Graduate certificate in technical/professional writing

The Graduate Certificate in Technical/Professional prepares students for careers that combine strong communication skills with technical expertise. Students explore the relationships among language, writing, and computing technologies. This program is specifically designed to prepare students for the challenges encountered in today’s rapidly changing, technologically global society.

With a Technical/Professional Writing background students find careers in

  • computing-related industries, software and hardware
  • engineering communication
  • environmental communication
  • government
  • medicine
  • other scientific or technical fields

As a technical writer, students are called upon to research, write, test, design or edit technical information for a variety of audiences, including

  • software and hardware documentation
  • grants and proposals
  • electronic multi-media presentations
  • websites
  • training materials

In addition to strong communication skills, technical writers must know a variety of computer applications, including word processing, web design software, page layout applications, online help authoring software, and hypertext mark-up language (HTML).

Our Graduate Certificate program is open to students with an undergraduate degree any field, not just English Studies. This program attracts students who may be looking to change careers or who may need the credential for career advancement. Successful graduate certificate students may apply later for admission to our M.A. program; if accepted, all credit earned toward the certificate can be applied toward the M.A. in English with a concentration in technical/professional writing.

Certificate Requirements

The certificate consists of 15 credit hours of graduate coursework, including a capstone (a project or an internship).

Materials for Admission

Students must apply for admission to the Graduate School and must have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75. Applicants will be required to submit: 1) a current GRE score; 2) a current MAT score; or 3) a portfolio of professional-level documents. Only graduate courses taken at UNC Charlotte will count towards this Graduate Certificate.

Any questions?

Contact Professor Greg Wickliff <gawickli @ charlotte.edu>, coordinator of the technical/professional writing certificate program.