Students must be admitted to the program and earn a minimum cumulative 3.00 grade point average in Rhetorical Leadership courses taken at UWM. The Rhetorical Leadership designation (either Certificate or Concentration) requires completion of 15 credits distributed as follows:
Credits and Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| COMMUN 772 | Rhetorical Leadership and Ethics | 3 |
| COMMUN 762 | Argumentation in Theory and Practice | 3 |
| or COMMUN 872 | Rhetorics of Constituting Community and Social Controversy | |
| Electives | ||
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Introduction to Mediation | ||
| Great American Speakers and Issues | ||
| Communication and Social Order | ||
| Critical Analysis of Communication | ||
| Rhetorical Theory | ||
| Argumentation in Theory and Practice (if not selected above) | ||
| Seminar in Contemporary Public Address | ||
| Seminar: Issues in Communication: (Subtitle, with a rhetorical topic) | ||
| Public Deliberation | ||
| Theory and Practice of Mediation | ||
| Rhetorics of Constituting Community and Social Controversy (if not selected above) | ||
| The Digital Mirror | ||
| Rhetoric of Women's Rights in the US | ||
| The Rhetoric of Kenneth Burke | ||
| Rhetoric of/and the Internet | ||
| Topics in Rhetorical Research: (Subtitled) | ||
| Communication Internship (with rhetorical leadership topic directed by a member of the Rhetorical Leadership Committee) | ||
| Total Credits | 15 | |
Additional Requirements
Transfer Credit
No more than 20% of the required credits may be taken at an institution other than UWM. Courses will be considered for transfer into the certificate program only if the applicant can provide ample, acceptable evidence that the course taken is substantially the same as one of the five courses that constitute the certificate program. The Rhetorical Leadership Committee will make such determinations, and its decision is final. These courses are subject to Graduate School transfer policy and must be approved by the director of the certificate program. No transfer credit is allowed for post-graduate students.
(To count toward RL requirements, the internship must be approved in advance and be directed by a member of the Rhetorical Leadership committee.)
For post-baccalaureate students, a maximum of 3 graduate credits may be transferred to count toward the certificate program’s 15-credit requirements. Courses will be considered for transfer into the certificate program only if the applicant can provide ample, acceptable evidence that the course taken is substantially the same as one of the five courses that constitute the certificate program. The Rhetorical Leadership Committee will make such determinations, and its decision is final. No transfer credit is allowed for post-graduate students.
Graduate Grievance Procedures
Federal law and UWM policy require programs and departments to have procedures for graduate students to appeal academic decisions such as grades or scholastic standing. These procedures ensure the protection of students’ rights. These pages serve as a reference on procedures for graduate student academic appeals.