Program & Courses

PW Overview | PW Requirements | PW Courses

To schedule a Professional Writing advising appointment, email Dànielle Nicole DeVoss (devossda@msu.edu).

PW Overall Requirements

To successfully complete the undergraduate program in Professional Writing, students must fulfill:

the Professional Writing requirements;
the College of Arts & Letters requirements; and
the University-wide requirements.

These requirements are summarized below. Students are also invited to download and review the PW advising form (which, when clicked, will open as a PDF), which describes all PW, College, and University requirements.

PW Requirements

completion of a Tier II writing course (4 credits)
completion of core courses (16 credits minimum), which includes 3 credits in a senior-level writing workshop or internship
selection of a track within the Program: Digital and Technical Writing; Writing in Communities and Cultures; or Writing, Editing and Publishing; completion of required track courses (9 credits minimum in one track)
completion of elective courses (9 credits, at least ONE of which is at the 400 level; students may use their elective options toward meeting the requirements for a second track)

PW Core Courses (16 credits minimum)

WRA 202 Introduction to Professional Writing
WRA 210 Introduction to Web Authoring
WRA 260 Rhetoric of American Cultures
WRA 360 Visual Rhetoric for Professional Writers
3 credits in a senior-level writing workshop or internship: WRA 455, WRA 493E or WRA 493D

PW Tracks and Requirements (9 credits minimum)
Track: Digital and Technical Writing

WRA 320 Technical Writing
WRA 410 Advanced Web Authoring or
WRA 417 Multimedia Writing
WRA 415 Digital Rhetoric

Track: Writing in Communities and Cultures

WRA 331 Writing in the Public Interest
WRA 444 Writing in American Cultures
WRA 453 Grant and Proposal Writing

Track: Writing, Editing and Publishing

WRA 355 Writing for a Publication Workshop
WRA 370 Introduction to Grammar and Style
WRA 470 Editing and Publishing (offered as WRA 491 in Spring 2008)

PW Electives ( 9 credits minimum at least ONE of which is at the 400 level)

WRA 308 Invention in Writing
WRA 320 Technical Writing
WRA 331 Writing in the Public Interest
WRA 341 Writing Nature/Nature of Writing
WRA 355 Writing for Publication
WRA 361 Rhetoric, Persuasion and Argument
WRA 370 Introduction to Grammar and and Style
WRA 410 Advanced Web Authoring
WRA 415 Digital Rhetoric
WRA 417 Multimedia Writing
WRA 420 Advanced Technical Writing
WRA 444 Writing in American Cultures
WRA 445 Rhetoric and Music
WRA 451 Coordinating Large-Scale Publications
WRA 453 Grant and Proposal Writing
WRA 455 Portfolio Seminar
WRA 470 Editing and Style (offered as WRA 491 in Spring 2008)
WRA 493E Internship in Professional Writing
WRA 493D Internship in Editing and Publishing
AMS courses with approval of PW advisor
ENG courses with approval of PW advisor
STA courses with approval of PW advisor

College of Arts & Letters Requirements

Graduation requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Arts & Letters:

Students must have demonstrated second year proficiency in a single language other than English. This can be met by two years of study at MSU (four semesters: e.g., 101, 102, 201, 201) or by continuing a language studied in high school through the MSU course 202. Students who place into third-year language have satisfied the requirement.
Students must have selected and completed two cognates (areas of concentration outside the major). Cognates must be approved by the student's adviser. One cognate must be outside the College of Arts & Letters.
Each cognate must be a "cohesive body of knowledge" (usually in a single department) of at least 12 credits. One cognate must have at least 3 credits at the 300 or 400 level.
Students must have obtained a minimum grade-point average of 2.00 in courses in the major that count toward the degree.

Admission to CAL as a Freshman

Students meeting the general requirements for admission to the University shown in the Undergraduate Education section of this catalog may enroll with a major preference in the College of Arts & Letters and be assigned an academic adviser from the College.

During their freshman and sophomore years, students are enrolled in the Undergraduate University Division (UUD) and typically complete most of the University requirements. For the Bachelor of Arts degree, students must have: (a) At least 30 credits in courses at the 300 level and above. (b) At least 30, but not more than 40, credits in courses in the major that count toward the degree.

Admission as a Junior to the College of Arts and Letters

Students who enter CAL at junior status are required to have:

Completed at least 56 credits acceptable to the College.
An academic record in all work accepted by the College that meets the requirements of Academic Standing of Undergraduate Students.
Acceptance as a major by a department, school, or interdepartmental program in the College.

University Requirements

All undergraduate students, regardless of major, need 28 core, required credits; students who score below 19 on the mathematics placements test need credit for at least one math course above MTH 110.

The required courses are:

One "Tier I" writing course (WRA 110-195H, 4 credits)
Two Integrated Social Science courses (ISS, 8 credits)
Two Integrated Arts and Humanities courses (IAH, 8 credits)
Two Natural Science courses and a laboratory (ISB, ISP, 8 credits)

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