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.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs):
PLO1. Students will demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate and interpret writing in various genres.
PLO2. Students will demonstrate the ability to write and revise original short works of nonfiction and fiction.
PLO3. Students will demonstrate the ability to produce a variety of written materials that meet professional standards for use in business and/or publication as journalism or literature in print and online, or production on film or on stage.
PLO4. Students will demonstrate the ability to translate research into accessible written communication.
In addition to the College of Professional Studies and Advancement Graduate Admission Requirements, applicants must:
- Sit for an in-person interview
- Complete a brief impromptu essay
- Note: List of three references is waived for applicants with a GPA of 3.0 or higher
Program Details:
Required Courses
Program Core
LAE 500 | Advanced Expository Writing: Short Nonfiction | 3 |
LAE 510 | Rhetorical Theory and Practice: Standards of Written Communication | 3 |
LAE 599 | Thesis Project | 1 TO 6 |
English Elective Courses
Choose 21–24 SH from the courses below:
LAE 405 | Advanced Studies of American Literature: Beginning-1900 | 3 OR 5 |
LAE 459 | Online Publishing: Writing for the Web | 3 OR 5 |
LAE 461 | Advertising and Promotional Writing in the Digital Age | 3 OR 5 |
LAE 465 | Creative Writing: Humor | 3 OR 5 |
LAE 499 | English Seminar | 1 TO 5 |
LAE 501 | Writing from Reading | 3 |
LAE 502 | Creative Writing: Fiction | 3 |
LAE 504 | Creative Writing: Children's Books | 3 |
LAE 505 | Introduction to Writing Poetry | 3 |
LAE 507 | Women’s Lives into Literature | 3 |
LAE 510 | Rhetorical Theory and Practice: Standards of Written Communication | 3 |
LAE 512A | Professional Writer I | 1 |
LAE 512B | Professional Writer II | 1 |
LAE 512C | Professional Writer III | 1 |
LAE 513 | Reading and Writing the Short Story | 3 |
LAE 514 | Writing and Reading Oral History | 3 |
LAE 515 | Feature Writing | 3 |
LAE 516 | Screenwriting | 3 |
LAE 517 | Technical Writing | 3 |
LAE 518 | Narrative Forms | 3 |
LAE 520 | Teaching Freshman English Composition | 3 |
LAE 550 | Fundamentals of Journalism | 3 |
LAE 560 | Editing for Publication | 3 |
LAE 586B | Writers’ Week Workshops | 1 |
LAE 592 | Practicum/Internship in Teaching English Courses to Undergraduates | 3 |
LAE 594 | Independent Study/English | 1 TO 3 |
LAE 595 | Special Topics/English | 1 TO 3 |
Notes: For LAE 486B, LAE 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. Where applicable, 400 level courses must be taken for 3 semester hours.
For more information about this program, visit http://www.nl.edu/academics/communicationsmasters/writtencommunication/