Professional Writing Minor
The minor in professional writing prepares students to become effective written, spoken, visual, and electronic communicators in a variety of digital, disciplinary, and workplace environments. Students choose their emphases in many classroom projects to complement and extend the knowledge acquired in any major and meet their intended career goals. Special emphasis is given to navigating the terrain of electronic writing environments and social media through portfolio projects and allowing students to develop reflective practices to direct their learning beyond the academy. The minor is offered in traditional face-to-face and entirely-online formats.
Why minor in Professional Writing?
The Professional Writing Minor (PWM) launched in 2015 to help students build the skills they need to become more competitive job applicants and successful employees. Specifically, courses in the minor focus on the following skills, which employers consistently identify as critical for today’s job seekers:
- Written and oral communication
- Teamwork
- Project management
- Research and analysis
- Critical thinking/Problem-solving
To help students reach their educational and career goals, PWM class sizes are limited to no more than 23 students/class, courses are taught by a small group of dedicated faculty, and the Coordinator for the PWM provides advising on a regular basis. Added benefits of the minor include priority registration for minor-sponsored events (e.g., Get Career Fair Ready workshop series) and social activities.
Which majors can pursue a minor in Professional Writing?
The Professional Writing Minor can benefit all students, and our minors represent a wide range of degree programs (e.g., Biology, Business, Communication Sciences & Disorders, Engineering, Exercise Science, General Studies, Integrated Marketing Communications, Journalism, Law Studies, Psychology, etc.). Students in the PWM often enjoy writing and pursue the minor to strengthen that skill, along with others necessary for their future careers.
What are the requirements for the minor?
The Professional Writing Minor is an 18-credit hour minor, and students must meet the following course requirements according to their catalog year:
- Fall 2018 and later catalog years: WRIT 300 + WRIT 310 + 12 remaining hours of WRIT courses at 200-level and above (can also count SPCH 305)
- Fall 2017: WRIT 300 + WRIT 310 + 12 remaining hours of WRIT courses at 200-level and above
- Prior to Fall 2017: 18 hours of WRIT courses that can include WRIT 100/101, ENGL 101, or HON 101 and WRIT/LIBA 102, ENGL 102, or HON 102
Students should confirm their catalog year with their academic program. To enroll in upper-level courses students must have completed first-year course prerequisites. Courses can be completed out of sequence to accommodate scheduling needs (e.g., a student may earn credit for WRIT 310 prior to completing WRIT 300), and the minor can even be completed entirely online.
How do I declare the Professional Writing Minor?
To add the minor, contact your academic advisor or visit the Dean’s office for your academic program and ask to add the minor to your program of study.
Can I enroll in minor courses without declaring the minor?
Yes! Any of our courses can be taken without declaring the minor. You may also opt to complete a course or courses before declaring the minor.
When should I declare the minor/start taking courses?
We recommend starting your coursework early to better distribute the required hours and choose from more course options. We strategically rotate courses to ensure that students can complete the minor within three semesters, if necessary/preferred, but some courses are offered only once a year or every 2-3 years. We also advise taking no more than two upper-level WRIT courses concurrently to ensure greater likelihood of academic success.