What is Professional Writing & Communication?

Our students meet a growing need for professional communicators in the workplace—people who can develop digital and multi-modal texts for a variety of purposes and audiences. Our students take classes in document design, rhetorical theory, web development & design, stylistics, and user experience. They also complete internships and develop a portfolio of work to demonstrate their expertise within a specific area of interest—digital storytelling, corporate communications, visual design, technical communication, grant writing, and/or public communication of science.

Throughout the program, students are encouraged to apply what they do in the classroom to their professional interests. Here are some examples:

• Mary examined how visuals communicate a university’s messaging and ethos to prospective students
• Michaella developed a toolkit to promote patient advocacy in medical communication
• Nicole analyzed an advice column from a women’s magazine in the early 1900s to expand definitions of technical communication to include ante- and tactical narratives
• Cameron combined her interests in video games, technical communication, and narrative to think about how to communicate complex ideas and information to different audiences
• Mitchell examined scientific ethos in relation to public scientific events to think about how to strengthen their local standing

In all, these examples show the range of skills and interests our students develop and bring to the program.

What do our graduates do?

Job titles of recent grads include UX Writer; Grants Writer; Enrollment Marketing Specialist; Copyeditor; and social media manager. They work for organizations such as athenahealth, Rhode Island Monthly, Raytheon, Akamai Technologies, UMass Dartmouth, Nye Lubricants, and Brown Medical School. Others are working for nonprofits, publishers, or are self-employed. Examples include:

• Kelsey is Social Media Marketing Specialist for a local food market company
• Leah is a Senior Technical Writer at TraceLink, a computer software company in Boston
• Katie is Research Editor at the Seattle Science Foundation
• Brian is Stewardship Writer for Harvard Kennedy School

Many students use their internship as a stepping stone into these professional communication positions.

Who should apply?

Our program includes a range of students:

• Undergraduates in the accelerated Master’s degree program
• Recent undergraduates in the Master’s degree program
• Working professionals taking classes to earn a Certificate or a Master’s degree

All have an interest in writing and thinking critically about the ways in which we design and develop content for people to use across digital and print platforms. All bring a range of interests and experiences that make classroom discussions rich and projects broad in scope.

Do you offer financial support?

Yes, we offer financial support to many of our students. Our Teaching Fellows program offers a $14,000 stipend and credits all tuition.

How do I apply?

Check out these pages for application materials: http://umassd.edu/professionalwriting