The professional writing certificate allows students to develop their writing skills for professional and business environments. It is delivered entirely online to serve professionals already working in careers as well as students planning to begin professional or business careers. Students will learn the rhetorical requirements for specific forms of written communication, including letters, memos, reports, proposals, promotional materials, and press releases. They will also learn to edit their own writing for clarity, correctness, and style.

Required Courses - Credits: 9

• ENG 301: Rhetoric for Professional Writers introduces you to a variety of professional writing genres. In this course, you will learn how to recognize and write for specific audiences and purposes and in a variety of styles. (5 credits)
• ENG 310: Technical Writing. In this course, you will learn effective techniques for researching, designing, writing, and editing commonly used professional documents such as letters, instructions, reports, and proposals. (4 credits)

Elective Courses - Credits: 10

• ENG 315: Visual Rhetoric and Document Design (5 credits)
• ENG 404: Advanced Technical Writing (5 credits)
• ENG 456: Studies in Rhetoric (5 credits)
• ENG 472: Research Methods for Workplace Writers (5 credits)
• ENG 473: Grant Writing: Theory and Practice (5 credits)
• ENG 474: Professional Writing with New Media (5 credits)

Total credits: 19

Complete the online Application for the Professional Writing Certificate

This is the new, updated certificate. If you applied for the Professional Writing Certificate prior to Fall 2021, you would have seen the version that included COM 347 (4 credits) and COM 370 (4 credits). If you did not take those COM courses, please choose two (10 credits) from the provided ENG elective courses to fulfill the requirement. If you took one of the COM courses, please choose one (5 credits) of the elective ENG courses to fulfill the requirement. Please email English.Department@cwu.edu with questions.