Graduate Engagement Micro-credential

Turn Your Scholarship Into Real-World Impact

The Graduate Engagement Micro-Credential (GEM) is designed for graduate students who want to take their work further, beyond the classroom, beyond publications, and beyond the university.

If you have ever considered how your research, teaching, or creative work could make a difference in the real world, GEM shows you how. Whether you’re new to engaged scholarship or already exploring ways to connect your work to broader impact, GEM offers an accessible and affordable path to learning best practices you can carry throughout your career.

Through these micro-credentials, you will gain a clear understanding of what engaged scholarship is, why it matters, and how to apply it in ways that enhance your coursework, strengthen your research, and expand your future career opportunities.

Sarah Garcia, Program Director for Faculty & Graduate Engagement
Sarahl.garcia@ttu.edu

Why GEM?

GEM is not about adding more to your workload. It is about elevating the work you are already doing.

Through GEM you will learn how to:

• Translate research into real-world solutions
• Build meaningful, reciprocal community partnerships
• Design projects that communities actually need
• Measure and communicate impact
• Develop a professional identity as an engaged scholar 

Program Overview

GEM is built as a flexible, fully online suite of eight individual micro-credentials, designed to fit into your graduate experience.

Each micro-credential:

• Runs for 8 weeks
• Is 100% virtual (90% self-paced)
• Includes guided touchpoints with an instructor
• Features weekly deliverables and a final exit interview to demonstrate mastery
• Is offered twice per Fall and Spring semester
• Content is discipline-agnostic, making it valuable for students across all fields.

Core Areas of Focus

• Foundations of Engaged Partnerships
• Community-Engaged Learning
• Evaluation & Impact
• Applied Skills

*A Spring 2026 pilot cohort is currently completing courses aligned with more than 200 competencies in engaged scholarship. The full program launches Fall 2026.

Micro-Credential Topics

Participants can complete individual credentials or the full series:

• Foundations of Societal Impact & Engaged Scholarship
• Foundations of Engaged Partnerships
• Evaluation & Impact: University Outreach & Engagement Programming
• Evaluation & Impact: Methods & Strategies for Partnerships
• Community-Engaged Learning: Building Reciprocal Partnerships
• Community-Engaged Learning: Structures, Best Practices & Syllabus Design
• Grant Writing & Publishing with Community Voices in Mind
• Leadership Practices, Structures & Navigating Change 

What You’ll Gain as a student

• A Career Advantage
  Stand out across academic, nonprofit, industry, and public sector careers with applied experience in engagement and impact-driven work.
• A Scholarly Distinction
  Earn a recognized micro-credential that reflects your commitment to meaningful, community-engaged scholarship.
• A Cross-Disciplinary Network
  Collaborate with graduate students, faculty, and community partners from diverse fields.
• Professional Identity Development
  Define who you are as a scholar, and how your work creates change.

For Faculty & Advisors

Your graduate students are future leaders. They are researchers, practitioners, and changemakers who will shape their fields and communities. They are future engaged scholars. GEM helps prepare them for those roles.

Why Encourage Your Students to Participate?

• Stronger Graduate Preparation
  Students are better equipped to collaborate, communicate, and lead.
• Support for Broader Impacts
  Aligns with grant expectations and strengthens the societal relevance of research.
• Enhanced Career Readiness
  Prepares students for diverse career pathways inside and outside academia.
• Expanded Community Partnerships
  Builds meaningful connections that benefit your research, department, and college.
• GEM also provides a shared framework for mentoring students in engaged, impactful scholarship.

Frequently Asked Questions

What benefits can students expect?

Gain practical knowledge and skills before entering careers that value engagement 
Build confidence in applying scholarship to real-world contexts 
Learn best practices that translate across disciplines 

How is this different from for-credit courses?

No required group work or cohort meetings 
Shorter, focused assignments 
Emphasis on knowledge-building and practical application 
Fully self-paced with flexible structure 
No requirement for external project implementation 

How much does it cost?

$55 per micro-credential (2026–2027 academic year) 

When can students enroll?

Enrollment for all eight credentials opens Fall 2026 

Interested? Contact us!

sarahl.garcia@ttu.edu