Carnegie Mellon University

Curriculum

Build foundational communication skills in the core courses and tailor your program experience with flexible elective options to meet your career goal


The three-semester MAPW program requires a total of 12 courses (minimum of 39 credits) plus a required professional internship, usually completed during the summer between the second and third semesters. The 12 courses include 6 required core courses, which provide basic skills foundational to all communications careers, and 6 electives that allow you to customize the degree to match your specific interests. In addition to the 12 courses, students take a one-credit Professional Seminar during their first semester which provides guidance in their options for electives and internships as well as support in their job search.

Our standard M.A. in Professional Writing curriculum follows the sequence illustrated below. (If you are a CMU student taking the 4+1 accelerated program, your curriculum is modified). The sequence is designed to develop fundamental skills in the first semester and allow for flexibility and choice in the remaining two terms. While the curriculum, particularly the first semester, is structured to meet the needs of full-time students, it is also flexible enough to support part-time enrollment using the sequence below as a general guide.


Fall

 

Professional
& Technical Writing

Style

Rhetorical Grammar

Professional Seminar

Document & Information Design


Spring

Information Architecture & Content Strategy

Elective

Elective

Elective


Summer


Fall

Research Methods in Technical & Professional Communication

Elective

Elective

Elective

The variety of electives allows students to customize their degree to support a range of career options. All 6 electives you will take are "free" electives. However, one of the electives must be a course designated by the English Department as a Rhetoric course. You will meet with your MAPW advisor to approve your selections.

Students use elective courses to pursue a broad interest in communication or to focus on more specific career paths. Career paths most commonly pursued by MAPW students include technical writing, information architecture, content strategy, corporate communications, science/healthcare communication, and marketing communications. The section on Customizing Your Degree provides detailed information about the elective course options.

If you are currently a CMU student, with a major or minor in the English department, or a BHA or BHS student with relevant coursework, you may qualify to complete the M.A. in Professional Writing in 2 semesters instead of the usual three. Current CMU students interested in this accelerated MAPW program can view more information online here or view our MAPW 4+1 PDF.

For current CMU students: The MAPW 4+1 is an accelerated master’s program (usually majors or minors in the English department or BHA or BHS students with relevant coursework) can qualify to complete the M.A. in Professional Writing in 2 semesters instead of the usual three. Current CMU students interested in this accelerated MAPW program can view more information online here or view our MAPW 4+1 PDF

Core Course Descriptions

Professional and Technical Writing

This course introduces you to the theory, research, and practice of professional writing. Through reading, discussion, projects, and writing workshops, you develop a rhetorically-grounded approach to analyzing communications problems and producing a range of professional documents. The user-centered approach views professional documents not as examples of generic formats but as a means to accomplish specific purposes, for example, learning to construct a web page, securing publicity for an organization, or getting funding for a project. Because writers need a range of skills that go well beyond the actual inscribing of words on a page or screen, you learn how to interview experts, work with clients, test documents on actual users, manage collaborative writing projects, and related professional skills. The course includes five or six major writing assignments and a final portfolio of finished work that serves as the foundation for the professional portfolio you'll use in applying for internships and full-time positions.

Style

This course is designed to help you develop the professional judgment to make stylistic choices appropriate for particular audiences and contexts, and the skill to implement those choices. Students develop a vocabulary of style, assess the effect of stylistic choices on readers, and become better editors of their own writing and that of others. The intellectual foundation for the course is derived from the "Plain English" movement; its principles help professional writers achieve clarity, precision, coherence, and conciseness in their writing. Students also gain experience working with clients and explaining the rationale for recommended stylistic changes.

Rhetorical Grammar

The primary objective of this course is to provide professional writers with a framework for identifying and authoritatively discussing the grammatical forms and constructions they will be using. The course also includes some linguistic analysis, a consideration of English orthography, and discussion of the notions of standards and correctness in language. The concern throughout is to develop an understanding of those elements of grammar and usage that are the foundation for good professional writing and for leadership in professional writing settings.

