Program Requirements

Public and Professional Writing Certificate Requirements

Students pursuing the certificate in public and professional writing must complete 16 credits, distributed as shown below:

Writing Electives (12)
Choose four:
(including two at the 300 level)
COMM 219 Design I
COMM 253 Business Communications
COMM 319 Design II
ENGL 259 Argument and Persuasion
ENGL 266 Writing as Social Practice
ENGL 271 Legal Writing
ENGL 284 P5 Global Business Writing
ENGL 290 Science, Rhetoric and the Public
ENGL 355 Professional Writing: Topics
ENGL 356 Editing and Publishing
ENGL 361 Writing with New Media
Internship (3)
DEPT 490 Internship*
Seminar (1)
ENGL 301 Public and Professional Writing Portfolio Seminar**
Total (16)

Note: English majors and minors may pursue the certificate program but may not apply any specific major course requirement toward the certificate. This includes ENGL 259 for all English majors and minors, and ENGL 266 for writing concentration majors.

*The internship may be taken through the student's major or minor department, or through the English department. The internship must involve a substantial written component, allow the student to generate at least one significant portfolio piece, and be approved in advance by the program director during the semester before the internship is taken, regardless of other requirements for the department in which it is listed. Students enrolling in an independent research experience that contains both a substantial formal written component and a substantial experiential learning component may, with permission of the program director, count this toward their internship requirements.

**All students should enroll in ENGL 301 - Public and Professional Writing Portfolio during the final spring semester in the program. Students select and workshop three writing samples, and submit a portfolio composed of work that has been completed in their certificate classes and internship (courses/internship may be taken concurrently).

Public and Professional Writing (Certificate)


For More Information

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(585) 385-8064
admissions@sjfc.edu