Graduate
Certificate Programs
Professional Editing
An interdisciplinary 15 credit hour research certification covering the fundamental theories and methods involved in the practice of scholarly editing and other more general applications of professional editing. The interdepartmental curriculum includes editing concentrations in English and History and is administered by graduate faculty of the Institute for American Thought within the School of Liberal Arts.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students completing the Professional Editing certificate will:
- Know the techniques and consequences of traditional editing procedures, learn how corrupted texts of the past can be recovered and disseminated for readers today, and explore how these procedures are evolving in reaction to the rapidly changing technical communications environment of the information age.
- Understand that editing is an historical discipline.
- Be able to examine how texts have been edited in the past;
- Be able to recognize the steps involved in editorial procedures, analyze and categorize the various types of errors that are the result of hand press and machine press printing;
- Be able to demonstrate their understanding of book production by writing analytical and descriptive bibliographies, reconstruct textual genealogies of the transmission of a work, evaluate current editions of the same work; and
- Be able to discern what paradigms of editing held sway in different historical periods, analyze and respond to arguments about the best ways to present to the modern reader both public and private documents of historical significance, and design ways to present and preserve document quality in electronic environments
Special Program Requirements
(See also general University Graduate School Indianapolis requirements.)
Admission Requirements
Students already admitted into Indiana University or Purdue University graduate degree programs are eligible to earn a certificate. In addition to re-submitting their degree admission materials such students must declare their current participation in the program and also submit a statement of interest. Continuing graduate nondegree students must meet the following requirements: (1) a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, with the expectation of a minimum 3.0 overall GPA (on a scale of 4.0) and a minimum 3.0 average GPA in the student’s major, (2) a statement of interest, and (3) three letters of recommendation. There is no specific major requirement, but candidates should have a record of course work to demonstrate sufficient writing and research experience. International students from non-English speaking countries must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) examination and score above 79 on the iBT version of the test or score at least a 6.56 on the International applicants who use International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Unless they hold a degree from an English-speaking institution or scored above 100 on the iBT version of the TOEFL, they will need to take the EAP examination upon arrival at IU Indianapolis. If any language courses are required on the basis of the examination, these must be started during the first term at IU Indianapolis and finished within the first year.
Foreign Language/Research-Skill Requirement
None.
Grades
Certificate students must maintain at least a 3.0 (B) grade point average.
Course Requirements
A minimum of 14-15 credit hours (dependent on the concentration chosen), which include completion of any one of several three-course core concentrations (11–12 credit hours) and one or more open electives (3–6 credit hours). Normally, 9 credit hours can be taken before admission to the certificate program, provided that all course work is completed within a four-year period. For course descriptions, see the course listings for the Departments of English and History at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis.
Core Options
Three courses (11-12 credit hours) in one of the following field concentrations or, with permission from the program director, putting together an individual core from either track:
Scholarly Editing Concentration I: Critical (Eclectic) Texts (12 credit hours)
- ENG-L 501: Professional Scholarship in Literature (4 cr.)
- ENG-L 680: Topics: Textual Theory and Textual Criticism (4 cr.)
- ENG-L 701: Descriptive Bibliography and Textual Problems (4 cr.)
Scholarly Editing Concentration II: Documentary Texts (11 credit hours)
- HIST-H 501: Historical Methodology (4 cr.)
- HIST-H 543: Internship: Practicum in Public History (4 cr.)
- HIST-H 547: Topics in Public History: Historical Editing (3 cr.)
Open Elective Course(s)
One course (3–4 credit hours. Any of the core options listed previously (outside of the student’s chosen field concentration) may be counted as an open elective, as well as any of the following courses and, with permission of the director, any course that is related but not listed below (for course descriptions, see the course listings for the Departments of English and History at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis).
- LIS-S 505: Organization and Representation of Knowledge and Information (3 cr.)
- LIS-S 681: The Book 1450 to the Present (3 cr.)
- ENG-L 590: Internship in English (4 cr.)
- NEWM-N 500: Principles of Multimedia Technology (3 cr.)
Student Consumer Information for the Professional Editing Certificate. For more information about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program, and other important information, please visit our website.
