2024-2025

English - Professional Writing, Master of Arts

Department of English

College of Arts and Letters

The Master of Arts in English, with Emphasis in Professional Writing, reflects the expertise of our faculty and the career ambitions of our students, who are either already working in, or desire to work in, professional positions that involve writing and documentation, in business, industry, and government.

The Professional Writing Emphasis focuses on students mastering procedures and techniques to create and publish reader-driven writing typical of the workplace, such as proposals, specifications, procedures, reports, formal correspondence, and white papers. With this degree and the skills acquired in getting it, our graduates are well prepared to succeed in securing high-paying jobs in a variety of corporate and government settings.

  • To receive a master’s degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses from one or more subject areas, consisting of at least 30 units of graduate-level courses. Many master’s degree programs require more than 30 units.

    You must additionally complete:

    • All requirements for your specific academic plan(s). This may include a thesis.
    • All graduate work with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.
    • All work toward the master's degree must be completed within six consecutive years. The six years begins with the semester and year of admission to the program.

    Read the full policy here.

In addition to University Requirements:

  • Complete individual plan requirements.

Minimum Units for Completion 33
Additional Admission Requirements

Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.
Fieldwork Experience/Internship Optional
Research Individualized research may be required by chosen emphasis or offered as an option.
Progression Plan Link View Program of Study

Student Learning Outcomes

  • The rhetorical demands inherent in business, industry, and government settings.
    • Ability to analyze the context of any document and write that document to fit the demands of its specific context.
    • Ability to plan a process to develop and complete any document and to carry out that plan, resulting in a successful document in its actual context.
  • Understanding of the writing and editing skills necessary to create and write documents with the characteristics demanded in professional settings: clarity, conciseness, coherence, and correctness.
    • Ability to edit the documents of self and others, to bring those documents to a professional and/or publishable level, in terms of such things as clear sentences; logical and effective organization; powerful supporting graphics; and effective documentation.
    • Ability to analyze problems in a business, industry, or government setting and design and conduct the research necessary to solve that problem and write an appropriate document detailing those results, such as a proposal or a set of procedures.
  • Detailed understanding of specific types of documents required in business, industry, non-profits, and government, and the ability to generate those documents, either by one’s self or as a part of a team effort.
    • Ability to write and edit professional content, such as proposals, specifications, reports, procedures, policies, white papers, training manuals, user documentation, and technical documentation
    • Ability to write any of these for appropriate workplace publication media.

In addition, each student completes an electronic portfolio of his or her professional work and also completes an application project, which involves finding a specific and actual problem in the working world, doing the research to solve that problem, and presenting those results to the appropriate management supervisors for implementation.  Examples of past projects include development of a training and orientation program for new employees; creation of a new website for a specific clientele; evaluation of a county court’s procedures for filing and accessing court records, which resulted in an entire new system; and many other such practical, on-the-job projects.

Graduate Admission Information

  • The NAU graduate online application is required for all programs. Admission to many graduate programs is on a competitive basis, and programs may have higher standards than those established by the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies.

    Admission requirements include the following:

    • Transcripts.
    • Undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale ("A" = 4.0), or the equivalent.


    Visit the NAU Graduate Admissions website for additional information about graduate school application deadlines, eligibility for study, and admissions policies.

    Ready to apply? Begin your application now.

    International applicants have additional admission requirements. Please see the International Graduate Admissions Policy.

Additional Admission Requirements

  • Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.

    • Resume or Curriculum Vitae
    • Personal Statement or Essay
    • Writing sample
Master's Requirements

  • This Master’s degree requires 33 units distributed as follows:

    • Foundations: 3 units
    • Technical Editing: 3 units
    • Workplace Environment: 3 units
    • Elective Courseswork: 21 units
    • Capstone Proposal and Project: 3 units


    Take the following 33 units:

  • Foundations (3 units)

  • Technical Editing (3 units)

  • Elective Courses (21 units)

    • Selected in consultation with your advisor.
      • The remaining 21 units to earn the MA are chosen with advisor approval and are based upon the professional goals of the student. A wide range of other ENG courses, as well as courses in Communication, Education, and a host of other disciplines can be used as electives in a coherent program of study, with the advisor's approval.

  • Capstone Proposal and Project (3 units)

Additional Information

  • Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.