Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
As the academic job market has become increasingly competitive, it has become more important than ever to present evidence of excellence in teaching, even for faculty appointments at research-intensive universities. Some 70 PhD-granting institutions nationwide now offer certificate programs in teaching and learning to provide this evidence for their graduate students’ dossiers. While there is great variation in the requirements of these programs, they share the goal of providing an overall structure within which to help graduate students develop their classroom skills, prepare for the teaching they will do as future faculty, and professionally document their activities as post-secondary instructors.
As a national leader in preparing graduate students for teaching, UC Berkeley is one of the few universities in the country that have a comprehensive policy on GSI mentoring. The development activities that Berkeley GSIs undertake to fulfill the requirements of this policy — the Teaching Conference, the Online Ethics Course, and the 300-level pedagogy course in their disciplines — support GSIs in their teaching at UC Berkeley, but they also help form the foundation of their teaching and leadership skills in future academic and non-academic careers. Requirements for the UC Berkeley Certificate Program in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education include participation in workshops on teaching, a teaching observation, the creation of a teaching portfolio, and several other development activities. For details, please see Certificate Program Requirements.
Certificate Program Requirements
Classroom Teaching Observation for the Certificate Program
Mid-semester Teaching Evaluation for the Certificate Program
How to Check Your Certificate Progress
Frequently Asked Questions about the Certificate Program
Enroll in the Certificate Program in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
It is important to note that the UC Berkeley Certificate of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education is not a primary or secondary teaching credential. For information on educational credentialing, please refer to the programs offered by the Graduate School of Education.