Teaching and Learning in Engineering Graduate Certificate 

Dr. Audeen Fentiman leads a graduate class with a video screen behind her showcasing an online student.The Teaching and Learning in Engineering Graduate Certificate is designed to enhance the preparation of doctoral students in engineering for academic careers.  However, this certificate is also of value to current or prospective faculty members in engineering and other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields. 

Certificate outcomes include enhanced capability to

  • Think critically about teaching and learning
  • Streamline course design to align outcomes, assessment and instruction
  • Apply state of the art teaching methods to improve student learning
  • Identify and work with mentors to deepen your understanding of teaching and learning through feedback and reflection
  • Succeed as an engineering or STEM professor

As of January 2019, the graduate certificate is available both on Purdue’s West Lafayette campus and online.  If you are interested in the online certificate, please visit Purdue Online Learning. The certificate requires the four courses briefly described below.  All four courses are offered on campus each semester.  All four courses will be offered online during Spring Semester 2019. Thereafter, two of the four required courses will be offered online each semester. 

ENE 50600, Content, Assessment and Pedagogy (3 credit hours), teaches you how to develop a course from beginning to end and guides you through the process of developing a course in your field. 

ENE 68500, Engineering Education Methods (3 credit hours), provides you with a variety of techniques for teaching courses that are both engaging and effective.

ENE 68700, Mentored Teaching in Engineering (1 credit hour), enables you to deepen your understanding of teaching and learning through feedback and reflection as you perform your regularly assigned teaching duties.

ENE 69500, Succeeding as an Engineering Professor (3 credit hours), covers other skills valuable to faculty members such as writing proposals, selecting and mentoring graduate students, and managing projects.

Applying for a Graduate Certificate

You must apply for the Graduate Certificate using the Graduate School’s  online application, whether or not you are currently enrolled at Purdue.  It will appear as though you are applying to the Graduate School as a regular graduate student (even though you may already be enrolled in the Graduate School through another department).  Once you reach the question asking for the Enrollment Objective, select the Certificate Program option.  If you are already enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Purdue West Lafayette, the application website should only ask you to complete the application form and provide a statement of purpose explaining why you would like to complete the ENE graduate certificate.  You will also need to complete and submit a Graduate School Form 18 (PDF) which is a Concurrent Graduate Program Request.  You only need to provide those three pieces of information. If you are not currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Purdue West Lafayette, you should complete the entire graduate school application after selecting your Enrollment Objective as the Certificate Program. You will be requireed to pay the application fee. 

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the Engineering Education Graduate Certificate program in Teaching and Learning in Engineering, a student must meet ONE of the following requirements:

  • Be enrolled in a graduate degree program in Engineering or other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) field at an accredited university in the United States or equivalent institution in another country, or
  • Be teaching Engineering or other STEM courses at an accredited post-secondary institution in the United States or equivalent institution in another country, or
  • Hold a post-baccalaureate degree in Engineering or other STEM field.  Students holding a baccalaureate degree in a STEM field and having extensive experience in a technical position in industry, a government agency, or an academic institution will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Applicants must meet the minimum English Proficiency requirements established by Purdue’s Graduate School and documented in the Graduate School’s Policies and Procedures Manual, Section III.B.3.  English proficiency beyond the minimum requirements is strongly encouraged since this graduate certificate program is reading and writing intensive.

Enrolling in Individual Courses

Graduate students already enrolled full-time at Purdue’s West Lafayette campus should register for the on-campus section of the course.  If you are unable to attend the class meetings on campus, contact the instructor to arrange for access to the online materials.  Those not currently enrolled at Purdue must first apply and be admitted, either to the Graduate Certificate Program or as a non-degree student.  Those students will then enroll in the certificate courses through Purdue Online Learning. 

Additional Information

Contact Audeen Fentiman, Crowley Family Professor in Engineering Education (fentiman@purdue.edu), with questions about the Graduate Certificate.

Last Updated November 12, 2021 - Form 18 Link