Do you think that writing will be central to your career? Do you simply want to be prepared more fully for writing in the workplace? Courses in Professional Writing and Editing will help you make the most of your skills. Four courses are now available online as part of WVU’s Distance Education program, or as part of the regular course offerings through WVU’s Department of English. While you can take just one or two of the courses, successful completion of all four courses and an internship will earn a Professional Writing certificate with an English major, or a Professional Writing minor that you can combine with any other major.

Overview
The cluster of courses in professional Writing and Editing are designed to introduce you to the theory and practice of writing business and technical documents to prepare you for writing in the professional world. Online writing courses are particularly challenging and in order to succeed in them, students must have strong communication skills, a high degree of motivation, and an ability to work independently. The Department of English offers a website with tips on succeeding in an online program. The Professional Writing and Editing courses will help you:

Understand the varied roles of writing in professional contexts
Apply the conventions of different types of professional writing (memos, reports, etc.)
Understand what makes writing usable or accessible for different types of readers
Explain and describe specialized information for both technical and non-expert readers
Develop visual design skills, including the use of graphics and page design

Requirements
Prerequisites: English 101 and 102 are prerequisites for these courses. Online versions of English 101 and 102 will be offered each semester.

Requirements: To be eligible to earn a minor/concentration certificate, you must first complete the following courses with a B average. You are; of course, welcome to take courses without applying for certificate credit. Please Note: You can take these courses in any order.

• English 301: Public Rhetoric/Advanced Composition (offered every Spring)
• English 304: Business and Professional Writing (offered Fall, Spring and Summer 1)
• English 302: Editing (offered every Spring)
• English 305: Technical and Scientific Writing (offered every Fall, Spring and Summer 2)
• English 491: Internship

Only those students who have successfully completed at least nine hours in the minor with an average grade of B or better are eligible to take English 491. The Distance Writing Coordinator must approve all internships.

For more information, please contact Dr. Catherine Gouge, Distance Writing Coordinator, at (304) 293-3107.