Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing
About
The Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing equips students with the essential writing, communication, and technical skills needed for a wide range of careers. Students choose from two specialized tracks: Editing and Technical Writing or Business Writing. The Editing and Technical Writing track focuses on crafting clear, concise, and accurate content for manuals, guides, and digital media, while the Business Writing track emphasizes persuasive, strategic, and effective communication in professional settings, including marketing, corporate communications, and proposals. This degree prepares graduates for roles in publishing, corporate communications, technical documentation, and more, with a strong foundation in writing and editing principles, critical thinking, and project management.
Any survey of business and nonprofit leaders shows that mastery of writing skills is a top priority when hiring — and woefully lacking in the current applicant pool. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the need for technical writers will increase 4% until at least 2033, a higher-than-average growth rate.
To meet the need for highly skilled professional writers, our curriculum provides structured yet individualized study in aspects of professional writing with a focus on technical and business writing. Additionally, we’ve designed this curriculum to help you advance your soft skills – such as critical thinking, collaboration, organization, presentation, and communication skills – which are highly valued in the workplace.
Experience
While pursuing a Bachelor’s in Professional Writing, you will accomplish a variety of career goals:
- to enter the workforce in a field useful across numerous professions that will enhance your resume and polish a highly desirable skill set.
- to advance in your current career by refining your professional writing and editing skills or learning new skills that allow you to publish in your field. Your employer may provide reimbursement for tuition.
- to change your career path or begin work as a professional writer in nonprofit organizations or the business sector.
To help prepare you meet these goals career, Spalding’s Professional Writing program provides opportunities to gain experience and hone your skills.
The Opal Lit Magazine
The BA’s undergraduate magazine, The Opal, gives students the opportunity to work as editors for an online, student-run publication. Going into its third tear, The Opal is focused on providing a space for emerging writers across the country.
Community
The undergraduate creative writing community at Spalding is a close-knit group of writers intent on learning and mastering their craft. The writing community shares work and engages in campus life events that include:
- The annual Celebration of Student Writing
- Various writing contests
- Author visits
- Writers in residence
- The Spalding School of Professional and Creative Writing’s residencies (as mentioned below)
- Writing workshops
- Salon-style reading sessions
SCPW Residencies
Twice a year, in fall and spring, Spalding’s Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing (SCPW) holds one-week residencies in which 30+ nationally recognized and published writers from a variety of disciplines attend the university. The BFA program at Spalding works alongside the SCPW to provide undergraduate students the experience of meeting these authors and attending lectures and participating in various residency activities. During these residencies, BFA students have the opportunity to meet SCPW graduates from across the country and see first hand what a top ranked graduate program in writing has to offer.
Internships
You can gain valuable experience outside Spalding as well. Spalding students have held internships at the following places:
- Filson Historical Society
- Fons Vitae
- Hydra Publications
- Kentucky Author Forum
- Louisville Magazine
- Spalding University Writing Center
- Today’s Woman Magazine
Classes and Program
To meet the need for highly skilled professional writers, our curriculum provides structured yet individualized study in aspects of professional writing with a focus on technical and business writing. Additionally, we’ve designed this curriculum to help you advance your soft skills – such as critical thinking, collaboration, organization, presentation, and communication skills – which are highly valued in the workplace.
Spalding’s professional writing program is 120-credit hours and offers two different tracks which focus on business and technical writing with emphasis on communication, editing, digital media, technical writing, and digital content creation.
52 Credit Hours are required for University Studies Courses for both the Business and Technical Writing tracks for the BA in Professional Writing. Those credit hours are listed below.
- Communication (12 credit hours)
- Humanities (15 credit hours)
- Natural Sciences (9 credit hours)
- Religious Studies (6 credit hours)
- Social Sciences (9 credit hours)
In addition to the 52 hours of University Studies courses, students also take the core curriculum that composes the BA in Professional Writing major and its specific tracks.
- Creative Writing (18 credit hours)
- Professional Writing (9 credit hours)
- Business and Marketing (12 credit hours)
- Art (6 credit hours)
Students early admitted to MBA or MSM will take 9 credit hours of 600-level business courses that serve as both electives and course for the graduate programs in business.
- Creative Writing (18 credit hours)
- Practicum (3 credit hours)
- Professional Writing (18 credit hours)
- Communication (12 credit hours)
Career Options
With a focus on technical and business writing, a BA in Professional Writing from Spalding University will provide a foundation for critical reading, thinking, and editing skills that can lead to careers such as library science, ghostwriting, speechwriting, grant-writing and proposal development, teaching, communications director, journalism, publishing, writing for television, writing for the web, business, marketing, and advertising to name a few. This degree also offers the possibility for students who are interested in pursuing graduate degrees in marketing, business, and creative writing to take graduate level courses (up to 9 credit hours) while in an undergraduate program. The job market is in need of excellent editing and writing skills and our Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing can provide that foundation and experience.
Financial Aid Options
Spalding University has a robust offering of financial aid including scholarships, grants, loans, and other types of aid. Check out our Financial Aid page for more information.
Mission-Focused Approach to Learning
At Spalding, we are a diverse community of learners out to change the world. Our graduates serve at every organizational level. We have health and service professionals on the ground changing lives, business leaders transforming teams, and social movers and shakers affecting change. Through our university mission, we’ve made a commitment to fixing what is broken. On the highest level, we work to create solutions and ignite conversations focused on peace, justice and compassion. On a small scale, we put compassion into action through service to individuals and communities. We hope that you will join our movement to make a difference in the lives of others.
