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Composition and Cultural Rhetoric has historically drawn upon many disciplines in the production of its research and pedagogical goals. For this reason, many CCR graduate students will consider completing a graduate certificate in a specific field, such as Women and Gender Studies, in the process of completing their PhD. The CCR Graduate Office has a history of working with students to make the completion of certificate programs possible and is glad to talk with you about your plans. However, we should also mention that while there might be research-based reasons to decide to take courses outside of the CCR program, it is not necessarily the case that completing a certificate will translate into a stronger professional profile. In deciding to pursue a certificateFor that reason, CCR students are strongly encouraged to talk to both the Graduate Director as well as to their Exam and/or Dissertation Director to fully explore the goals of such an effortand potential payoff of pursuing a certificate. Ideally, a student’s dissertation will be framed in a way that ensures the opportunity to research and understand many of the topics offered by a certificate program. And, ultimately, it is the PhD research that will make the strongest case about a student’s intellectual and pedagogical commitments.
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