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Graduate Certificates

Graduate Certificates

Graduate certificates are a great way to gain advanced knowledge and skills in a specific area of interest in just one or two semesters. It is also possible to earn a graduate certificate and have those credits count towards your master’s degree. 

Have questions? Email John Olle (ollejohn@msu.edu) to make an appointment with the MAED academic advisor.

The graduate certificate in Children’s and Young Adult Literature is designed to provide in-service elementary and secondary teachers with materials and methods for teaching international children’s and young adult literature. The focus of the program is on multimodal texts, exploration of kinds of conversations that surround pieces of literature, and whether those texts are written for children, adults, or both. The program aids understanding classics and award winners in children’s and young adult literature by and about people and communities who have been and continue to be marginalized by and underrepresented in the school curriculum in the United States. The graduate certificate is available only online.

It is possible to receive a Graduate Certificate in Educational Technology by completing CEP 810, CEP 811, and CEP 812. For complete information on this certificate option, please visit the Graduate Certificate in Educational Technology website.

It is possible to receive a Graduate Certificate in Educational Psychology by completing CEP 800, CEP 801, and CEP 802. For complete information on this certificate option, please visit the Graduate Certificate in Educational Psychology website.

The graduate certificate in Elementary STEM Education is designed to provide in-service elementary teachers with knowledge about student learning and engagement and instructional practices in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The primary focus of the program is understanding inquiry-oriented practices across STEM disciplines. The graduate certificate is available only online.

The graduate certificate in K-12 Computer Science Education prepares K-12 teachers to teach computational thinking to learners at the elementary and secondary levels. Domains include computational thinking, algorithmic thinking, breaking down complex problems, abstracting and generalizing principles to solve problems, and development of creative thinking. Teachers learn to teach these concepts and skills through culturally relevant pedagogy, attending to how culture and context impact student learning.

  • Coordinator: Liz Owens Boltz, Contact: Brittany Dillman
  • Coordinator Phone: (517) 432-9259

Graduate Certificate in Learning Design graduates will be able to…

  • Develop and implement effective, engaging, and inclusive online curriculum and instruction.
  • Use educational technology to meet the needs of learners from diverse backgrounds.
  • Analyze the social concerns and ethical issues when creating learning experiences and assessments.
  • Thoughtfully create and implement digital assessments for learning, as learning, and of learning.
  • Design ways of creating and providing feedback to students in digital contexts through a critical lens.
  • Develop formative assessments based on theoretical and design principles in online learning spaces.
  • Design learning experiences and technological interactions for people with disabilities with an understanding of ability, cultural, social, and political factors that define disability.
  • Understand inclusive design principles that will support the design, development, and evaluation of inclusive technologies for people with various human abilities.

For complete information on this graduate certificate, visit the Learning Experience Design graduate certificates website.

Graduate Certificate in Learning Design Leadership graduates will be able to…

  • Apply a variety of leadership, organizational management, coaching, and mentorship models as a learning design leader.
  • Evaluate various leadership, organizational management, coaching, and mentorship in your professional context. 
  • Apply and lead project management and workflow practices for collaborative team projects.
  • Employ effective communication practices to lead and support teams with diverse perspectives, through proactive and responsive leadership practices.
  • Evaluate design frameworks for your client and organizational needs through a critical lens. 
  • Create plans from ideation, to implementation, to evaluation for a design project.
  • Identify industry standards and needs in order to guide professional work.
  • Identify industry standards and needs in order to anticipate emerging and future trends.
  • Apply theories and frameworks of instructional and learning experience design to your professional context(s).
  • Analyze technologies for usability, accessibility, engagement, and ethical and social challenges and implications.
  • Use a diverse range of meaningful and appropriate pedagogical strategies in your designs.
  • Create powerful learning solutions for and with learners, instructors, and clients.
  • Identify opportunities for individual growth and leadership development for instructional design through a self-evaluation process.
  • Create and implement an actionable plan to support professional development goals.
  • Evaluate resources for credibility and applicability to growth goals.
  • Design a workflow and evaluation system to self-monitor progress in obtaining goals.
  • Develop an individual project to showcase gained knowledge in instructional and learning design.

For complete information on this graduate certificate, visit the Learning Experience Design graduate certificates website.

Graduate Certificate in Learning Sciences graduates will be able to…

  • Understand the complex nature of learning, its cultural embeddedness, and how it involves the active construction of knowledge.
  • Describe the multiple influences on learning, including learners’ prior knowledge, identities, contexts, and personal epistemologies.
  • Distinguish among approaches to conception, design, analysis, and use of research via case examples.
  • Develop understanding of who adult learners are, why they participate in educational programs, and barriers to participation and learning based on research, data, empathy, and understanding. 
  • Compare major approaches to understanding diversity and differences in how adults learn.
  • Apply major cognitive, emotional, and socio-cultural processes involved in adult learning.
  • Design with an understanding of adult learning to enhance planning and instruction in adult contexts based on research/data.
  • Use strong research fundamentals and practices to ensure strong alignment between design and user needs.

For complete information on this graduate certificate, visit the Learning Experience Design graduate certificates website.

The Graduate Certificate in Special Education Leadership: Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) prepares educators to become experts in the implementation of MTSS.

MTSS fosters a positive school climate that supports the academic, behavioral, and social needs of all students through forms of disciplined inquiry and data-informed decision-making.

This 15-credit graduate certificate program is fully online and designed for working educators.

Learn more via the MTSS graduate certificate website.

It is possible to receive a Graduate Certificate in Online Teaching and Learning by completing CEP 813, CEP 817, and CEP 820. For complete information on this certificate option, please visit the Graduate Certificate in Online Teaching and Learning website.

The Graduate Certificate in Teacher Leadership is a fully online program for current teachers seeking to develop knowledge and skills for leading instructional and organizational change in the schools and districts where they teach.

Students who successfully complete the four-course sequence will qualify for two distinctions:

  • Graduate Certificate in Teacher Leadership from Michigan State University
  • Michigan Advanced Professional Education Certificate through the Michigan Department of Education

MSU’s Graduate Certificate in Teacher Leadership supports teacher leaders by helping them develop specific skills and knowledge for leading instructional and organizational change. The four required courses in the Graduate Certificate address strategies for improving teaching and learning in classrooms, supporting the learning and instructional growth of one’s teaching colleagues, and promoting diversity and inclusion in one’s school. In addition, a year-long internship in your current school will guide you through planning, designing, and delivering professional learning opportunities to your colleagues under the guidance of a field-based mentor and your MSU professor.

It is possible to receive a Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Postsecondary Education by completing certain courses in the P-12 School and Postsecondary Leadership concentration. For complete information on this certificate option, please visit the Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Postsecondary Education website.

The Graduate Certificate in Sport Coaching provides opportunities for students to develop expertise in learning and using scientific knowledge and best practices related to coaching and developing athletes and leading sports programs at the intercollegiate, interscholastic, and community sports levels. It facilitates interdisciplinary knowledge in various issues related to coaching across the lifespan. The certificate is available only online.

To earn this certificate is also necessary to successfully complete KIN 852, which is a 1-credit course that cannot count toward the MAED.

The Graduate Certificate in Sport Leadership and Administration provides opportunities for students to develop expertise in the operational and administrative functions required for careers in sport organizations at the intercollegiate, interscholastic, and community sports levels. It exposes students to knowledge of the legal, financial, managerial, governance and ethical aspects of sport. The certificate is available only online.

To earn this certificate is also necessary to successfully complete KIN 852, which is a 1-credit course that cannot count toward the MAED.

Education, M.A.