PROFESSIONAL WRITING AND EDITING MINOR/CONCENTRATION

Do you think writing will be an important part of your career track? Do you think writing will be your career track? Do you want to be prepared more generally for writing in the workplace? If so, the Professional Writing and Editing minor/concentration will help you make the most of your skills.

OVERVIEW

The minor/concentration in Professional Writing and Editing is designed to introduce students to the theory and practice of writing business and technical documents in order to prepare them for writing in the professional world. These writing skills include:

• Understanding the varied roles of writing in professional contexts;
• Understanding and applying the conventions of different professional genres;
• Understanding why and how writing is usable or accessible for different audiences and applying that understanding effectively;
• Explaining and describing complex and specialized information for both technical audiences and lay audiences;
• Developing visual design skills, including the use of graphics and page design.

REQUIREMENTS

To earn this minor/concentration, students must complete the following courses with a grade-point average of 3.0 or better:

Basic Requirements (9 hours): Each of the following three classes.

English 202: Business and Professional Writing (offered every semester)

English 302: Editing (offered every Spring)

English 305: Technical and Scientific Writing (offered every semester)

Flexible Requirements (3 hours): One of the following two classes.

English 201: Advanced Composition (offered every Fall)

English 303: Multimedia Writing (offered every other Spring)

Internship Experience (3 hours)

The internship experience (listed as English 491: Professional Field Experience) should be planned in consultation with the Professional Writing Coordinator after all other minor/concentration requirements have been fulfilled.

For more information, please see our flyers on individual courses or contact Julie Vedder, Professional Writing Coordinator, at Julie.Vedder@mail.wvu.edu or 293-3107 x416.

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