As an English major working through my final year of undergraduate school, I was naturally curious when I learned that UNH Manchester has just introduced a new minor: Professional Writing. Although I was intrigued, I knew nothing about the minor or its course requirements, so I set about asking the school’s English professors to explain as much of the new program as they could.
English Professor Deborah Brown explained that the Professional Writing minor is interdisciplinary, comprised of five courses: Three in the English field, one in the scope of Communication Arts, and one in Computer Science. An internship is also required, but as always, it is easy to coordinate an internship through UNH Manchester.
“Of course,” Brown adds, “students will always have an opportunity to take more than the basic courses outlined below. There’s plenty of choice, especially among the English courses.”
The three required English courses are as follows: Intro to Creative Nonfiction, Professional and Technical Writing, and 21st Century Journalism.
I have already taken two of those courses, but I’ve taken none of the five additional courses that can also be taken as part of the minor: Writing and Reporting the News, Digital Journalism, Editing, Issues in Journalism, and a new upcoming course in sport and travel writing.
Students looking to earn their Professional Writing minor can take any one of the following three courses in Communication Arts: Media Writing, Screenwriting, and the Fundamentals of Video Production. Students will also need to take one of the following Computer Science classes: Intro to Computer Application and Mobile Computing.
“The minor is little-known because we have only very brief descriptions thus far,” says Susan Walsh, professor of English. “We need to explain more about this minor because it helps students develop new skills sets that will help them within any field: Biology, History, Computing, Psychology, anything.”
Brown concurs, describing a Professional Writing minor as one that “develops the writing, composing, and media skills required by magazines and newspapers, public relation firms, websites, radio and television statements, non-profit organizations, and others.” Evidently, the minor can be of great help to anyone, regardless of major.
“These skills are different from those required when writing academic papers,” says Brown, “and it’s important that students learn and practice these practical ways of writing and responding.” She feels that this minor is very valuable “because it teaches the skills students need to get jobs. Internships give the students practical experience that will help them make career choices. Many majors would benefit from this experience. There is no additional cost, and it provides students with many career options.”
Walsh explains that this minor is not exclusive to English majors: “Every professional environment expects the skills offered by this minor. It differs from other English degrees because it offers an alternative to work based solely on literary courses. This provides something new, introducing students to other forms of writing that will broaden their resumes.”
The plan is to expand the degree’s visibility online, something that will hopefully be achieved through this article. As I leaf through the information, I find more and more compelling reasons to enroll in the program, especially as I am looking to learn about the non-literary side of the English-speaking world.
Sufficient time remains before I begin to apply for next semester’s courses, but after conducting these two interviews and writing this article, I suspect that I may be looking to earn my first minor in Professional Writing!
Click here to request more information about the English program at UNH Manchester
