Office of Continuing Education

The Office of Continuing Education provides lifelong learning opportunities in support of the university mission. The unit offers a variety of credit, non-credit, training, and enrichment courses and programs.

Please NOTE:

- All Continuing Education courses, certificates, degrees, and services are offered on a self-support basis, and may be canceled if adequate enrollment is not reached.

- Waivers for veterans, university staff, senior citizens, and others do not apply. However, student financial aid can be applied to credit courses.

- Full fee-paying students must make additional payments at the rate established for each continuing education course in which they enroll.

- Tuition for some Continuing Education courses are higher than regular CWU tuition. Additional course fees may also apply.

Please visit us on the Web at www.cwu.edu/ce or call 509-963-1712 for complete information on the following programs:

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

Craft Brewing Certificate

Are you a homebrewer? Or looking for a career change into the exciting world of the craft brewing industry? The Craft Brewing Certificate is a year-long, 16-credit interdisciplinary program that provides an overview of biochemistry, microbiology, technology, and business aspects of the craft brewing industry. Offered in partnership with the College of the Sciences, this program spans three quarters (30 weeks), meets every other weeknight evening, and is designed to be challenging and interactive. Students learn about all aspects of the brewing industry from production, distribution, marketing and operation of a brewery by using a variety of approaches including lab work, hands on experience, lectures, field trips, and industry speakers. Graduates of the certificate have gone on to work in all aspects of the craft brewing world - from masterbrewers to marketing professionals to opening their very own breweries.  The Certificate program is designed to aid students who have a passion for brewing to become skilled brewers, entrepreneurs and seasoned professionals while responding to an industry that is growing like never before.

For more information, please visit www.cwu.edu/craft-brewing or e-mail craftbrewing@cwu.edu.

UNIV 304 and GIVE International Excursions

Through cultural immersion and experiential learning in an international setting, students will engage in activities designed to broaden their perspectives on sustainable development while providing opportunities for personal growth. Students will apply critical thinking skills, field observations, and reflective processing to explore and reveal the contextual impacts and opportunities associated with international sustainable development projects.

Content is delivered via a hybrid course that has an online component and an international immersion component through partnership with GIVE Excursions. A pin number for accessing the online course will be provided once the student is registered. The course begins prior to departure and concludes after your return.

For more information, please visit CE Collaborations at www.cwu.edu/ce.

CAREER TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

Online Certificates - Non-credit
Are you looking to start a new career or gain skills to advance in your current one? The Office of Continuing Education, in partnership with ed2go, offers online, open enrollment courses and programs designed to provide the skills necessary to acquire professional level positions for many in-demand occupations.

You can start these career training programs anytime and work at a pace that suits your individual style. You will have access to all the lessons and assignments from day one, and many of these programs can be completed in less than six months. Instructors are actively involved in your online learning experience. They respond to questions and concerns, as well as encourage and motivate you to succeed. Upon completing your program with a passing score, you will get a certificate of completion.

Please NOTE:  Many of these programs are approved by the Workforce Training Board and are eligible to receive funding from the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). For a list of approved courses, visit the Washington Career Bridge website at www.careerbridge.wa.gov and search the Eligible Training Provider List for online programs at Central Washington University, Ellensburg.

For a full list of our current offerings, please visit Career and Professional at www.cwu.edu/ce.

Online Courses - Non-credit 
Looking to get ahead in your career? These six-week, online, professional development courses are the perfect way to learn a new skill or enhance your existing ones. You will spend roughly two to four hours each week completing two engaging lessons in an enjoyable, interactive learning environment. Expert instructors develop and lead every course, and you will be able to interact with them and with fellow students in lively online discussion areas.  New sessions start every month, so you can sign up anytime. Upon completing a course with a passing score, you will receive a certificate of completion.

For a full list of our current offerings, please visit Career and Professional at www.cwu.edu/ce.

