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MAPW Curriculum

(36 Total Credit Hours)

The Master of Arts in Professional Writing Degree Program consists of 36 hours of course work. The MAPW Program is organized in three distinct parts:

PRWR 6000: Issues and Research in Professional Writing (3 Credit Hours) The Core Class

  1. 3-0-3. Prerequisite: Admission to the MAPW program, or permission of the Graduate Program Director. (Students must complete this core course their first semester in the MAPW program.)

    This course introduces students to the three program concentrations - applied writing, composition and rhetoric, and creative writing - by focusing on key issues, theories, and research methods specific to each field as well as those that cut across all three concentrations. The course provides the necessary foundation of knowledge, skills, and practice - through a variety of readings on contemporary issues and through discussion, critique, and application of research methodologies - for students to complete MAPW requirements and coursework within their concentration and support areas.

  2. The Major Concentration and Support Area(s)  Allows candidates to concentrate on two  or three areas of interest.  In the Major (15 hours), each student  takes five courses and in the Support Area (9 hours),and an elective course (3hours) or take two courses from each of the other two areas (12 hours).

  3. PRWR 7960: MAPW Capstone Project (6 Credit Hours)1-6. Completion of 27 credit hours in the MAPW program and at least four courses in the concentration; approval of capstone project. A project designated as a thesis, portfolio or practicum and accompanied by a rationale for its purpose and design that involves electronic and/or print media and is relevant to the student's concentration in professional writing. After submitting an approved capstone proposal, the candidate works under the direction and advice of two faculty members to produce the project. The candidate must submit the capstone project at least two weeks before either 1) a discussion about the project with the faculty committee, or 2) a public presentation about the project or a reading from the project for an audience of faculty and peers. The candidate will consult with the capstone committee chair and committee member about which option to choose.

Sample Programs of Study