Collegiate Teaching

Instructor explaining a hanging glass sculpture to students

Through guided exploration, studio classroom practice, and real world research, the Certificate in Collegiate Teaching in Art and Design (CTAD) offers currently enrolled RISD graduate students from all disciplines a professional development opportunity to combine their studio and teaching practices.

Benefitting from the teaching practices of highly qualified RISD faculty, this six-credit academic studio teaching certificate will guide you in developing your studio teaching pedagogy. Along the way, you gain important skills for your development as future studio faculty in art and design and related disciplines. RISD is unique among AICAD institutions in offering a professional certificate specific to preparing future faculty for success.

The CTAD Certificate endorses your classroom skills and provides a meaningful edge in the ever-changing academic job market in graduate students’ transition to work. In addition, those who serve as instructors or co-instructors of a Wintersession course earn official certification of your teaching experience at RISD.

Join hundreds of students from all disciplines who have graduated with a Certificate in Collegiate Teaching in Art + Design as you transition into the academic work force.

Program requirements

To earn the CTAD Certificate without teaching experience (Track 1), students take the following required courses offered by the TLAD department, in the following sequence:

  1. Collegiate Teaching: Preparation and Reflection (three credits, two sections offered in Fall and one in Spring)
  2. Collegiate Studio: Discipline-Centered Learning (three credits, one section offered in Spring)

To earn a certificate conferred with teaching experience (Track 2), students need to fulfill the following requirements, in order:

  1. Collegiate Teaching: Preparation and Reflection (three credits, two sections offered in Fall and one in Spring)
  2. Collegiate Teaching Practicum (three-credits, one section offered in Wintersession)
  3. serve as instructor or co-instructor of record of a Wintersession course while concurrently enrolled in Collegiate Teaching Practicum

Please connect with us and your degree Graduate Program Director if you are interested in pursuing the certificate.

If you are interested in teaching during Wintersession but are not seeking the certificate, reach out to gradstudies@risd.edu. 

Certificate program details