Professional Writing & Communication MA Program

UMass Dartmouth’s Master of Arts in Professional Writing & Communication program meets a growing demand for professional and technical communicators. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in professional and technical writing are growing faster than average.

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Discover why UMass Dartmouth is the right place to earn an advanced degree or certificate.

Application Deadlines

Fall: Rolling
Spring: Rolling
Summer: Not applicable

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Contact

Karen Gulbrandsen

Associate Professor
English & Communication
Liberal Arts 338

508-910-6932

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Our students take classes that prepare them to meet that demand by learning how to communicate ideas and information across a range of media.

web authoring
document design
social media writing
rhetorical theory
usability
stylistics

Degree requirements

33 total credits
Master's thesis
internship
9 credits per semester for full-time status

Alumna joins Akamai Technologies

MA in professional writing leads to dream job

Student success

After graduation

Our students have found full-time positions at companies and organizations such as Akamai Technologies, Brown Medical School, Goodwill Industries, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and Raytheon. They're employed in positions such as:

Communications Consultant
Technical Writer
Social Media Coordinator
Grant Writer
Document and Web Designer
Content Strategist
Public Outreach Specialist
Writer/Editor/Internet Systems Developer

Assistantship opportunities

A limited number of assistantships are available on a competitive basis. This award is subject to the work needs of the position and department, your satisfactory performance of duties, your academic record, and availability of funds, and may be subject to change.

Graduate admissions requirements

University requirements for graduate admissions

Submit an application via the online portal. Be sure to provide your full legal name and to capitalize the first letter of all proper nouns.
Pay non-refundable $60 application fee (American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa) via the online portal. For Nursing applicants, the non-refundable application fee is $75.
Statement of Purpose, minimum 300 words. Unless otherwise indicated in the program requirement details, indicate your graduate study objectives, research interests and experience, and business or industry experience if applicable. If you are applying for a teaching or research assistantship, include any special skills or experience that would assist us in making assistantship decisions.
Resume
Transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended (regardless of whether a credential is earned or not). Unofficial transcripts are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled a final official transcript is required.
Many programs have specific recommendations/requirements, please see the additional program-specific requirements for more information.
International students: official TOEFL, IELTS, Pearson PTE or Duolingo (if accepted by program) score. Unofficial scores are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled official scores are required and must be sent by the testing agency (copies/scans not accepted). This is required of any applicant who did not earn a bachelor’s degree or higher degree from an accredited academic institution in the U.S. or accepted English-speaking country, see exemptions for more details. The Duolingo test is not accepted for the following programs: Art Education, Biology/Marine Biology, Luso-Afro-Brazilian Studies & Theory, Marine Science and Technology (MS, PSM, PhD), Nursing (MS, DNP, PhD), Portuguese Studies, Professional Writing and Communication, Psychology (ABA, Clinical, Research), and Public Policy.

Program-specific requirements

Candidates must submit the required application materials, university requirements and program-specific requirements, for consideration.

Writing sample: academic or professional work that demonstrates readiness for graduate work (10-15 pages).
GRE is waived.
2 letters of recommendation: from persons in the field of your academic major at the institution most recently attended or from supervisors familiar with your recent job performance. Applicants will be required to provide the recommenders name and email address so we can contact the recommender for the letter of recommendation.

Program deadlines