Written Communication, M.S.

This program was designed for college graduates to develop their writing skills. The program offers a wide variety of electives that allow students to focus on their own writing interests, whether creative or professional.

Students may be able to apply:

  • Up to six hours of graduate credit from another institution, with approval from the program director
  • Up to six hours of graduate credit from other NLU programs
  • Up to six hours of credit by proficiency for past professional experience

In addition to the College of Arts and Sciences Graduate Admission Requirements, applicants must:

  • Submit the results of the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (this requirements is waived if the student has a master’s degree from a regionally accredited college)
  • Sit for an in-person interview
  • Complete a brief impromptu essay

This degree requires:

  • 33 SH
  • A thesis

Required Courses

LAE500Advanced Expository Writing

LAE510Rhetorical Theory: History and Practice

LAE599Thesis/Thesis Project

English Elective Courses

Choose 21–24 SH from the courses listed below:

LAE405Advanced Studies of American Literature: Beginning-1900

LAE406Advanced Studies of American Literature: 1900-1950

LAE407American Writers: 1945-1970

LAE410Modern British Fiction: 1900-1950

LAE412Introduction to Writing Poetry

LAE413Reading and Writing the Short Story

LAE414Writing and Reading Oral History

LAE416Women's Lives into Literature

LAE450Fundamentals of Journalism

LAE460Editing for Publication

LAE461Writing Promotional and Advertising Copy

LAE465Creative Writing: Humor

LAE486AWorkshop/English/Rare Books at the Newberry Library

LAE486BWorkshop/Writer's Week Workshop

LAE499English Seminar

LAE501Writing from Reading: Incorporating Research into Nonfiction Articles and Books and Reports

LAE502Creative Writing: Fiction

LAE503Creative Writing: Poetry

LAE504Creative Writing: Children's Books

LAE512AProfessional Writer I

LAE512BProfessional Writer II

LAE512CProfessional Writer III

LAE515Feature Writing

LAE516Screenwriting

LAE517Technical Writing

LAE518Narrative Forms

LAE520Teaching Freshman English Composition

LAE592Practicum/Internship in Teaching English Courses to Undergraduates

LAE594Independent Study/English

LAE595Special Topics/English

Note: For LAE 486A, LAE 486BLAE 499, LAE 594 and LAE 595, specific topics may be chosen. Each topic may only be counted once toward the degree. LAE 501 is strongly recommended.