Professional & Technical Writing

General Requirements

Admission to the program is contingent upon good academic standing and acceptance by the department.

The department will not accept D transfer credit in the major. Achievement of a C or better in all major courses at Chicago State University.

Completion of 120 semester hours of work: 42 hours of General Education consisting of 6 hours of Composition; 6 hours of the same Foreign Language; 3 hours in Mathematics; 9 hours in Social Sciences; 9 hours in Humanities, of which 3 hours must be a Fine Arts course; 9 hours in Mathematics/Physical Science/Life Science/ Computer Science (CPTR 1060); (at least 3 credits from a Physical Science and at least 3 credits from a Life Science, of which one course mush have a lab, chosen from: Biol/Chem /CPTR/Math/Phys/PhSci); 3 credit hours of Critical Thinking, 3 credit hours Diversity, and 3 credit hours Interdisciplinary courses embedded in the preceding courses and selected from a list of approved courses; 45 hours in English; 3 hours for one university elective; 3 hours in Communications (CMAT 2030); and 3 hours in electives selected with the departmental advisor’s approval. Students must also pass the examination on the state and federal constitutions.

Specific Requirements:

• General Education (42)
• English 1270 - 1280 (6)
• Social Sciences (9)
• Natural Sciences (9)
• Mathematics (3)
• Humanities (9)
• Foreign Language (Sample Language) (6)

Reqired Courses (45)

• ENG 2020 Feature Writing (3)
• ENG 2060  Writing for Advertising (3)
• ENG 2100  Writing & Editing nonfiction (3)
• ENG 2160 or 2190 Survey American Literature I or II (3)
• ENG 2280 Critical Strategies (3)
• ENG 2330 or 2340 British Literature I or II (3)
• ENG 2370  Desktop Publishing for Beginners (3)
• ENG 2910 or 2940  African American Literature I or II (3)
• ENG 4311  Shakespeare (3)
• ENG 4337  Classical Rhetoric (3)
• ENG 4338  Language (3)
• ENG 4379  Workshop in Publishing (3)
• ENG 4387  Advanced Research Methods or ENG 4327 Methods & Materials of LIT Research (3)
• ENG 4395  Internship Writing (3-12 HRS) (3)

RECOMMENDED ELECTIVES (24-17)

ENG 1360, 2010, 2090, 2120, 2150, 2260, 2550, 2800, 2920, 2930, 4324, 4332, 4361, 4381, 4383, 4386 OR OTHER 4000 LEVEL LITERATURE COURSES

UNIVERSITY THESIS REQUIREMENT IS MET BY ENG 3870 OR 4327 (3)

Program Objectives

For successful completion of the writing option, students must

1. demonstrate competence in exact and effective communication of technical information in several subject areas and in addressing a range of different audiences for a variety of purposes.
2. understand the importance of language factors such as semantics in communication.
3. understand the role, importance, and methods of conducting research in technical communication.
4. be adept in solving problems involved in research and communication.
5. have a full working knowledge of the range of available media, including non-print media, for technical communication.
6. be competent in operating word processing programs.
7. be competent in the areas of desktop publishing, teleconferencing, computer telephones, E-mail, faxing, and computer security.
8. know how to prepare and how to use computer graphic aids.
9. understand the fundamentals of business communication.
10. be acquainted with professional organizations and become a participating member of at least one
11. be knowledgeable about publications which print technical articles and about the respective requirements of such publications
12. be aware of job opportunities in technical writing locally, regionally, and nationally.