Professional and Technical Writing Minor
Writing Studies Program

Professional and Technical Writing Minor

In the Professional and Technical Writing Minor, we approach writing with a fundamental belief that effective communication is accessible to its intended audience and that writers have a responsibility to their audiences to communicate ethically. The program is a vibrant hub for writers from all degree paths to develop innovative written communication using a variety of technologies. Students in the program study all kinds of writing: from push notifications, to political speeches, to signs in your doctor’s office, to legal briefs, to business memos, to science reports on the importance of vaccines, to the online argument about those same vaccines. Students gain real-world experiences composing in digital and print environments and prepare to thrive in a wide range of professional opportunities in industry, nonprofit, and public
sectors.

A minor in Professional and Technical Writing will complete a minimum of 19 units of coursework, at least 6 units of which must be at the upper-division (300-400) level.

 

 

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Professional and Technical Writing Curriculum

Professional and Technical Writing, Minor

In the Professional and Technical Writing Minor, we approach writing with a fundamental belief that effective communication is accessible to its intended audience and that writers have a responsibility to their audiences to communicate ethically. The program is a vibrant hub for writers from all degree paths to develop innovative written communication using a variety of technologies. Students in the program study all kinds of writing: from push notifications, to political speeches, to signs in your doctor's office, to legal briefs, to business memos, to science reports on the importance of vaccines, to the online argument about those same vaccines. Students gain real-world experiences composing in digital and print environments and prepare to thrive in a wide range of professional opportunities in industry, nonprofit, and public sectors. A minor in Professional and Technical Writing will complete a minimum of 19 units of coursework, at least 6 units of which must be at the upper-division (300-400) level.

Learning Outcomes

  • Write effectively across multiple genres and media, using a variety of modalities
  • Communicate across diverse audiences, contexts, and cultures, enabling you to compose effectively on behalf of an organization or cause
  • Understand concepts central to professional writing such as, but not limited to, rhetoric, genre, ethics, and user-centered design
  • Recognize the different conventions, forms, and genres of writing that are appropriate for different professional settings
  • Understand writing as a form of creative and critical inquiry central to a variety of professions, industries, and vocations, including professional and technical writing, editing and publishing, mass media, journalism, social work, and nonprofit/advocacy work
  • Exhibit your professional ethos through a digital portfolio of professional writing

Requirements

Foundations

  • Students are required to complete both WRIT 150 & WRIT 250 as foundational courses. (7 units)
  • Introduction to Professional, Technical & Media Writing (3 units)
  • Social Justice through Professional and Technical Writing (4 units)

Required Application Course

  • Students are required to complete 1 Required Application course (3 units), chosen from the following:
  • Editing for Equity (3 units)
  • Graphic Medicine: Telling Stories about Disability and Health (3 units)
  • UX and UI: Designing for Accessibility & Inclusion (3 units)
  • Special Topics in Professional Writing (3 units)
  • Writing Internship (3-4 units) (1-4 units)

Elective Application Courses

  • Students are required to complete 2 Elective Application courses (minimum 6 units; 3 units must be upper-division), chosen from the following:
  • Editing for Equity (3 units)
  • Graphic Medicine: Telling Stories about Disability and Health (3 units)
  • UX and UI: Designing for Accessibility & Inclusion (3 units)
  • Special Topics in Professional Writing (3 units)
  • Writing Internship (1-4 units)
  • Accounting Communication (3 units)
  • Art Theory (3 units)
  • Designing for the Web (4 units)
  • Project Management and BSAN 325EL (3 units)
  • Rhetoric and Public Discourse (3 units)
  • Public Relations (4 units)
  • Fundamentals of Journalism: From Story Idea to Publication (4 units)
  • Sports Journalism (4 units)
  • Nonfiction Workshop (4 units)
  • Data Visualization and Storytelling (3 units)
  • Arts and Culture Writing
  • Public History & the Power of Narrative (4 units)
  • Research Methods and Writing in Kinesiology (3 units)
  • Online Content Creation (4 units)
  • Multimedia Writing (3 units)
  • Writing, Research, and Analysis (3 units)

Workplace Writing

  • Students are required to complete one course in Workplace Writing (minimum of 3 units), chosen from the following:
  • Writing for Nonprofit Organizations and WRIT 400EL (3 units)
  • Writing in Legal Professions (3 units)
  • Writing in Healthcare Professions (3 units)
  • Writing As Inquiry Cohort (3 units)
  • Writing As Inquiry (3 units)
  • Writing Lab I (1 units)
  • Writing Lab II (1 units)
  • Copyediting & Layout Indesign (1 units)
  • Into to Prof., Tech., & Media (3 units)
  • Writing and Research Cohort (3 units)
  • Writing and Research (3 units)
  • Writing about Data and Analyt (3 units)
  • Writing About the Sciences (3 units)
  • Writing About Business & Econ (3 units)
  • Writing About the Social Scien (3 units)
  • Writing About the Arts and Hum (3 units)
  • Writing and Argument (3 units)
  • Social Justice through Profes (4 units)
  • Editing for Equity (3 units)
  • Graphic Medicine: Telling Stor (3 units)
  • Advanced Writing and Research (3 units)
  • UX and UI: Designing for Acc (3 units)
  • Special Topics in Prof Writing (3 units)
  • Writing for Nonprofits (3 units)
  • Writing for Nonprofits EL (1 units)
  • Writing in Legal Professions (3 units)
  • Writing in Healthcare Professi (3 units)
  • Writing Internship (1-4 units)
  • Independent Study/Special Stud (1-4 units)

Programs Related to Professional Writing Certificate

English, BA
English Minor
Communication Minor
Digital Studies Minor
Cinematic Arts Minor
Business Administration Minor

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School and Department Information

Questions about the
Professional Writing Certificate
Contact Prof. Meghan Sweeney
mas36@stmarys-ca.edu

School of Liberal Arts
Writing Studies Program

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