Master of Arts in Professional Writing

Georgia’s Premier Professional Writing Degree

The Master of Arts in Professional Writing (MAPW) will prepare you for a writing career in television, film, education, publishing, business, and the literary arts.

This graduate degree addresses creative writing, screenwriting, scriptwriting, novels, poetry, technical writing, web writing, social media messaging, and much more. Hone your craft as you gain valuable writing and publishing experience and knowledge.

Choose two from three concentrations to align with your career goals:

  • Applied Writing: public service writing, grant & proposal writing, technical writing, feature writing, social media writing, multi-modal editing, web design
  • Composition & Rhetoric: teaching writing, rhetoric studies, workplace writing, multi-modal writing, computers & writing
  • Creative Writing: fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, and TV & screenwriting

By selecting your concentration and support areas and your capstone topic and format, you can target your classes, writings, and projects to address your professional and creative goals. As you become experienced in producing and analyzing business, technical, journalistic, and creative texts, you’ll develop a sophisticated understanding of style, structure, and audience.

As a graduate, you’ll have the skills in writing that can move in many directions during your career; you will become a flexible writer who can tune in to the writing conventions of a given genre, adapting your writing style to the requirements of various rhetorical contexts in today’s print, electronic and multi-modal environments.

Additional resources of particular importance to the program faculty and students are the Kennesaw State University Writing Center, the Kennesaw Mountain National Writing Project, and the Georgia Writers Association.

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KSU Master of Arts in Professional Writing students in the classroom

Program Snapshot

Program Format: Face-to-Face

Number of Credit Hours: 36 Total Hours

Entry Terms: Fall, Spring

Time to Complete: Two-year Program

Application Deadlines:

  • Fall, July 1st
  • Spring, November 1st
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Admissions Requirements

To be considered for MAPW admission, applicants must submit the following credentials to the KSU Admission Office in addition to the general Graduate Admissions requirements:

  • Online Graduate Application - There is a non-refundable $60 application fee.
  • Transcripts - Official transcripts from EACH college and/or university you have attended.  
  • Bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA of 2.75 from a regionally accredited college or university
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Additional Program Requirements:

  • Minimum GPA 3.0 
  • GRE (Optional) 
  • Three letters of recommendation (Optional) 
  • Statement of purpose addressing your preparation and goals for the MAPW program and a rationale for the choice of concentration and support areas. Applicants who opt not to take the GRE must show evidence in the “Statement of Purpose” of one of the following: 
    • having substantially published or produced with an established professional or non-profit venue; or having substantially participated in writing a significant document with an established business, non-profit or government agency; or 
    • having had entry-level experiences in the professional fields as a writer, editor, script coordinator, writing teacher, or the like; or 
    • having received a recommendation after either a face-to-face, telephone, or tele-conference interview with a panel of three outside reviewers who are MAPW alumni or MAPW community board members or a combination of these selected by the program director 
  • Two writing samples from the concentration and support area. Twenty-five pages maximum, each. 
     

Professional Writing Degree Benefits at Kennesaw State

  • Top 20

    Schools in the U.S. that students want to attend reported by U.S. News and World Report

  • 7,100+

    Companies recruited students and alumni from KSU in 2020

  • Expertise - Your professors are prize-winning authors and credited screenwriters who will share their knowledge and mentor you. You'll also benefit from their research and community connections.

  • Creativity - The small, supportive classes, often 20 students or less, lively foster discussion.

  • Convenience - You can choose to enroll full-time or part-time. Most courses face and meet one night per week, though a few are online or hybrid.

  • Focus - Address your specific interests and career goals as you choose your concentration - Creative Writing, Applied Writing, or Composition and Rhetoric - and your capstone topic and format.

  • Experience - You can apply to be a graduate assistant, receive a tuition waiver and annual stipend, and gain experience in teaching or research.

What can you do with a Professional Writing degree?

With the KSU professional writing degree, you can choose from a range of careers, including:

  • Technical Writer/Editor
  • Playwright
  • Communications Coordinator/Manager/Director
  • Podcaster
  • Professor/Academic
  • Editor
  • Public Relations Professional
  • Journalist
  • Columnist
  • Grants Specialist

Professional Writing Salary and Career Information

A career in professional writing offers many paths that can easily align with your current and future goals. Below are just a few jobs achievable with a master’s degree in professional writing from KSU.

Related Degrees & Programs

Department of English

Kennesaw State University
Department of English
M.A. in Professional Writing
440 Bartow Ave., MD 2701
Kennesaw, GA 30144

Phone: 470.578.4377

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