Professional Writing, BA

The professional writing major includes elements of technical writing, writing, and publishing. Students in professional writing love to write and enjoy organizing and presenting information in multiple media formats. The professional writing major is noted for cultivating expertise in writing for the digital workplace; in teaching and researching multimedia writing, visual rhetoric, usability, and emergent technologies; in print and digital publishing; and for emphasizing collaboration, community service, and open-source development and documentation.

Skills learned include the ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing; to edit, revise, and design professional documents; to analyze, interpret, and present data; to present information clearly and creatively; and to understand how people use writing to teach, delight, and persuade. Students may focus on writing for the arts or writing for industry, and they must choose a minor that will give them additional expertise.