EIU Department of English

Professional Writing

The English major with an emphasis in professional writing combines classroom instruction with practical experience to teach students how to communicate effectively in professional environments.  Through client-based projects and an internship, students will build a professional portfolio that demonstrates their writing, editing, design, and research skills to prospective employers. 

The emphasis requires 20 credits of coursework in professional and technical writing, research, and editing.  The emphasis also includes a required internship and the one-credit Career Development course. Students select 15 credits worth of electives in English.

Special Features:

• The new course in Digital Writing and Multimodal Texts allows students not only to gain practice in writing for a variety of media but to learn about and apply lessons from the history and theory of digital writing
  
  
• Client projects are built into the coursework, allowing students to work with real clients and produce materials for real-world uses even before they head off to their individual internships
  
  
• The four-credit internship insures that all students graduate with at least one real professional experience related to professional writing, and supports students’ learning through interaction with the Internship Coordinator

Current Checklist:

2021-2022 Checklist - Emphasis in Professional Writing