Professional Writing Undergraduate Certificate
Certificate Requirements
Students may earn the Certificate in Professional Writing by completing 15 hours in selected writing courses with a grade point average of 3.0 or better. Interested students should contact the program coordinator for an application and assistance in selecting courses. Upon completion of four or five writing courses, please consult the coordinator to make arrangements for ENGL 4890. ENGL 2400 or ENGL 2410 and ENGL 4890 are required. Four additional courses are to be chosen from the following list:
| Course Number | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Professional Writing Genre Courses | ||
| ENGL/MEDIA ST 2080 | Advertising Copywriting | 3 |
| ENGL 2125 | 3 | |
| ENGL 2180 | Writing Digital Content | 3 |
| ENGL 3120 | Business Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 3130 | Technical Writing | 3 |
| ENGL/MEDIA ST 3150 | Feature Writing for Digital Content | 3 |
| COMM 2180 | Public Relations Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 4162 | Writers at Work | 3 |
| ENGL 4860 | 3 | |
| ENGL 4871 | Publishing: Writers, Editors, and Readers | 3 |
| Academic Writing Courses | ||
| ENGL 2120 | Topics in Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 2400 | Rhetorical Ways with Words | 3 |
| ENGL 2410 | Literate Lives | 3 |
| ENGL 2810 | Traditional Grammar | 3 |
| ENGL 3090 | Turning the Kaleidoscope: How We Look at Texts | 3 |
| ENGL 3100 | Junior-Level Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 3160 | Writing in the Sciences | 3 |
| ENGL 3200 | Composing Disability | 3 |
| ENGL 4160 | Special Topics in Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 4790 | Rhetoric and Social Justice | 3 |
| ENGL 4810 | Descriptive English Grammar | 3 |
| Creative Writing Courses | ||
| Students may take up to 2 creative writing courses | ||
| ENGL 2020 | Introduction to Creative Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 2030 | Poetry Writing Jumpstart | 3 |
| ENGL 2040 | Fiction Writing Jumpstart | 3 |
| ENGL 3030 | Improving on the Blank Page: Writing Poetry | 3 |
| ENGL 3040 | Lying to Tell a Truth: Writing Fiction | 3 |
| ENGL 4130 | A Machine Made of Words: Writing Your Best Poems | 3 |
| ENGL 4140 | Polishing Your Stories: Producing a Publishable Short Story | 3 |
| ENGL 4150 | Creative Non-Fiction | 3 |
| ENGL 4180 | Novel Beginnings | 3 |
| ENGL 4895 | Editing "Litmag" (can be taken as a capstone) | 3 |
| Honors Courses | ||
| HONORS 2020 | Inquiries in the Fine and Performing Arts | 3 |
| HONORS 3100 | Honors Advanced Composition: Writing The City | 3 |
| HONORS 3020 | Advanced Honors Seminar in the Fine and Performing Arts | 3 |
| Capstone Course | ||
| ENGL 4890 | Writing Internship (Required. Usually taken as the last course in the program. Must include an extensive final project.) | 3 |
| ENGL 4892 | Independent Writing Project | 3 |
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, certificate earners will be able to:
- Write clearly, correctly, and concisely
- Develop knowledge of how writing impacts work and behavior in professional settings
- Employ a repertoire of writing strategies and practices in the workplace
- Effectively adapt content to a variety of professional audiences
- Discern the appropriate tone, style, and format needed for a given writing purpose, audience, and context
- Demonstrate advanced knowledge of rhetorical strategies to achieve specific results
- Practice solid revision and editing skills
- Integrate expectations about professional standards and persuasive, content-based thinking into their written communication
- Recognize and adjust to expectations in the global workplace setting.
- Develop a portfolio of professional writing that would serve in a job search
- Work independently and collaboratively on complex professional documents
- Adapt to new writing challenges quickly