate in the Teaching of Writing, graduate programs in English, and graduate programs in Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education (TLTE).
Graduate Certificate in Teaching of Writing
The Graduate Certificate in the Teaching of Writing is a 15-18 hour program administered through the Composition program in the Department of English at UNL. It is an independent program that can stand on its own or can be integrated into a Masters or Doctorate program in English or Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education. Nebraska Writing Project institutes fulfill many of the requirements of this certificate.
Certificate Requirements
The certificate requires a minimum of five courses (15-18 hours); substitutions allowable with permission by Advisory Committee. Up to six hours may be taken outside of the English Department.
ONE of the following courses is required:
- ENGL 957: Composition Theory and Practice (English TAs only)
- ENGL 957B: Nebraska Writing Project Summer Institute
- ENGL 857A: Composition and Rhetorical Theory
Electives:
- ENGL 857: Composition Theory and Practice
- ENGL 857B: Nebraska Writing Project
- ENGL 875: Rhetoric
- ENGL 875A: Rhetoric of Women Writers
- ENGL 895: Internship in Teaching English
- ENGL 895A: Nebraska Writing Project Internship
- ENGL 880: Writing Center Theory, Practice, and Research
- ENGL 882: Literacy Issues and Community
- ENGL 973: Seminar in Literacy Studies
- ENGL 976: Seminar in Rhetorical Theory
- ENGL 992B: Place-Conscious Teaching
- TEAC 818: Teaching Writing in K-12 Schools
- TEAC 840: Culture and Schooling
- TEAC 921: Seminar in Literacy Studies
- TEAC 944: Seminar in Curriculum Studies
- TEAC 950: Contextual Research in English/Language Arts
- TEAC 952: Language and Learning
- TEAC 953: Seminor on Writing in the Curriculum
- TEAC 813: Studies in Teaching English as a Second Language
- TEAC 838: Linguistics in Language and Learning Contexts
M.A. in English with a Concentration in Teaching of English
Many Nebraska Writing Project teacher consultants use their coursework in NeWP Summer Institutes and Advanced Institutes to fulfill the required component of the Masters in English with a Concentration in Teaching of English. The most popular route to this degree is to take Option A: 24 hours of coursework plus a 6 hour Masters Thesis.
For the required courses in the program most NeWP teacher consultants accumulate 12-18 hours in these NeWP institutes, so meeting the 9 hour requirement is simple:
One course in the Teaching of Writing
ENGL 957B: Nebraska Writing Project Summer Institute (6 hours)
One course in Alternative Approaches to Teaching English
ENGL 895A: Nebraska Writing Project Internship (3 hours)
ENGL 882: Literacy and Community Issues (3 hours)
ENGL 992: Nebraska Humanities Institute (3 hours)
ENGL 857B: Nebraska Writing Project Special Topics Class (3 hours)
ENGL 992b: Place-Conscious Teaching (3 hours)
ENGL 973: Seminar in Literacy (3 hours) (2024 Nebraska Writing Project Advanced Institute)
One course in the Teaching of Literature
ENGL 991: Nebraska Literature Project (3 hours)
ENGL 995: Approaches to Teaching Literature (3 hours, offered Spring 2025)
ENGL 992: Nebraska Humanities Project (3 hours)
ANY 800 or 900-level ENGL literature class with a pedagogy component, with approval from Graduate Studies chair Stacey Wait. (It is recommended that final project be pedagogical in nature).
The other hours to get to the 24 required are electives, chosen from the full range of English department courses, or courses in other departments approved by your faculty advisor, such as TLTE classes--many of which are online or in the summer. Only 50% of the credits toward the degree need to be English credits. You can also transfer in other graduate credits, as long as they are less than 10 years old at the time that you graduate (e.g. if you graduate in 2028, you can use any classes 2018 and later) and you have approval to do so. You can retake some of the classes listed above, such as 973, for credit, as these are usually taught with completely different topics.
The last requirement is the 6 hour Masters thesis, an article-length 35-page paper developing an original idea for an audience of other teachers and scholars in English. This thesis is written under the guidance of a faculty advisor in English (most frequently one of the professors who work with Nebraska Writing Project). The NeWP Director can help you select the right faculty advisor and the right reader for your particular thesis.
M.A. Program Details Composition and Rhetoric Page Graduate Catalog Page Apply
Ph.D in English with a Specialization in Composition and Rhetoric
Nebraska Writing Project institutes can serve as a main portion of a Ph.D. in English with a specialization in Composition and Rhetoric. The English doctorate is an individually-designed program of 90 hours beyond the Bachelors. Typically, the program consists of 30-36 hours accepted from a Masters degree program, an additional 24-30 hours of coursework, and 24-30 hours of dissertation credit. Admitted doctoral students work with an advisory committee of 4-6 faculty to shape a program of courses and dissertation appropriate to their interests. The NeWP Director, or any of the Composition and Rhetoric faculty who work with NeWP, can advise doctoral students with NeWP experience in selecting an advisory committee.
Ph.D. Program Details Composition and Rhetoric Page Graduate Catalog Page Apply
Minor in Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education
Supporting a Masters/Doctorate
9 credits of Nebraska Writing Project institutes often are used in Masters and Doctoral programs in the College of Education’s department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education as a minor or collateral field.