Certificate in Professional and Technical Writing

Department of Languages

Dr. Lucas Hardy, Graduate Director
240 DeBartolo Hall
330-941-3420
lhardy01@ysu.edu

Certificate Description

This four-course certificate (12 semester hours) is designed to meet the needs of students pre­paring for careers as:

  • technical writers and editors;
  • company news and information directors;
  • or grant and proposal writers for schools, hospitals, nonprofit organizations, and fine and perform­ing arts groups.

Frequency of course offerings allows most students to finish the certificate within four semesters.

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for the Professional and Technical Writing gradu­ate certificate, students need not have an undergraduate degree in English, but they must have a B.A. or B.S. degree and meet the requirements for admission to the College of Graduate Studies at YSU.

Certificate Requirements

COURSE TITLE S.H.
Required Courses
ENGL 6943Public and Professional Writing3
ENGL 6944Document Design and Production3
Select two courses from Group A or one course from each Group:6
Group A
Grant Writing
Professional and Technical Editing
Publications Issues and Management
Professional Communication
Group B
Sociolinguistics
English Grammar
Discourse Theory
Total Semester Hours12

Although ENGL 6998 Professional Writing Internship does not count toward the 12 semes­ter hour requirement for the certificate, students are strongly urged to take this course or seek equivalent professional experience.

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcome 1: PPW students will WRITE documents to meet the demands, purpose, and interests of a specific client and audience, using relevant rhetorical strategies and concepts.

Learning Outcome 2: PPW students will DESIGN documents to meet the demands, purpose, and interests of a specific client and audience, drawing on principles of visual rhetoric.

Learning Outcome 3: PPW students will REFLECT on and REVISE their documents’ writing and design using concrete criteria set by a specific client and audience.

Learning Outcome 4: PPW students will DELIVER ORAL PRESENTATIONS of their documents’ writing and design using professionally designed visual aid.