2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
    Dec 08, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Professional Writing and Communication, BA


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The Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing and Communication is a degree that will prepare students for professions in technical communication, journalism, and public relations, and for entry into graduate Technical Communication and Mass Communication programs. The goal is to develop students’ technical communication, professional writing, and media-based technology skills through document design and editing, and the use of current software and equipment used in their respective fields of technical communication and media study.

The BA in Professional Writing and Communication is unlike the BA in English, as no advanced literature courses are required, and is unlike the BA in Mass Communication, as the 12 hours of advanced Mass Communication courses are synchronized to support the professional writing and technical communication focus.   

This 42-hr bachelor's degree in Professional Writing and Communication uses seven existing 3-hour courses from the English Technical and Professional Writing minor (ENGL 3314–Fundamentals of Professional and Technical Writing, ENGL 3333–Grant Writing, ENGL 3337–Writing for the Web, ENGL 3345–Technical Editing and Writing, ENGL 3349–Written Business Communications, ENGL 3350–Technical and Professional Writing Capstone, and ENGL 3380–Visual Rhetoric Document Design), four newly created 3-hour technical writing courses–ENGL 3371–Writing in STEM, ENGL 3351–Sports Writing, ENGL 3362–Legal Writing [Choose one of the three], ENGL 3341–Advanced Grant Writing [Required], and four existing 3-hour Mass Communication courses (COMM 3330–Advanced Newsgathering, COMM 3371–Media Publications Design, COMM 4332–Public Relations Writing, and COMM 4355–Principles of Social Media). 

This major does not require a minor.  

Total number of hours required for this degree:

120 semester hours  

Total number of hours in major:

42 semester hours  

Total number of advanced hours required in major:

39 semester hours

Required General Education Courses:


Suggested Sequence of Courses:


Required for the Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing and Communication

Fall - Year One


General Education Courses 

ENGLISH 3 hrs


General Education Requirements 

ORAL COMMUNICATION 3 hrs


General Education Requirements 

FOREIGN LANGUAGE/MULTICULTURAL 3-4 hrs


General Education Requirements 

SOCIAL SCIENCE 3 hrs


General Education Requirements 

Total: 16 hrs


Spring - Year One


NATURAL SCIENCE 4 hrs


General Education Requirements 

FOREIGN LANGUAGE/MULTICULTURAL 3-4 hrs


General Education Requirements 

MATHEMATICS 3 hrs


General Education Requirements 

ENGLISH 3 hrs


General Education Requirements 

THEOLOGY 3 hrs


General Education Requirements 

Total: 17 hrs


LITERATURE 3 hrs


General Education Requirements 

FINE ARTS 3 hrs


General Education Requirements 

HISTORY 3 hrs


General Education Requirements 

PHILOSOPHY 3 hrs


General Education Requirements 

Total: 15 hrs


Spring - Year Two


Total: 15 hrs


Spring - Year Three


Total: 15 hrs


Total: 15 hrs


Spring - Year Four


Total: 12 hrs


Note(s):


The following components are required in all degrees:

General education, major, minor, and validation of completion of:

  • overall semester hours - 120
  • institutional semester hours - 45
  • overall advanced hours - 36
  • institutional advanced hours - 24  

Required General Education:

SPAN 1411 SPAN 1412, CSCD 2341 CSCD 2342 or any two semesters of the same foreign language

Acceptable minor fields:

Any approved minor

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