Certificate Students | Spalding University Catalog

Certificate Students

Spalding offers the following certificate programs. Special admissions criteria may apply in accordance with current university policy. Contact the Admissions Office for more information.

Post-Licensure Critical Care Transport Certificate

Spalding University, in collaboration with external contractor FlightBridge, offers a post-professional certificate in Critical Care Transport. The certificate is offered fully online, except for the clinical component HS 499. Students successfully completing the certificate will be able to perform timely, accute medical interventions in diverse transport vehicles.


Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Accounting

The post-bachelor's accounting certificate option is designed for individuals that have earned a bachelor's degree in any field but want to acquire the hours and courses necessary to sit for the CPA exam.

Admission: Students are admitted to the Post-Baccalaureate Accounting Certificate program after they have completed the following requirements:

  1. Admission to Spalding University.
  2. Baccalaureate or higher degree from an accredited college or university.
  3. Minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 in college courses.

See here for more information.


Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Natural Science

This certificate is designed for qualified college graduates to pursue additional course work in preparation for a career in the health professions (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, physical therapy and other allied health fields) or who want to enhance their credentials in preparation for graduate education or K-12 teaching. The course of study is flexible, based on the academic background of the applicants. The objective of the certificate is to help the student strengthen their academic credentials for professional school application or employment.

Program Requirements: To receive the post-baccalaureate certificate in Natural Science from Spalding University, the student must take at least 15 credits of those recommended for admission to the professional program of their choice and maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher.

Application Requirements and Procedures: Candidate should have a demonstrated record of intellectual ability, a high level of motivation and a commitment to the rigorous study necessary for pursuit of a health related career or advanced education. The candidate should have an undergraduate degree with an overall GPA of 2.75 or better. The candidate must file an application for admission to Spalding University and official transcripts from all colleges and universities previously attended and the non-refundable application fee. Applications should be sent to the office of Admissions.

See here for more information.


Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Writing

The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Writing is a low-residency 15 credit hour certificate with tracks in creative writing and professional writing and editing. Certificate students in the creative writing track choose one area from the following: fiction; poetry; creative nonfiction; writing for children & young adults; and writing for TV, screen, and stage (screenwriting or playwriting). Upon earning the graduate certificate in creative writing, should certificate students wish to continue MFA studies, they are qualified to do so. The certificate student simply transitions into the second semester courses and continues the coursework required for the MFA degree.

Creative writing students take the following courses to complete the required 15 credits.

ENG 612 Introductory Creative Writing Residency (3 credits) + ENG 613 Introductory Independent Writing and Reading in Creative Writing (12 credits)                                 

Certificate students in the professional writing and editing track seek professional writing skills to advance established careers or to shift into a new career path. Students create their own individualized course of study, choosing the modes of professional writing which best suit their writing goals. Among the many possibilities are grant and proposal writing; speech writing; writing for the web and other new media; technical and scientific writing; and writing for the travel, food, sports, and entertainment industries. Students in the professional writing and editing track take the following courses to complete the required 15 credits.

ENG 614 Introductory Professional Writing Residency (3 credits) + ENG 615 Independent Study Emphasizing Modes of Professional Writing (12 credits)

Certificate Admissions Requirements: Certificate in Writing applicants are required to meet the same admission standards as degree-seeking applicants. The application consists of a completed application form, payment of the university application fee, a writing sample, two essays, and appropriate transcripts (the BA or BS is the minimum education requirement).

Admission to the certificate program is based primarily on the quality of the applicant’s original writing. Applicants who wish to be considered for admission into the creative writing track should send a writing sample in one of the particular areas of fiction (short story and/or novel); poetry; creative nonfiction; writing for children and young adults; and writing for TV, screen, and stage (screenwriting or playwriting).

Applicants who wish to be considered for admission into the professional writing track should send a writing sample in nonfiction, which could be a research paper, feature article, a speech, an essay, op-ed writing, press releases, or a combination of those elements.

For both tracks, the quality of the writing is judged by a committee of School of Writing faculty, who read the sample without knowing the identity of the applicant, and the Chair or Associate Programs Director.

Application materials also include an application form and fee, transcripts, and two essays. A bachelor’s degree is required.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so they may be submitted at any time. The deadline for the fall semester is August 1; the deadline for the spring and summer semesters is February 1. Prospective students who miss the deadline may inquire with the NMS Office about the possibility of applying after the deadline.

Certificate Admission Requirements: Acceleration for Spalding Seniors: Spalding undergraduate students who have achieved senior status (have earned 90 credits or more) may be given permission to take the bridge course ENG 512/612 Introductory Creative Writing Residency or ENG 514/614 Introductory Professional Writing Residency. This offers Spalding undergraduates the opportunity to successfully complete an elective 3 credit residency course that can be counted as the first required course for the Graduate Certificate in Writing after earning the BA or BS.

