Public and Professional Writing BA

Beginning in Fall 2019, the Department of Writing Studies will offer a BA in Public and Professional Writing (PPW). This flexible major will provide students with an interdisciplinary skill set that will speak to the demands of writing for the 21st Century. Our four year curriculum plan illustrates how this major takes an interdisciplinary approach to teaching students how to write for a variety of public and professional contexts. At 42 credits, this major is ideal for double majoring.

Why Public and Professional Writing?

Employers want to hire people with excellent written communication skills. Because all professional fields require some form of writing, our PPW major will prepare you to become a strategic, flexible writer. You will learn about the various forms of writing you are likely to encounter in the workplace and how to adapt your writing for different audiences and purposes. You will also compile a portfolio of work that you can show to prospective employers.

What can Public and Professional Writing do for you?

The Public and Professional Writing Major focuses on writing that serves professional goals or the public interest (or both). We invite students from across the university to focus on writing as a way to develop the critical writing, learning, and thinking skills necessary to all aspects of professional life. Through Public and Professional Writing, you will—

• Learn how to best meet the needs of your target audience
• Create professional documents, including proposals, reports, presentations, websites, client correspondence, and digital media
• Become adept at working in collaborative environments by drafting, editing, designing, and revising documents with others
• Gain familiarity with a variety of tools used for writing in a digital environment
• Become familiar with the professional, cultural, and political dynamics of a global workplace

Our alumni have accepted positions in a variety of careers, taking positions in grant writing, social media, public relations and more. All of them learned how to incorporate effective written communication into their jobs through Public and Professional Writing.