Writing, Rhetoric and Media, MA

Program Description

The Department of English offers an interdisciplinary Master of Arts degree in Writing, Rhetoric and Media (MAWRM), which combines work in theory and research with a comprehensive emphasis on written, oral and visual rhetoric. It prepares graduate students to be professional and technical communicators in industry and government and to be teachers of writing and rhetoric in two-year colleges. In addition, the program provides the background necessary for students who plan to pursue a PhD in rhetoric or technical communication.

This degree is designed for students with strong writing skills from all academic disciplines. The program accommodates students with undergraduate majors in technical and scientific fields, as well as those with humanities and business degrees.

Summary of Degree Requirements

Completion of this degree requires 30 credit hours.

Core Coursework

Four core courses:

• ENGL 8520 - Rhetorical Theories and Practices 3 Credits  
• ENGL 8530 - Visual Rhetorics 3 Credits  
• ENGL 8570 - Digital Rhetorics Across Media and Information Technologies 3 Credits  
• ENGL 8850 - Composition Theory 3 Credits  

In addition, students select five elective courses in a specialty area.

Outcomes, Learning Objectives, and Graduation Requirements

To graduate, students complete a portfolio, the main component of which is a semester-long, potentially publishable paper; or a client project accepted by the client and approved by the student’s Portfolio Committee, which is comprised of three MAWRM faculty. This requirement includes (a) the article or client project; (b) a multimodal introduction offering a defense of the paper or project; and (c) a formal presentation to the Portfolio Committee.