English (B.A.) With A Professional Writing Specialization
The Professional Writing specialization provides students with a background in the theories, methods, and practical skills of the field in order for students to pursue a variety of careers in writing, publishing, journalism, and electronic media. The specialization culminates with an internship and the production of an electronic writing portfolio.
Goals and Objectives
The professional writing curriculum has the following goals and objectives:
- Demonstrating an adequate understanding of the basic principles of written organizational communication and the application of these principles to real world situations,
- Demonstrating critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and
- Presenting material both in written and visual formats.
Degree Requirements
The Professional Writing specialization requires the 12-credit core and a minimum of 21 credit hours in professional writing elective courses, plus the internship (3 or 6 credits).
Core Courses (12 credits)
Students choose 1 course from Traditional Canons, 1 course from Diverse Literatures, and 2 courses from Writing and Rhetoric.
After all core requirements are fulfilled, students may take any course under Writing & Rhetoric as electives. This rule does neither apply to the English B.A. (general; no specialization) nor the Literature specialization. Courses cannot satisfy both core and elective requirements simultaneously.
Traditional Canons (3 credits)
Choose 1 from the following:
Diverse Literatures (3 credits)
Choose 1 from the following:
Writing and Rhetoric (6 credits)
Choose 2 from the following:
Professional Writing Specialization (24-27 credits)
After all core requirements are fulfilled, students take a minimum of 21 credit hours in professional writing elective courses, plus the internship (3 or 6 credits). Students may take any course under Writing & Rhetoric as electives. This rule does neither apply to the English B.A. (general; no specialization) nor the Literature specialization. Courses cannot satisfy both core and elective requirements simultaneously.
| ENG-300 | SPECIAL TOPICS | 3 |
| ENG-333 | INTRODUCTION TO FICTION WRITING | 3 |
| ENG-334 | INTRODUCTION TO POETRY WRITING | 3 to 6 |
| ENG-344 | PROFESSIONAL EDITING | 3 |
| ENG-356 | CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING | 3 |
| ENG-362 | MAGAZINE ARTICLE WRITING | 3 |
| ENG-374 | WRITING FOR THE INTERNET | 3 |
| ENG-444 | BUSINESS RESEARCH, WRITING AND EDITING | 3 |
| ENG-446 | SCREENWRITING | 3 |
| ENG-447 | TECHNICAL & SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, WRITING AND EDITING | 3 |
| ENG-499 | INTERNSHIP | 3 to 6 |
| COM-416 | INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING | 3 |