After successfully completing ENG 512/612 or ENG 514/614, with recommendation from that course’s instructor and upon conferral of the BA or BS, approval of the School of Writing Chair or Associate Programs Director, submission of the graduate application form, other application materials, and official BA or BS transcripts, the student may enroll in ENG 613 or ENG 615 and upon successful completion of that course, earn the Graduate Certificate in Writing.

Acceptance Information: The School of Writing usually makes decisions on applications four to six weeks after the complete application has been received.

If a student is denied admission, he or she is advised to seek additional instruction at a local undergraduate program and/or to work privately with a publishing writer or writing group. Another way to seek additional instruction is to take adult education courses in creative writing. The School of Writing offers a 3-hour course, ENG605: Advanced Creative Writing, that helps prepare students to enter graduate school. After additional experience, applicants may re-apply for admission to the program, submitting a new manuscript.

The School of Writing Faculty Committee recommends students for admission to the Graduate Certificate in Writing program on a rolling basis.

1. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability.
2. Successful applicants may enter the program in fall or spring or summer, based upon the admission cycle the applicant applied.
3. After completing all components of the admission process, graduate students’ application materials are submitted to Spalding University’s Graduate Committee by the School of Writing Chair for university admission as a graduate student; once approved by the University Graduate Committee, acceptance into the certificate program will occur.
4. If an applicant is selected and admitted into the program, yet is unable to begin in the next residency course, the initial acceptance into the certificate program remains good for one year.

See here for more information.


Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Financial Planning

The post-bachelor's financial planning certificate option is designed for individuals that have earned a bachelor's degree in any field but want to acquire the courses necessary to prepare for a career and/or certification in financial planning. In order to earn the certificate in financial planning, at least 50% of the financial planning courses must be taken at Spalding.

Admission: Students are admitted to the Post-Bachelor’s Financial Planning Certificate program after they have completed the following requirements:
1. Admission to Spalding University.
2. Baccalaureate or higher degree from an accredited college or university.

Minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 in college courses.

See here for more information.


Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Sports Management

The Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management is a 12-hour program designed to equip students with the knowledge and background for the human resource management roles of the future. Students pursuing the graduate certificate follow the standard MSBC admission process. The certificate hours count towards fulfilling the HRM concentration requirements in the MSBC program. The four required courses are:

MSBC 610: Compensation and Benefits
MSBC 630: Employment Law
MSBC 620: Staffing Organizations
MSBC 670: Training and Development

See here for more information.


Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Human Resource Management

The Graduate Certificate in Sports Management is a 12-hour program designed to equip students with the knowledge and background for leadership roles in all levels of the sports industry. Students pursuing the graduate certificate follow the standard MSBC admission process. The certificate hours count towards fulfilling the Sports Management concentration requirements in the MSBC program. The four required courses are:

MSBC 683: Organizational Behavior in Sports
MSBC 684: Sports Communication
MSBC 685: Economics of Sports and Events
MSBC 687: Revenue Generation in Sports and Events

See here for more information.


Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Competency Based Education

Competency-Based Education (CBE) is a mastery-based approach to learning that recognizes the importance of student choice, pace, differentiation, and learner needs as critical components to the teaching-learning process.  Student pathways to proficiency are organized by progressions connected to explicit learning standards and teachers facilitate various ways in which to demonstrate mastery of these standards.

Candidates who complete the following courses will receive a Certificate in Competency-Based Education (Non-endorsement).

Competency-Based Education Certificate (Non-endorsement) (15 credit hours)
ETL 610 Philosophy, Interpretation, and Application of Research (3 credit hours).
ETL 625 Instructional Design and Evaluation for Teacher Leaders (3 credit hours).
ETL 650 Assessing Learning for Student Achievement (3 credit hours).
EDU 625 Teaching Seminar (3 Credit Hours).
EDU 690 Curriculum Development K-12 (3 Credit Hours).

Admission: The following are required:

  • At minimum, a 2.75 grade point average and a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited school
  • Application
  • Interview with a faculty member
  • Resume
  • Written response to specified topics
  • Recommendations
  • Official transcripts from all colleges attended
  • Authorization for criminal records check
  • Copy of teaching certificate

 

Post-Master’s Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing 

The Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing (NMS) offers a 15-credit Post-Master’s Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing that provides in-depth study for students who already hold an MFA or an MA in an appropriate discipline and want to pursue further post-graduate study in the teaching of creative writing, focusing on post-secondary classroom instruction. To earn the certificate, students complete a residency course and an independent study course.

