Communication and Professional Writing

Description

As a student in this program, you will focus on professionalizing your communication skills through intensive practical writing activities and the application of relevant theoretical content. You will plan, create, edit, and deliver messages for a range of audiences, purposes, and mediums, including print, social media, and web-based contexts. Through a combination of independent and collaborative learning, you will complete projects that provide experiential learning opportunities, including case studies, writing workshops, and project management assignments. To initiate professional development and build the entrepreneurial skills required for industry and self-employment, you will gain real-life experience through participation in a placement, which is the first step in building your professional network and gaining practical experience for the future.

Career Opportunities

Graduates enhance their professional experience in fields that require advanced communication skills. Potential areas of employment include, but are not limited to, writing for social media and web-based environments, engineering, business, and social services, as well as within the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Graduates also may pursue careers as self-employed entrepreneurs.

Program Learning Outcomes

The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

1. compose messages that are clear, concise and error-free to address the needs of a specified audience and purpose;
2. produce content that applies the stylistic conventions of design, layout, and format for a given audience;
3. employ core editing styles and skills to support the stages of the content development process;
4. integrate credible sources with an applicable citation style to adhere to the principles of ethical information use;
5. provide a range of documents in a project cycle that address audience need;
6. apply a collaborative leadership style to the management of multifaceted projects from planning through to completion;
7. employ entrepreneurial and self-promotional strategies to identify and respond to new opportunities across the professional communication field;
8. apply environmentally friendly and cost-effective approaches when managing projects while meeting user needs;
9. use language and terminology that reflect the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion to create accessible content.

Program Progression 

The following reflects the planned progression for full-time offerings of the program.

Fall Intake

• Sem 1: Fall 2024
• Sem 2: Winter 2025

Admission Requirements

Ontario College Diploma, Ontario College Advanced Diploma, degree or equivalent work experience in a related field or discipline.

Selection Process

Applicants must submit a current resumé and a cover letter to demonstrate academic competencies and/or relevant work experience. To ensure success in this program, students will require strong communication skills and proficiency in word processing and computer skills. 

Additional Information

Students require access to a laptop for all in-class learning.

Graduation Requirements

12 Program Courses
1 Placement

 Graduation Eligibility

To graduate from this program, a student must attain a minimum of 60% or a letter grade of P (Pass) or S (Satisfactory) in each course in each semester. The passing weighted average for promotion through each semester and to graduate is 60%.

Program Tracking

The following reflects the planned course sequence for full-time offerings of the Fall intake of the program. Where more  than one intake is offered  contact the program co-ordinator for the program tracking.

Plan of Study Grid

Semester 1		Hours
Program Courses
PROW 1000	Principles of Professional Writing	42
PROW 1001	Collaboration and Project Management	42
PROW 1002	Copywriting Fundamentals	42
PROW 1003	Research for Professional Writing	42
PROW 1004	Format, Layout, and Design	42
PROW 1013	Fundamentals of Style	42
	Hours	252
Semester 2
Program Courses
PROW 1006	Technical Writing	42
PROW 1007	Proposal Writing	42
PROW 1008	Creative Storytelling	42
PROW 1009	Writing for the Web	42
PROW 1010	Editing	42
PROW 1011	Professional Writer in Practice	42
Field Placement
PROW 1012	Professional Writing Placement	240
	Hours	492
	Total Hours	744

Graduation Window

Students unable to adhere to the program duration of one year (as stated above) may take a maximum of two years to complete their credential. After this time, students must be re-admitted into the program, and follow the curriculum in place at the time of re-admission.

Disclaimer: The information in this document is correct at the time of publication. Academic content of programs and courses is revised on an ongoing basis to ensure relevance to changing educational objectives and employment market needs. 

Program outlines may be subject to change in response to emerging situations, in order to facilitate student achievement of the learning outcomes required for graduation. Components such as courses, progression, coop work terms, placements, internships and other requirements may be delivered differently than published.