Document & Information Design

Today, many professionals are responsible for the visual design of documents. This course provides students who have already learned the foundation of written communication with an opportunity to develop the ability to analyze and create visual-verbal synergy in printed documents. Students will be introduced to the basic concepts and vocabulary, as well as the practical issues of visual communication design through a series of hands-on projects in various rhetorical situations. Assigned readings will complement the projects in exploring document design from historical, theoretical, and technological perspectives. Class discussions and critiquing are an essential part of this course. Adobe Creative Studio (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator) will be taught in class, and used to create the assigned projects.

Information Architecture & Content Strategy

In the digital age, the vast amount of information available online can be overwhelming, and even individual websites often struggle to present their content in a user-friendly manner. In this course, students will immerse themselves in a semester-long real-world project with practical exercises to address this challenge. This course equips students with the skills necessary to develop user-centered information architecture and content strategy, enabling them to create user-friendly websites that align with user expectations and industry best practices. Throughout the course, students will adopt a user-centered approach, utilizing essential usability methods to gain insights into the information needs, behaviors, and preferences of users. They will develop the ability to identify and rectify usability issues on websites. Additionally, students will delve into the principles of online information design, encompassing topics such as information architecture, navigation, and effective labeling. In the required lab section of the course, students will gain hands-on experience with core web technologies. They will learn how to use HTML5 and CSS to shape and style web content while gaining an understanding of JavaScript and APIs, which play a pivotal role in integrating data and services into websites.

Research Methods in Technical & Professional Communication

This course provides you with practical, hands-on experience with designing, collecting, and analyzing research in Technical and Professional Communication. These same research methods are also applicable to Writing Studies and classroom research. We will go into depth on three main methods in this class: interviews, surveys, and think-aloud protocols. In addition, we will touch on focus groups, eye-tracking analysis, and collaborative analysis techniques. More specifically, in this class you will learn how to design well-worded questions that produce reliable information; critically reflect on and improve your interview technique; explore software designed to aid in open-ended analysis of qualitative data; design an A/B (or control/experimental) study; write a data-driven research report, and experiment with a range of data collection techniques.

Professional Seminar

In this once-a-week seminar, practicing professionals in fields ranging from science journalism to public relations, corporate communication, marketing, print journalism, web design and information architecture come to campus to talk informally with students about the fields in which they work. Interaction with these professionals provides both workplace contacts and overviews of possible internship and career paths. Visiting professionals talk about their own and related careers, show samples of their work, and answer student questions. Related activities include resume workshops and portfolio reviews. 

Align your career aspirations with personalized program experiences through flexible elective options

Personalize your degree

You will build foundational skills in rhetoric, writing, document & information design, and research methods through the program’s core courses. These core courses are complemented through self-selected electives that allow you to personalize your degree to support your career path.

Our program offers electives in a diverse range of specialized areas of communication including

  • Science & Healthcare Communication
  • Technical Writing
  • Persuasion/Advocacy
  • Communicating Globally
  • Equity & Communication
  • News/Journalism
  • Creative Nonfiction

Your MAPW advisor will help you evaluate which electives best support your academic and professional goals.

MAPW students commonly enroll in these electives to develop their existing skills or build new ones:

  • Science Writing
  • Healthcare Communications
  • Rhetoric of Science
  • Rhetoric, Science, and the Public Sphere
  • Software Documentation
  • Coding for Humanists
  • Introduction to Multimedia Design
  • Argument
  • Communication in the Global Marketplace
  • Equity & Communication
  • Construction of Race
  • News Writing
  • Watchdog Journalism
  • Creative Nonfiction Workshop
  • Literary Journalism Workshop

Broaden your expertise with electives from departments and colleges across the university: In addition to the electives offered within the MAPW program, you can take courses in other Carnegie Mellon programs as electives. These electives provide you with the opportunity to explore various professional avenues and engage with a diverse range of professors and students.