The student enrolls in the 3-credit residency course, ENG 662: Teaching Seminar in Creative Writing, which presents specialized instruction in the teaching of creative writing for undergraduate, high school, or community classrooms. The majority of instruction for the seminar takes place during the intensive residency; however, the course also requires students to complete significant pre-assignments before arriving at residency. In addition to participating in discussions on creative writing pedagogies, teaching students develop and present lesson plans for leading a Workshop and a writing exercise during the seminar.

After successful completion of the 3-credit residency course, students begin a 12-credit independent study course ENG-633 Advanced Independent Writing and Reading: Emphasizing the Research Project. Certificate of the Teaching of Creative Writing students engage in a pedagogical study in the teaching of writing and develop an introduction to creative writing course, which includes a completing a syllabus and course schedule. During the independent study, students submit five packets to their mentors, at scheduled intervals, containing a cover letter and a specified amount of material that includes new and revised work. The mentor replies to each student packet on an individual basis, providing critique and instruction to the student in a written or recorded response.

Certificate students join MAW and MFA students in existing courses taught by School of Writing faculty in fiction; poetry; creative nonfiction; writing for children and young adults; writing for TV, screen, or stage, or professional writing.

Students may enter studies with any residency (Fall, Spring, or Summer, which includes traveling abroad for the residency course) and may opt for the 6-month semester, or if entering in Spring or Summer, may opt for the 9-month semester.

Students may begin studies in May or November in Louisville and complete the certificate in six months, which requires about 25 hours of work per week. A nine-month option, requiring only about 12 hours of work per week, begins in May (in Louisville) or July (abroad). Students produce the same amount of work on either schedule.

Certificate program applicants who are not alumni of the NMS are required to meet the same admission standards as degree-seeking students. An MFA or MA is the minimum education requirement.


Post-Master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment 

The Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing (NMS) offers a 15-credit Post-master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment that provides in-depth study for students who already hold an MFA or an MA in an appropriate discipline and want to pursue further post-graduate study in creative writing and/or professional writing. If desired, students may mix their certificate coursework from creative and professional writing courses.

The Post-master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment study can be highly individualized to allow the student to enter writing practice under the guidance of NMS faculty in order to work in a new creative writing genre, or on a new creative writing project, or gain expertise and specialization in professional writing. To earn the certificate, students complete a residency course and an independent study course.

The student enrolls in the 3-credit residency course, choosing either ENG 652 Enrichment Residency which focuses on creative writing or ENG 614, ENG 624, or ENG 635 which focus on professional writing, editing, and/or publishing. After successful completion of the 3-credit residency course, students begin a 12-credit independent study course which may be ENG 653: Writing Enrichment focusing on creative writing or ENG 615 or ENG 625 which focus on professional writing, editing, and/or publishing.

Certificate students join MAW and MFA students in existing courses taught by School of Writing faculty in fiction; poetry; creative nonfiction; writing for children and young adults; writing for TV, screen, or stage, or professional writing.

Students may enter studies with any residency (Fall, Spring, or Summer, which includes traveling abroad for the residency course) and may opt for the 6-month semester, or if entering in Spring or Summer, may opt for the 9-month semester.

Students may begin studies in May or November in Louisville and complete the certificate in six months, which requires about 25 hours of work per week. A nine-month option, requiring only about 12 hours of work per week, begins in May (in Louisville) or July (abroad). Students produce the same amount of work on either schedule.

Certificate program applicants who are not alumni of the NMS are required to meet the same admission standards as degree-seeking students. An MFA or MA is the minimum education requirement.


Post-Master's Certificate in Upper Extremity Rehabilitation

The Post-Master's Certificate in Upper Extremity Rehabilitation is an option for potential students who are currently licensed as an occupational therapist by a state regulatory board and in good standing with professional regulatory agencies which includes state licensing boards and the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). Candidates should have one year of professional occupational therapy practice experience.

Practitioners enrolled in the Upper Extremity Rehabilitation Certificate Program complete 15 credit hours in upper extremity rehabilitation. Student who successfully complete the certificate in Upper Extremity Rehabilitation have the option to apply their 15 credits toward the 30 credit hour Upper Extremity Rehabilitation post professional OTD track program.

Admissions:

  1. Complete a Spalding University Graduate School application that includes a statement of purpose and professional goals.
  2. Provide official transcripts from all previously attended universities.
  3. Provide current occupational therapy license information and NBCOT certification.
  4. Applicants must have a minimum overall 3.0 GPA in previous graduate coursework.

 

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