Our alumni who stay in the area may want to explore graduate study. There are several options in the region:

Carnegie Mellon's Master of Arts in Professional Writing (MAPW) program is a three-semester program. Students take courses in Professional and Technical Writing, Style, Rhetorical Grammar, Communication Design Fundamentals, Document Design, and Organizational Management. They also take six elective classes, choosing between Advanced Journalism, American English, Argument, Typography, Communicating in the Global Marketplace, Communications Revolutions, Environmental Rhetoric, Healthcare Communication, and more. The program places a strong emphasis on writing and design. All MAPWs complete a three- to six-month internship. The MAPW program celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2006.  Visit CMU's MAPW website for more details

Chatham University offers an online Master's degree in Professional Writing (MAPW) program. Students take 10 courses, which can include thos ethat focus on Political Writing,Technical Writing, Financial Writing, Use of Media in Presentations, Science and Environmental Writing,Writing for Digital Media, and Web Design and Development.Courses are taught entirely online in an accelerated seven-week format.Visit the Chatham Professional Writing site for details.

Duquesne University offers an MA in Corporate Communication degree. Founded in 1982, the program mostly offers evening courses. Courses include Persuasion in the Marketplace, Organizational Communication, Communication Research Methods, and Communication Ethics and Professional Civility.They also offer an MA in Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC), including courses titled Communication Management, IMC Strategies I: Public Relations, IMC Strategies II: Advertising, and Rhetoric & Philosophy of Advertising.

West Virginia University’s Master of Arts in Professional Writing and Editing (PWE) is a 30-hour degree that combines theories of writing with practice in real-world writing situations. Among other topics, students study professional writing theory, the history of rhetoric, advanced editing, rhetorical analysis, writing pedagogy, humanities computing, and writing ethics. There are excellent opportunities for graduate students to earn assistantships, which come with a competitive stipend, tuition waivers, and outstanding teaching assignments. This degree prepares students for a variety of career options, including technical writing and editing, project management, writing consulting, proposal and grant writing, multimedia writing, and web development. Graduates have excellent jobs at small- to large-sized corporations as well as government agencies. Potential students will be interested to know that the PWE program has had a remarkable 100 percent placement rate with all graduates to date. Graduates are also particularly well-suited to go on to Ph.D. programs in rhetoric and composition or technical and professional communication. For more information, visit WVU’s English department web site at: http://english.wvu.edu. Click on the “Graduate Studies” link to learn more about the Master’s in PWE.