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English Thesis Requirements

(Approved 10/07)

The Master of Arts in Professional Writing & Communication portfolio process is designed to help students demonstrate their development as professional writers, researchers, and communicators. Through research, reflection, and the creation of a professional portfolio, students synthesize their academic experiences with their career goals while showcasing their expertise, field knowledge, and ability to produce work that meets professional publishing standards.

ENL 750/510 objectives

  • Synthesize previous studies and texts with professional aspirations.
  • Demonstrate rhetorical expertise by reviewing and articulating an historical perspective and current trends within professional writing and situating one’s work within the context of writer, audience, and purpose.
  • Demonstrate proficiency in conducting primary research, including but not limited to field research in the primary area(s) of publishing interest.
  • Design, generate, and deliver a portfolio of work which meets or exceeds the publishing expectations in the area(s) of publishing interest.

ENL 510 requirements

  • Conduct in-depth research of the publishing genre(s) the student wants to enter. Research will include emphasis on field research, i.e., interviewing actual practitioners of the genre, as well as conducting more traditional forms of investigation (e.g., academic/professional literature).
  • Compose a review articulating student’s work within a context of research conducted and subsequent student knowledge gained of the professional writing field.
  • Develop a portfolio strategy and proposal which brings together student’s publishing interest(s) with the publishing culture(s) which he or she expects to enter. This strategy will be based upon articulating rhetorical principles of writer, audience, purpose, and situation in conjunction with research. Articulate an assessment rubric based upon field or disciplinary standards to evaluate the proposed portfolio.

ENL 750 requirements

In order to have the Portfolio accepted for graduation, the student must:

  • Assemble a professional quality portfolio which best demonstrates student’s productivity, field awareness, quality of craft, and seriousness of intent. This demonstration will be met by including in the portfolio samples of work which specifically attend to the student’s area(s) of study and practice. So, for example, if the student seeks above all to develop a career as a technical writer, the student will include in the portfolio evidence of ability in that genre. If journalism is the goal, the student would include work which speaks to productivity in that genre. Writing will come from coursework, internships, independent/extracurricular work, and will include original pieces designed specifically as samples for the portfolio. It will be assumed that the work included will have been revised to the highest quality. Minimum quantity of work will be determined between student and portfolio advisors.
  • Prepare and present the portfolio in the media standard to the field sought. That is, if a web portfolio is the accepted way of review for a genre of writing, the student must present the portfolio accordingly; if hard-copy is the field standard, the student must present the portfolio in hard copy. However, whatever the portfolio’s field appropriate method of delivery, the student must also prepare an electronic archival copy. The level of sophistication required of this archival copy will be determined by the genre of writing to which it has been aimed. (For example, if the student’s research determines that a hard-copy portfolio is appropriate to the field, a simple .pdf-based archival copy would likely be sufficient.)
  • Include at the time of faculty review the proposal drafted in 510. Upon acceptance (i.e., “passing”) the student will retain the proposal in the archival portfolio but remove it from the distributive portfolio.
  • Include at the time of faculty review a reflective essay. This essay will recount the experience of designing and completing the portfolio, including a discussion of rhetorical choices made, attention to audience, projects revised specifically for inclusion in the portfolio, and the paces through which they were put. Student will also use this essay to direct faculty readers to aspects of the portfolio which the student feels warrant special attention. Upon acceptance (i.e., “passing”) the student will retain the reflective essay in the archival portfolio to be retained by the department, but remove it from the distributive portfolio to be presented to the field.