Professional Writing- Bachelor of Arts
For information, contact the Department of English, 356 Bachelor Hall, 513-529-5221.
The English department offers four majors: creative writing, literature, linguistics, and professional writing. These concentrations lead to an A.B.
Program Requirements
(36 semester hours)
The Bachelor of Arts with a major in Professional Writing is designed for students who wish to engage with the theory and practice of writing for various purposes and in different print and digital media. Students may choose one of four tracks:
- Digital and Technical Communication
- Editing in Professional Contexts
- Public Writing and Rhetoric
- Intercultural Rhetoric and Writing
The major requires 36 hours: five core courses (15 hours); five track courses, one of which is required (15 hours); and two elective courses in any 200-level or above course in the English Department (6 hours). (Note: You may not “double-dip” a course as both a track-elective and an open-elective.)
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core courses | ||
| ENG/IMS 171 | Humanities and Technology | 3 |
| ENG 223 | Rhetorical Strategies for Writers | 3 |
| ENG/IMS 224 | Professional Communication & Digital Rhetoric | 3 |
| ENG/IMS 411 | Visual Rhetoric | 3 |
| ENG Capstone: | ||
| ENG 415 | Capstone in Professional Writing 1 | 3 |
| Track | ||
| Select one of four tracks | 15 | |
| Open Electives | ||
| Select two courses from any 200-level or above course in the English Department. 2 | 6 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 36 | |
- 1
ENG 495R may be substituted for ENG 415.
- 2
This may include 200-level and above ENG courses from the tracks.
Tracks
Editing in Professional Contexts
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required course | ||
| ENG 412 | Print and Digital Editing | 3 |
| Elective courses | ||
| Select four courses from the following, two of which must be at the 300 or 400 level: | 12 | |
| Medical Writing | ||
| Style: Strategies for Editing and Writing | ||
| The Rhetoric of Information and Data Visualization | ||
| Introduction to Creative Writing: Short Fiction and Poetry | ||
| Special Topics in Rhetoric and Persuasion | ||
| Business Writing | ||
| The Literary Marketplace | ||
| Intermediate Creative Writing: Creative Nonfiction | ||
| Internship | ||
| Interactive Business Communication | ||
| Grant and Proposal Writing | ||
| Writing for Global Audiences | ||
| Ethics and Digital Media | ||
| Developing & Publishing Digital Books | ||
| Writing Center Theory and Practice | ||
| Editing and Design | ||
| American Dialects, Culture, and Identity | ||
| Structure of Modern English | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 15 | |
Public Writing and Rhetoric
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required course | ||
| ENG 310 | Special Topics in Rhetoric and Persuasion | 3 |
| or ENG 413 | Grant and Proposal Writing | |
| Elective courses | ||
| Select four courses from the following, two of which must be at the 300 or 400 level: | 12 | |
| Writing with Purpose: Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Communication | ||
| Medical Writing | ||
| Writing for Film and TV | ||
| Style: Strategies for Editing and Writing | ||
| The Rhetoric of Information and Data Visualization | ||
| Professional Communication for Data Analytics | ||
| Backgrounds to Composition Theory and Research | ||
| Business Writing | ||
| Legal Writing and Reasoning | ||
| Internship | ||
| Interactive Business Communication | ||
| Print and Digital Editing | ||
| Writing for Global Audiences | ||
| Ethics and Digital Media | ||
| Developing & Publishing Digital Books | ||
| Environmental Communication | ||
| Writing Center Theory and Practice | ||
| Advanced Storytelling in Journalism | ||
| Data Journalism | ||
| Special Topics in Language Awareness | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 15 | |
Digital and Technical Communication
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required course | ||
| ENG 313 | Technical Writing | 3 |
| Elective courses | ||
| Select four courses from the following, two of which must be at the 300 or 400 level | 12 | |
| Medical Writing | ||
| Style: Strategies for Editing and Writing | ||
| The Rhetoric of Information and Data Visualization | ||
| Professional Communication for Data Analytics | ||
| Special Topics in Rhetoric and Persuasion | ||
| Internship | ||
| Interactive Business Communication | ||
| Print and Digital Editing | ||
| Grant and Proposal Writing | ||
| Usability and User Experience | ||
| Writing for Global Audiences | ||
| Ethics and Digital Media | ||
| Developing & Publishing Digital Books | ||
| Introduction to Interaction Design and Development | ||
| User Experience Research | ||
| Social Media Marketing and Online Community Management | ||
| Digital Branding | ||
| Advanced Interaction Design and Development | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 15 | |
Intercultural Rhetoric and Writing
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required course | ||
| ENG/IMS 416 | Writing for Global Audiences | 3 |
| Elective courses | ||
| Choose four, two of which must be at the 300 or 400 level | 12 | |
| Writing with Purpose: Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Communication | ||
| America: Global and Intercultural Perspectives | ||
| Disability and Literature | ||
| Style: Strategies for Editing and Writing | ||
| GLBTQ Literature | ||
| Native American Literature | ||
| Asian American Literature | ||
| Caribbean, Latin American, and Latinx Literatures | ||
| Colonial & Postcolonial Literature | ||
| Introduction to Literary and Cultural Studies | ||
| Special Topics in Rhetoric and Persuasion | ||
| African American Writing, 1746-1877 | ||
| African American Writing, 1878-1945 | ||
| African American Writing, 1946-Present | ||
| Ethnic American Literatures | ||
| Cultural Politics of Gender and Sexuality in Asian/America | ||
| Women and Gender in Film | ||
| Ethics and Digital Media | ||
| Feminism and the Diaspora: U.S. Women of Color | ||
| Queer Theory | ||
| Black Feminist Theory | ||
| Approaches to Global and Intercultural Studies: Globalization and Belonging | ||
| American Dialects, Culture, and Identity | ||
| Special Topics in Language Awareness | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Introduction to Women's Studies | ||
| Indigenous Peoples and Their Sacred Lands | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 15 | |
In consultation with your advisor and with administrative approval, you may design your own track. Your track (1) must have a coherent and clearly identified identity or theme in professional writing, and (2) must include at least three courses at the 300 level or above from the above list.
Students seeking the Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing meet the College of Arts and Science writing in the major requirement by completing the following course: ENG 223 and either ENG 415 or ENG 495R.