ARCHIVED 2020-2021 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Professional and Creative Writing
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Mission Statement
There is hardly an industry that could not benefit from hiring better writers. From business professionals seeking to strengthen their writing and communication skills to those pursuing an advanced English education, the online Master of Arts in Professional and Creative Writing is designed to enhance the writing, reading and critical thinking skills that will help writers be successful wherever they are.
The degree honors the entirety of the professional writer who aspires to write for internal and external audiences within and beyond the workplace. There is a strong emphasis on personal development and skill-enhancement that is applicable to multiple professions. Students will be able to build a graduate project or thesis around their passions, interests and professional goals and will receive exceptional faculty support tailored to their needs.
Master of Arts in Professional and Creative Writing
Graduate Certificates
MWRT 500 - Introduction to Professional Writing 3.00 credit hours
This foundational course introduces students to what professional writers do and how they do it, including a review of textual and visual rhetoric and a discussion of ethical dilemmas faced by practitioners in the field. Students practice the necessary critical attitude, principles, tools and feedback to develop and edit their own high-quality professional documents.
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MWRT 501 - Introduction to the Writers’ Workshop and Collaborative Writing 3.00 credit hours
This foundational course introduces students to what professional writers do and how they do it, including a review of textual and visual rhetoric and a discussion of ethical dilemmas faced by practitioners in the field. Students practice the necessary critical attitude, principles, tools and feedback to develop and edit their own high-quality professional documents.
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MWRT 510 - Revision and the Writing Process 3.00 credit hours
Students learn editing in its full breadth and scope, ranging from ideation to deep revision, to professional line editing and proofreading, to annotated drafts and summary feedback. Applying industry-appropriate style guides, writers discover the ideal form, content and format for their work.
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MWRT 511 - Grant Writing 3.00 credit hours
Students practice the fundamentals of professional grant writing appropriate to a multitude of professional settings while identifying specific funding opportunities relevant to their own professional practice.
Prerequisite(s): MWRT 500 .
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MWRT 520 - The Public Writer 3.00 credit hours
Students practice the skills required to reach the broadest possible audience with their professional and creative writing. Writers learn to contextualize themselves and their particular professional interests in the tradition of the public intellectual and rhetorician. Topics may include a representative cross section of popular professional writing, including but not limited science/technology writing, opinion and persuasive writing, travel/environmental writing and popular writing in history and the social sciences.
Prerequisite(s): MWRT 500 or MWRT 501 .
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MWRT 521 - Writing From Life 3.00 credit hours
Students learn to transform memorable and meaningful personal and professional experiences into compelling creative work. Attention is paid to the many ways in which the professional writer leverages autobiographical experience into writing for professional markets.
Prerequisite(s): MWRT 500 or MWRT 501 .
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MWRT 522 - Creative Writing for Professional Writers 3.00 credit hours
Students learn the fundamentals of creative writing in multiple genres. Emphasis is given to shorter forms that develop craft and fluency.
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MWRT 523 - Advanced Creative Writing for Professional Writers 3.00 credit hours
Students learn the fundamentals of creative writing in multiple genres. Emphasis is given to shorter forms that develop craft and fluency.
Prerequisite(s): MWRT 522 or instructor consent.
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MWRT 610 - Writing Proposals 3.00 credit hours
This foundational course introduces students to what professional writers do and how they do it, including a review of textual and visual rhetoric and a discussion of ethical dilemmas faced by practitioners in the field. Students practice the necessary critical attitude, principles, tools and feedback to develop and edit their own high-quality professional documents.
Prerequisite(s): MWRT 510 or MWRT 511 .
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MWRT 611 - The Professional Writing Life 3.00 credit hours
Students learn to prepare their work for submission to various venues appropriate to their interests, ranging from manuscript publication opportunities and professional conferences to other opportunities for collaboration and potential community engagement. Along the way, students learn the habits of successful writers, study freelance and entrepreneurial practices, and establish a sustainable method of their own.
Prerequisite(s): MWRT 610 or MWRT 620 .
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MWRT 620 - Writing Narrative 3.00 credit hours
Students study the complex ways in which narrative underlies both effective creative and professional writing while practicing the forms and strategies appropriate to multiple genres. Broader attention is paid to narrative as a means of producing and transmitting knowledge, of entertainment and instruction and of interpersonal communication and creative expression.
Prerequisite(s): MWRT 520 or MWRT 521 .
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MWRT 621 - Publishing and Publicizing Creative Writing 3.00 credit hours
Students learn proven methods for preparing, publishing and publicizing their creative work in print or digital form. Emphasis is given to the writing of effective queries, cover letters, pitches and professional editorial correspondence. Attention is also paid to developing trends and timely opportunities across genres within the publishing industry.
Prerequisite(s): MWRT 522 or instructor consent.
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MWRT 680 - Professional Presentation and Public Reading 3.00 credit hours
Students study the fundamentals of successful reader-presenters and learn specific strategies for developing and sustaining rapport while increasing engagement. Students in this course plan for and practice their own required public presentation or reading, acquiring a flexible skill set relevant to professional writers, public intellectuals and creative writers who seek to engage diverse audiences with their work.
Prerequisite(s): MWRT 694 .
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MWRT 694 - Thesis I 3.00 credit hours
Working closely with their faculty thesis advisor, students draft and revise their extended professional or creative writing thesis or project.
Prerequisite(s): 27 credit hours in MWRT and MWRT 610 .
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MWRT 696 - Thesis II 3.00 credit hours
Working closely with their faculty thesis advisor, students peer workshop and polish their thesis manuscript.
Prerequisite(s): MWRT 694 .
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