To see more about what you will learn in this program, visit the Learning Outcomes website!

Undergraduate Certificate in Professional Writing (16-ENGL-CPW)

The undergraduate certificate program in Professional Writing is for non-degree-seeking students who wish to sharpen their publication skills and master the fundamentals of editing and writing for the workplace. The two required courses in editing and technical document design address editing, revision. planning, drafting, and designing documents for publication. Students choose three additional elective courses for the program based on their interests. and may focus their elective courses in journalism. technical writing, or creative writing.

Admissions Requirements

Applicants must have completed the first year of college English or equivalent (credit, transfer credit, or credit by exam). Applicants must be enrolled as Non-Degree Studies (NDS) students and should not be concurrently seeking a degree at NCSU during the time of certificate courses. Applicants must submit an online form to the director of Professional Writing to begin the process of enrollment, and should be enrolled as NDS students by the deadline for NDS course registration. 

Program Coordinator

Stacey Pigg 
Director of Professional Writing 
Associate Professor of English 
131 D Tompkins Hall 
slpigg@ncsu.edu
919-515-4117

List of Eligibility Requirements for the Undergraduate Certificate in Professional Writing

1. Non-degree student status
2. There are no other required examinations, presentations, or external learning experiences except those required by the courses listed.
3. A total of 15 hours is required.
4. Satisfactory completion of the certificate program requires:
   1. Completion of the coursework noted above.
   2. A grade of C- or better in all courses used to satisfy the certificate requirement.
   3. An overall GPA of2.0 or better for all courses used to satisfy the certificate requirements.

Plan Requirements 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours	Counts towards
Required Courses (2):
ENG 214	Introduction to Editing
ENG 314	Technical Document Design and Editing
Elective Courses (Choose 3):
ENG 317	Designing Networked Communications
ENG 323	Writing in the Rhetorical Tradition
ENG 331	Communication for Engineering and Technology
ENG 332	Communication for Business and Management
ENG 333	Communication for Science and Research
ENG 350	Professional Internships
ENG 316	Introduction to News and Article Writing
ENG 416	Advanced News and Article Writing
ENG 417	Editorial and Opinion Writing
ENG 421	Computer Documentation Design
ENG 425	Analysis of Scientific and Technical Writing
ENG 426	Analyzing Style
ENG 517	Advanced Technical Writing, Editing and Document Design
ENG 518	Publication Management for Technical Communicators
ENG 281	Introduction to Creative Nonfiction
ENG 288	Fiction Writing
ENG 289	Poetry Writing
ENG 330	Screenwriting
ENG 381	Creative Nonfiction Writing Workshop
ENG 388	Intermediate Fiction Writing Workshop
ENG 389	Intermediate Poetry Writing Workshop
ENG 420	Major American Author