Welcome to the Graduate Program in Professional Writing!
We now offer four graduate options:
- M.A. in English with a specialization in professional writing
- Ph.D. in English with a specialization in professional writing
- Special Emphasis in professional writing
- Certificate in Professional Writing and Communication [can be taken completely online]
We hope that one or more of these options might interest you or someone you know. For more information contact the program coordinator, Rachel Spilka, at spilka@uwm.edu.
Why Study Professional Writing?
Statistics reflect the good news that specializing in professional writing can help build credentials and improve job marketability after graduation. In today's struggling economy, workers need to be flexible, multi-skilled, and adaptable. Studying professional writing can help you gain skills and knowledge that can make an important difference in helping you to compete well in the job market.
Even in today's difficult economic times, the field of professional writing/technical communication is growing. Often professional writers are able to keep their jobs even with cutbacks and layoffs, because quality writing and communication are always a necessity in any company.
Why Study Professional Writing at UWM?
Our Professional Writing Program at UWM has developed a strong, positive reputation -- locally, regionally, and nationally – for preparing students comprehensively for the special challenges of writing and communicating effectively in today's ever-changing workplace.
We have tailored our programs to meet the special needs of a wide variety of students:
- To accommodate the special time constraints of students who work or have family commitments, we offer most courses at night or online at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
- To accommodate students aiming for workplace or academic careers and who wish to develop advanced workplace skills, we offer cutting-edge instruction in advanced workplace skills, including the following:
- Professional, technical, business, and health/medical writing
- Grant writing, advocacy writing, nonprofit writing, and creative nonfiction
- Social media and new media writing
- Project management
- Document, web site, information, and instructional design
- Editing and publishing, technical editing, and usability testing
- To prepare all of our students for workplace jobs in professional writing, we also provide a firm grounding in theory and research through these courses:
- Professional writing theory
- Professional writing theory and pedagogy
- Social and ethical issues in technical and science writing
- Rhetoric of technology
- Rhetoric of science
- Critical and cultural theories of professional writing
- Qualitative research in writing and literacy
- Professional writing research
- Usability studies
For all students, we offer the following:
- High quality, hands-on learning experience with an equal balance of theory and project work. Most of our courses involve individual or collaborative projects for actual clients on- or off-campus. We also offer an internship course for students seeking opportunities to apply their professional and technical writing skills in work contexts prior to graduation.
- Computer classrooms. Most of our face-to-face courses are held in computer labs and combine lectures, class discussions, and workshop activities. During some classes, students will use common types of software as they work on course projects.
- Enthusiastic, caring and hard-working faculty who are leaders in the field with broad workplace and academic experience, outstanding teaching and publishing credentials, and international reputations.
- Opportunities for financial support. During some years, some students also receive teaching assistantships, research assistantships, or fellowships.
If you are interested in learning more about our program, feel free to explore the following links:
