Professional Writing Minor Information Session

Tuesday, May 15
5-6:30pm
SRB Multipurpose Room

Professional Writing Minor Mailing List

Receive updates on information sessions, deadlines, and requirements. Email our Undergraduate Advisor,
Haley Orton, at horton@hfa.ucsb.edu to be added to the list.

UCSB Minor in Professional Writing Overview

The Minor in Professional Writing is an opportunity for undergraduates to expand their communication skills through two capstone courses and a writing internship during their senior year. You should think of the Minor in Professional Writing as an apprenticeship in the world of professional writing, and not simply as a set of courses in which someone will tell you what to do.

The Minor in Professional Writing is separated into three distinct tracks, each with its capstone courses and emphasis: Professional Editing, Multimedia Communication, and Business Communication. When applying you will indicate a first and second choice and explain the reasons for your selection.

Minors in Professional Writing must be more than good students. They must be excellent writers and editors. They must be able and willing to function in a professional internship environment, to accept responsibility, to demonstrate initiative, to complete assignments, to meet deadlines, and to work collegially in group projects.

What are the tracks of the Professional Writing Minor?

Professional Editing (Writing 150, 151 A-B):

Conceptual and technical editing of a wide range of documents for diverse audiences, with attention to genre, tone, and style. Students will learn the responsibilities of the professional editor, including interaction with authors, revision strategies, and the grammatical and mechanical requirements of The Chicago Manual of Style. The final portfolio will include the resume, edited assignments from the course, notes to the author, and edited documents from the internship.

Multimedia Communication (Writing 150, 155 A-B):

Evaluation, design, and production of effective multimedia content for professional audiences. Advanced computer skills are not required, but willingness to learn new software is essential. The final portfolio will include individual and collaborative multimedia projects as well as traditional documents such as memos, proposals, progress reports, and a résumé.

Business Communication (Writing 150, 157A-B):

Development of written, visual, oral and collaborative skills for the workplace (business, government, non-profit or other organizations), with a focus on design, development, and re-purposing of hardcopy and new media documents. A final portfolio will include examples of a variety of professional genres--such as letters, e-mails, status reports, proposals, press releases, feasibility reports, policies and procedures, brochures--presented in both print and digital form. Read more at the website for the Business Communication track.

How do I pursue the Minor in Professional Writing?

Unlike students pursuing other Minors at UCSB, students interested in the Minor in Professional Writing must submit an application in the fall quarter of their senior year. Due to limited space within the capstone courses, not all students who submit an application will be accepted into the Minor. It is strongly suggested that interested students make an appointment with the Writing Program Undergraduate Advisor to discuss scheduling and academic eligibility.

Explore this web site and consider each track and the recommended course work
Take the prerequisite courses:

Writing 2 (or equivalent)
Three courses from Writing 105A-Z, Writing 107A-Z, or Writing 109AA-ZZ

For one of the prerequisites, you can petition to substitute a course that you have taken at another university. Please be advised that these petitions are accepted very rarely. The petition should include a portfolio of the work you did in the course, along with a statement explaining why you think the course is relevant to the work of the Professional Writing Minor. Feel free to contact any of the directors of the Minor tracks or the Writing Program Undergraduate Advisor if you have questions about this process.

Compile and submit your application portfolio in the fall quarter of your senior year (note the due date at the top of this page). See the Application page for more information on the portfolio.
After submitting your application portfolio to the Writing Program office, send an e-mail to the director of your first-choice track:
- Business Communication: LeeAnne Kryder, kryder@writing.ucsb.edu
- Multimedia Communication: Madeleine Sorapure, sorapure@writing.ucsb.edu
- Professional Editing: Craig Cotich, cotich@writing.ucsb.edu

Questions?

Email Haley at horton@hfa.ucsb.edu or call (805) 893.2613