Creative and Professional Writing Graduate Certificate

Students who enroll in this certificate program may take courses within the existing Writing Studies MA program, housed in the English Department. The 15-credit certificate program takes half the time of the MA and does not require a thesis. Certificate students who wish to continue on to the MA are welcome to do so. 

Goal 1: Acquire knowledge of the writing process (addressed specifically in ENG 550)

Objective 1.1: Exercise patterns of invention for creating original work by following a process-oriented approach to writing that includes brainstorming, drafting, and revision.

Goal 2: Develop editorial skills (addressed in all our offerings)

Objective 2.1: Formulate constructive responses to the work of their peers regarding stylistic choices and organizational principles in one or more creative literary forms, such as poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. (Addressed specifically in ENG 550 and all our workshop offerings)

Objective 2.2: Practice editing skills through examining their own writing. (Addressed specifically in ENG 550 and all our workshop offerings.)

Goal 3: Acquire knowledge of the publishing process (addressed specifically in ENG 550)

Objective 3.1: Locate publishing venues and prepare a manuscript for submission in one or more genres, such as fiction, nonfiction, poetry, journalism, academic writing, or online content.

Goal 4: Develop rhetorical skills through analysis and practice (addressed in all our course offerings)

Objective 4.1: Demonstrate knowledge of rhetorical concepts, such as audience, purpose, and medium.

Objective 4.2: Practice analyzing appeals to character, emotion, and logic in persuasive discourse.