Introduction

Technical writers analyze audiences, visualize data, manage content, write reports, design apps and user interfaces, compose web pages, and communicate science to the public. Technical and professional writing is everywhere. It’s a dynamic field and industry that is constantly changing to keep pace with new technologies, emerging problems, and audience needs. The Technical and Professional Writing Certificate prepares students to become innovative, collaborative, and technically proficient writers who can work across a range of fields, including business, health, nonprofits, technology, science, publishing, environment, and law.

Program Delivery 

• The certificate can be completed through online, in-person, or hybrid courses.

Declaring This Certificate

• Please see your CLAS advisor. These certificate requirements are subject to periodic revision by the academic department, and the College reserves the right to make exceptions and substitutions as judged necessary in individual cases. Therefore, the College strongly urges students to consult regularly with their certificate advisor and their CLAS advisor to confirm the best plans of study before finalizing them. 

These program requirements are subject to periodic revision by the academic department, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences reserves the right to make exceptions and substitutions as judged necessary in individual cases. Therefore, the College strongly urges students to consult regularly with their program advisor and CLAS advisor to confirm the best plans of study before finalizing them.

Certificate Program Requirements

1. Students must complete a minimum of 12 ENGL credit hours.
2. Students must complete a minimum of 9 upper-division (3000- level or higher) credit hours. 
3. Students must earn a minimum grade of C- (1.7) in all certificate courses taken at CU Denver and must achieve a minimum cumulative certificate GPA of 3.0. All graded attempts in required and elective courses are calculated in the certificate GPA. Students cannot complete certificate or ancillary course requirements as pass/fail.
4. All credits for the certificate must be completed with CU Denver faculty.

Program Restrictions, Allowances and Recommendations

1. Students must include an internship or a course (at least 3 credits) taken outside of the English department.
2. Students must attend at least 3 Career Center activities, which can include events, workshops, or 1-on-1 appointments.

Certificate Course Clusters

Students select a 3-credit course from each of the following course clusters:

Technical & Scientific Writing

These foundational courses introduce students to technical or scientific writing. Students can expect to gain an academic grounding as well as hands-on experience in technical or scientific writing.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Take one of the following		3
ENGL 3154	Technical Writing	3
ENGL 4175	Writing in the Sciences	3

Professional Writing

These courses offer students an opportunity to develop their TPW skills in a specific field or industry. Courses focus on the unique TPW skills and situations called for when writing for business, nonprofit, community, journalistic, or grant-writing contexts.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Take one of the following		3
ENGL 3170	Business Writing	3
ENGL 4280	Proposal and Grant Writing	3
ENGL 4701	Multimedia in the Community	3

Rhetorical Approaches

These courses ground students’ TPW skills in rhetorical approaches to writing. Rhetorical approaches are anchored to audience, context, purpose and are attuned to the social and cultural contexts of communication.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Take one of the following		3
ENGL 2060	Introduction to Writing & Digital Studies	3
ENGL 2070	Grammar, Rhetoric and Style	3
ENGL 4190	Advanced Topics in Writing & Digital Studies (in approved topics)	3

Interdisciplinary Learning

Technical and professional communicators often collaborate with experts and contributors from a range of fields and backgrounds. This outside course requirement situates students to gain subject-matter expertise in a related field or internship.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Take one of the following		3
BIOL 3763	Biostatistics	4
COMM 3660	Social Media for Social Change	3
COMM 4282	Environmental Communication	3
ENGL 3939	Internship	1-6
IWKS 3200	Data Science for Innovators	3
IWKS 3620	Mobile App Development	3
PBHL 3030	Health Policy	3
Any upper-division course or internship deemed to be central to the student's writing goals in consultation with the certificate Director

To learn more about the Student Learning Outcomes for this program, please visit our website.