Public and Professional Writing Certificate

Return to: Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences

Writing plays a crucial role in the lives of people after they leave college, as students go on to work, volunteer, attend professional schools, and advocate for themselves and others. The PPW certificate focuses on writing that serves professional goals and/or the public interest. We invite students from across the University to focus on writing as a way to develop the critical writing, learning, and thinking skills necessary to all sectors of American professional life-private, nonprofit, and government.

Students who know that they will write extensively as professionals in law, medicine, the sciences, social work, public policy, international relations, business, or other fields are good candidates for the PPW certificate, as are students who are interested in advocacy and activism. Students contemplating graduate work should also find the course of study leading to the PPW certificate useful. The courses will allow students to work on significant writing projects in a range of venues. Students who have finished the certificate should have a compelling portfolio of work that they can show to prospective employers.

The certificate requires 18 credits, described below.