Seminars and Workshops - Non-credit
These face to face courses are available each quarter and are designed to enhance and strengthen your business operations or your personal career development. Upon completion of each seminar or workshop, continuing education units (CEU’s) will be issued. Course topics are timely, taught by experienced instructors, and offer professionals and businesses convenient, affordable options for training. Course topics include Microsoft Excel, Leading across generational differences, Social media strategy, and more.

For a full list of our current offerings, please visit Career and Professional at www.cwu.edu/ce.

PROGRAMS FOR EDUCATORS   

Alternate Pathways to Teaching Program

Washington has a shortage of teachers in the areas of special education, English language learners, mathematics, and the sciences. While the need for these teachers is widespread across the state, some districts have difficulty recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers. Merely preparing more teachers is not the answer to meet current demands. The solution is to address teacher placement and retention.

The online APT program is inquiry-based. Throughout the year, you will complete and implement pieces of evidence for an online portfolio using case studies, chat rooms, and discussion boards. A co-teaching model is used for your internship. You will begin your internship supporting the classroom teacher, and as your skills build, the roles gradually reserve. You will complete a series of transitions that conclude with the submission of a portfolio and passing the teacher performance assessment (edTPA).

You begin the program with a ten-day intensive “boot camp” held on the main CWU campus in Ellensburg. This “boot camp” occurs the first two full weeks after the Fourth of July every year and is taught by university faculty from across the CWU Education Departments. Featured seminars include orientation to teaching, classroom management, exceptional learners, lesson planning, assessment, culturally relevant teaching practices, and English Language learners, to name a few.

After the boot camp, you complete a mentored internship in a school close to where you live. This mentored internship progresses so that you assume more and more responsibility for lead instruction and culminates in six weeks of student teaching. You proceed through the mentored internship at your own pace, completing a minimum of 720 field experience hours (combined observation and teaching), in your endorsement area(s).  Most teacher candidates spend a full year in their internship, dedicating the first quarter to observation, the second quarter to guided instruction or teaching a short lesson segment, the third quarter to teaching one class or prep, and spending the fourth quarter student teaching full time. This progression is flexible and is developed in concert with a university field supervisor and your mentor teacher.

During the internship, you complete online course work designed to supplement the learning that occurs during your school day. You will be asked to complete focused observations, write reflections, read case studies around various education topics, write your own case study, conduct video conferences with peers in your cohort, and more generally, critically reflect on your process of learning to teach. 

A capstone of the program is the successful completion of the edTPA, a statewide requirement for certification.  Modeled after the National Board Examination, the edTPA asks you to prepare a learning segment, videotape your teaching of that segment, and then reflect on your teaching practice.

For more information, please visit School of Education  or Teacher Development at www.cwu.edu/ce.

Online Courses - Non-credit
Numerous professional development classes are available year round through online learning in partnership with VESi (Virtual Education Software). Course topics are timely, taught by experienced instructors, and offer PK-12 teachers convenient, affordable options for professional development (500) credit or clock hours. Course topics include classroom management, special education, bilingual education, health and safety management, teaching strategies, technology in schools, and more.

For a full list of our current offerings, please visit Teacher Development at www.cwu.edu/ce.

Seminars and Workshops - Non-credit
Professional development classes are available each quarter through in-service and distance learning. Course topics are timely, taught by experienced instructors, and offer PK-12 teachers convenient, affordable options for professional development (500) credit or clock hours. Course topics include classroom management, special education, bilingual education, health and safety management, teaching strategies, technology in schools, and more.

For a full list of our current offerings, please visit Teacher Development at www.cwu.edu/ce.

LIFE AND LEISURE

Courses - Non-credit
These fun offerings are open to the public and range from recreational activities like fly fishing and hiking to beer tastings and bus trips to local wineries and breweries. Categories of classes include Outdoor Recreation and Fitness; Bus Tours and Day Trips; Food, Wine, and Beer; and Art, Culture, and History.

For a full list of our current offerings, please visit Lifelong Learning at www.cwu.edu/ce.