Professional & Technical Writing program
Learn to write professionally.
In the modern world, communication is constant in the workplace. Internal documents, blogs, emails and press releases are just a few of the places where organizations share information. Professionals who can write accurately and compellingly across diverse platforms are valued members of the team.
UWL’s Professional & Technical Writing minor and certificate program prepare students to write in an understandable, accessible, and ethical way for a wide range of audiences. Students learn to write both internal and external communications such as a memo between divisions of an organization or a press release to be shared more widely.
What is professional and technical writing?
Professional and technical writing is written communication within an organization for a specific purpose, typically aligned with the organization’s goals. Professional writers can translate complex information into easy-to-digest prose. This writing may appear in technical documents, newsletters, reports, press releases, emails, messaging apps and more.
I use what I learned from my English classes in the work I do every day! I am able to communicate my organization's mission clearly and creatively, whether that's through writing social media posts, blog posts, or articles for our newsletters.
Cat Daly
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Professional writing careers
This minor complements a wide variety of majors. Typically, students will follow their major program of study to guide their career path and use professional and technical writing minor to broaden their skillset within that path.
Professional & Technical Writing is not just for those pursuing communications or marketing related work. For instance, science majors often choose to learn professional writing because of the need to take complex research findings and make them relevant and useful to diverse audiences.
Professional writing careers
- Social media & digital marketer
- Grant & proposal writer
- Public relations specialist
- Instructional designer & corporate trainer
- User experience designer
- Technical writer
- Corporate blogger
- Human resources specialist
- Government communications officer
- Healthcare communications specialist
- Scientific communicator
- Brand strategist
- Search engine optimization specialist
- Web content writer
- Project management specialist
- Non-profit communications specialist
What distinguishes UWL’s Professional & Technical Writing minor?
Students will gain practice writing in diverse platforms and for different stakeholders. They’ll gain experience with workplace communication tools such as Microsoft Teams, as well as emails, press releases and internal documents.
Community stakeholders and campus clients provide real-world writing projects for students to oversee from beginning to end. In the past students have worked with local food pantries, libraries, foundations, neighborhood associations, and more.
Instructors focus on professionalization in their classes. They keep up with trends to help students understand and apply these new skills to their coursework. Students are prepared to market themselves post-graduation based on the skills they’ve learned.
Alumni visit classes to talk to students about their professional trajectories in writing.
Students can expect to write during every class in the writing minor. Most classes involve hands-on projects that help students problem solve in the work setting. Students will receive regular feedback on writing from instructors and peers.
Students will have opportunities to work in a team setting as they will experience in their jobs. They will learn to combine their work with others and reach out for help throughout the process.
Students will have help setting up the internship with an organization that is aligned with the type of writing they want to do. Examples of past organizations to offer internships include Downtown Mainstreet Inc., Mississippi Valley Conservancy, Children’s Museum of La Crosse and more.
Sample courses
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