The minor is meant to support students’ preparation as future professionals who write. Almost all careers carry with them a significant writing and communication component. This aspect of most careers can be vital to success and typically increases as employees gain experience and responsibility. Those who write and communicate effectively—those who are able to write clearly, persuasively, and intelligently using the genres and media privileged in their respective fields—regularly distinguish themselves from their peers.
By minoring in professional writing, you can add an important component to your preparation for life as a professional. Some examples are:
In business, you may write pitches, memos, proposals, progress reports, analytical reports, letters, emails, social media content, and business plans.
In art, you may write résumés, grant proposals, artist’s statements, magazine articles, blog posts, and portfolio websites.
In engineering, you may write analytical reports, feasibility reports, memos, project updates, and proposals, as well as shape and report large amounts of data.
In the health sciences, you may write patient referrals, grant proposals, annual reports, promotional materials, and various kinds of web content.
"The Professional Writing Minor has improved my writing substantially. When I started college, I had never written an essay before; now people in my field ask me to edit their papers. My improved writing skills have helped me write top quality grant and scholarship applications. In most fields, written reports are how we communicate with our peers. If you want to stand out in your field, improve your writing.”
-–UW student William White
“If you are taking the [professional writing] courses and taking them seriously, they do apply. They’re some of the more real courses I took during my collegiate career. The skills you learn are exactly the skills you will use if you are working in a professional environment.”
--UW Alum Sara DiRienzo
