The graduate certificate in anatomical sciences instruction will provide a coherent, integrated approach to helping graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, residents, and others develop and document the skills needed in order to effectively teach the anatomical sciences.

This 12-credit-hour certificate, including a required 3-credit-hour supervised practicum experience, provides basic competency in graduate-level anatomical sciences instruction and provides participants with documentation of their abilities. The certificate is to be accessible to participants from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds and will provide practical, hands-on anatomy coursework and instructional mentoring.

The certificate will produce graduates who are highly competitive in the job market, as the numbers of individuals able to provide graduate-level instruction in the anatomical sciences is well below crisis level.

Participants who are pursuing graduate degrees may apply for admission to the certificate early in their course of graduate studies.

Objectives

• Prepare recipients for a successful career in teaching the anatomical sciences (gross anatomy, histology, neuroscience, and/or embryology).
• Provide recipients with a broad understanding of the interrelationship of the anatomical scientific disciplines.
• Provide recipients with a form of validation of their anatomical sciences teaching experience.
• Encourage recipients to develop a professional teaching philosophy and portfolio.
• The course coordinators of all courses listed below have been contacted and will permit certificate program participants to enroll in their respective courses.

Required Courses – 12 credits

All participants must enroll in the course entitled “Educational Strategies in the Anatomical Sciences” (ANA 609), 3 credit hours (Hatcher)

All participants must enroll in one graduate level anatomical sciences course:

All participants must serve as a course assistant for one of the courses listed above. Students will register for independent work in anatomy (ANA 503), 3 credit hours (with one of the certificate associates), for their teaching practicum experience. The course number for the practicum is the same for the gross anatomy or neuroscience track, however the practicum experience is tailored to the certificate track (see the table guides for a breakdown of specific practicum responsibilities in gross anatomy and neuroscience tracks). Course assistants will serve a strictly pedagogical role in the classroom and laboratory (they will have no authority to evaluate the students beyond grading exams based on the key).

All participants must enroll in the seminar in anatomy course (with a focus on education literature) (ANA 600), 1 credit hour (Hatcher). This course will be offered at least once per academic year (check availability) and may be taken at any time during the certificate curriculum.

In order to successfully complete the certificate, students must earn a grade of “B” in each required course. Certificate participants may transfer equivalent coursework from other institutions not to exceed 25 percent of the certificate curriculum (3 credits), subject to the approval of the certificate director. The entire curriculum, including any transferred coursework, must be completed within six years of admittance to the certificate.