As a Professional Writing major, you'll find various options tailored to your preferences. We offer an Honours BA with 120 credits, a regular BA with 90 credits, or an ENPR Specialized Honours in English Professional Writing BA with 120 credits.
Whatever path you choose, Professional Writing will set you up for success as an effective writer within and beyond university. Our courses will equip you with a strong foundation in writing for various audiences and purposes. You'll develop a strong grasp of English grammar and mechanics, scholarly and journalistic research skills, document design principles and tools, as well as substantive and copyediting strategies. You really can't go wrong!
Which is right for you, PRWR or ENPR?
Why PRWR?
If your focus is on writing as a profession—as an editor, publisher or author—or in a profession—as a web designer or corporate communicator—PRWR is the program for you.
It builds foundational writing skills and understandings through the first two years and then offers four areas of specialization from which to choose in the upper years: digital authoring, corporate/organizational writing, periodical writing, and book publishing.
Graduates with a Professional Writing degree work in a variety of professions, such as communication specialists, technical writers, content creators, social media managers, public relations specialists, and more!
Why ENPR?
The ENPR Specialized Honours BA allows you to really focus on the intersections of English and Professional Writing. This program is ideal if you're looking to pair literary study with related fields such as book publishing and periodical writing. Digital authoring and corporate/organizational writing are considerable assets for any writing expert.
In the ENPR degree program, you will be able to take three Professional Writing elective courses as well as a handful of electives outside the Major.
PRWR permits the most flexibility to take elective Professional Writing courses, such as:
- Race and Culture in Professional Writing
- Professional Writing and the Senses: Composing with Beer, Food and Beyond
- Programming for Professional Writers
- Studies in Non-Fiction
- Reading the News: Examining the Rhetoric of the Press
- Activist Rhetorics
- Video Game Rhetorics
In the past students have paired PRWR with:
- Creative Writing
- Linguistics
- History
- Arts, Media, Performance & Design
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Business and Society
- Humanities
Comparison of General Degree Requirements
| PRWR Honours BA | PRWR BA | ENPR Specialized Honours BA | |
| Total Credits | 120 | 90 | 120 |
| General Education Credits | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| Credits in the Major | 48 | 36 | 78 |
| Credits outside the Major (courses not offered by your home Department/Program eg.Writing or English) | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| Free Choice Credits (Can be additional PRWR courses for PRWR; additional PRWR or EN courses for ENPR) | 33 | 15 | 3 |
| Possibilities | The number of free choice credits allows you to take several additional PRWR elective courses, to complete a Double Major with another program, or to declare an Honours Minor with another program. Fulfills requirements for Graduate School applications | The number of free choice credits allows you to take several PRWR elective courses. Does not fulfill requirements for Graduate School applications | The degree requirements leave 9 credits available for PRWR or EN electives. Fulfills requirements for Graduate School applications |
Which path is right for you?
If you're not sure and would like to connect with an advisor, reach out! We'd love to chat about your goals and provide guidance on how best to achieve them.
For more information see the Academic Calendar.