The Minor in Professional Writing

Overview

The minor in Professional Writing is offered by the Department of English and available to all undergraduate students, including English majors^*. If you wish to declare a minor in Professional Writing, please make an appointment with the staff advisor, Laura E. Donaldson. For more information, visit our Professional Writing web page.

Double Counting

Students who have a minor in English as well as a primary and/or an additional major in English may not double count any English courses with that minor. Otherwise, up to two courses from the minor may double count with programs outside of the English Department. Courses that meet the various requirements are advertised on a semester-by-semester basis. Full descriptions are available each semester on the Department's Courses web page. 

Transfer Courses

Students may transfer in a maximum of one advisor-approved course from an institution outside of Carnegie Mellon University, with the exception of the Required Intro Course and the Core Writing Courses, to count toward a minor.

Courses that meet the various requirements are advertised on a semester-by-semester basis. Full descriptions are available each semester on the Department's Courses web page.

*Students cannot combine Technical Writing majors or minors with Professional Writing majors or minors due to significant course overlap.

Curriculum

Complete 6 courses and a minimum of 54 units.

Required Course (1 course)9 units

Required Intro Course		Units
76-270	Writing for the Professions	9
or 76-271	Introduction to Professional and Technical Writing

Core Writing Courses (2 courses)18 units

Two 200- or 300-Level Core Writing Courses
76-212	Introduction to TV Writing	9
or 76-260	Introduction to Writing Fiction
or 76-261	Intro to Writing Creative Nonfiction
or 76-265	Introduction to Writing Poetry
or 76-269	Introduction to Screenwriting
76-373	Argument	9
76-389	Rhetorical Grammar	9
76-390	Style	9

300- or 400-Level Writing Courses (2 courses)18 units

Two 300- or 400-Level Writing Courses (18 units minimum)
76-306	Editing and Publishing (requires instructor permission)	Var.
76-314	Data Stories	9
76-318	Communicating in the Global Marketplace	9
76-325	Intertextuality	9
76-354	Watchdog Journalism	9
76-366	Grant and Proposal Writing	9
76-368	Role Playing Game Writing Workshop	12
76-372	News Writing	9
76-375	Emerging Technologies in Writing	9
76-384	Race, Nation, and the Enemy	9
76-388	Coding for Humanists	9
76-391	Document & Information Design	9
76-395	Science Writing	9
76-415	Mediated Power and Propaganda	9
76-425	Rhetoric, Science, and the Public Sphere	9
76-464	Creative Nonfiction Workshop	9
76-473	Rhetoric & the Construction of Race	9
76-474	Software Documentation	9
76-475	Law, Performance, and Identity	9
76-476	Rhetoric of Science	9
76-481	Introduction to Multimedia Design	12
76-483	Research Methods in Technical & Professional Communication	9
76-487	Information Architecture & Content Strategy Co-requisite course: 76-488 Information Architecture & Content Strategy Lab (3 units)	9
76-492	Rhetoric of Public Policy	9
76-494	Healthcare Communications	9

200-level or Above English Elective (1 course)9 units

Students may choose any 76-2xx through 764xx nine-unit course from our course descriptions to fulfill this requirement, provided it has not already been used to fulfill a requirement above.