Graduate Certificate in Grants and Proposals Apply Now

The Graduate Certificate in Grants and Proposals helps students build their credentials in technical communication with a focus on professional grant and proposal writing. Students in this program will augment their writing and editing skills, learn strategies for composing professional grant proposals, and earn professional credentials from Texas Tech's world-class Technical Communication and Rhetoric program.

Strengths of Our Program

Texas Tech's Technical Communication and Rhetoric program offers

a well-established degree program and faculty in technical communication and rhetoric;
national leadership in computers and writing pedagogy;
a record of student achievement and job placement; and
a program "culture" that emphasizes personal attention.

Requirements

Students completing the Grants and Proposals Graduate Certficiate will gain real-world writing and editing experience through 15 hours (minimum) of online/onsite courses: 2 courses in grant-writing, 1 course in editing, 1 research methods course, and an elective course.

Below is a list of required and elective courses the program offers.

Courses and Titles	Frequency
ENGL 5391: Grants and Proposals for Nonprofits: Students in grants and proposals for nonprofits will learn about the genre and process of writing grants and proposals. Topics will include understanding the process in the nonprofit community, locating funding opportunities, determining persuasive appeals, and writing and editing proposals. Students will be introduced to scholarship and research funding databases. Coursework will involve reading and writing and editing proposals. Writing grants and proposals in conjunction with community members will be required.	Annually/fall
ENGL 5393: Grants and Proposals for the Academy and Industry: Students in grants and proposals for the academy/industry will learn strategies and techniques for researching, writing, and editing grant proposals and business plans for the academy and industry. Every business finds itself writing business plans and proposals; academics also find themselves writing grant proposals with very dire consequences. From finding a funding opportunity, to researching projects, to writing persuasively about a project plan, to measuring success, this course covers all of the skills students need to be successful in preparing academic grant proposals and business plans and proposals.	Annually/spring
ENGL 5379: Empirical Research Methods: This course teaches students to design and statistically analyze surveys and experiments. The final project is a mini-research project, in which Grants and Proposals students can work on a project related to measurement in a current grant. (Other research methods courses like ENGL 5363 or 5389 may be substituted for 5379 to expedite the student's progress upon permission and approval by the Director of Graduate Studies.	Biannually
ENGL 5374: Technical Editing: Substantive editing and design of technical documents. The last two major projects are the students' choice, and Grants and Proposals students will be encouraged to edit grants for these.	Biannually
Choose one elective from advanced practice courses: ENGL 5371: Foundations of Technical Communication: Theory and practice of technical communication. ENGL 5372: Technical Reports: Theory and practice of reports and proposals. ENGL 5375: Document Design: Theory and practice of creating comprehensible, usable, and persuasive texts. ENGL 5376: Online Publishing: Design and testing of online documents to support instruction and information retrieval. ENGL 5377: Theoretical Approaches to Technical Communication: Intensive analysis and application of one or more theories of technical communication. ENGL 5382: Theory and Research in the Written Discourses of Health and Medicine: Current theory and research in the written discourses of health and medicine, focusing on the roles of technical and professional communicators. ENGL 5384: Rhetoric of Scientific Literature: Study of the role of rhetoric in the texts of scientific inquiry. ENGL 5386: Written Discourse and Social Issues: Study of uses of written discourse in problem solving on social issues involving science or technology. ENGL 5387: Publications Management: Strategies of managing processes and knowledge that support publication. ENGL 5390: Writing for Publication: This course is designed to teach students in the graduate programs how to write clear and effective articles for professional journals in their field.	At least one course every semester

Building from the Certificate to the MA in Technical Communication

All of the courses in the certificate also apply to the MA in Technical Communication, so students wishing to develop their credentials even further can apply to continue their studies and enter the MATC program. Texas Tech is proud to offer its MA in Technical Communication both onsite and online. The online degree is identical to the one we offer on site.

For more information about the Certificate in Grants & Proposals, you may contact the Certificate Coordinator, Dr. Beau Pihlaja.

How to Apply

Complete the Texas Tech graduate school application process. A nonrefundable application fee is required.
Completed Graduate Application for Admission form
Current resume/vitae
Three letters of reference
Distance Learning Agreement (if you're applying to an online program)
A 500-700 word essay indicating the following:
- Your interest in grants and proposal writing
- Any previous experience with grant and proposal writing
- How the certificate fits in with your career goals and objectives, specifically how it will advance your career
- If applicable: if you are currently enrolled in a graduate degree program, how completing the course int he graduate certificate complements your degree plan

Deadlines for Application

Applications are reviewed twice a year.

Submit by October 15 to begin your program in the spring semester of the next year.
Submit by March 15 to begin your program in the summer or fall of that year.

Distance Learning Agreement (all online applicants)

All online program applicants need to sign and return our Distance Learning Agreement, which indicates that you understand our requirements for technology, time, and honor.

General Note About Application Review

All applicant packages are evaluated holistically, which is to say that every piece of the application package contributes to the applicant's overall desirability. Specifically, we are looking for no specific test scores, GPAs, or resume experiences, but are instead looking for applications that contain synergistic arguments for the applicant's good fit with the program and its objectives.