English
Business and Technical Writing Minor
Contact UsEnglish
Address:
Main Hall Room 532
720 S. High Street
West Chester, PA 19383
Office Hours: Mon-Fri: 8:00am-4:30pm
Summer Hours: Mon-Fri: 8:00am-4:00pm
Phone: 610-436-2822
Fax: 610-738-0516
Email: english-dept@wcupa.edu
Additional Contact Information
Business and Technical Writing Minor
Welcome to the Business and Technical Writing Minor! Our program prepares students for careers in writing and editing in business, industry, government, publishing, and technical settings. It also prepares students for graduate studies in writing, rhetoric, professional communication, and law. The minor complements other majors by enhancing students' ability to communicate professionally.
Why Minor in Business and Technical Writing?
- Prepare for an exciting career in professional writing
- Enhance your career preparation in any discipline
- Learn how to use technology to communicate effectively
- Add a highly-relevant internship to your resume
- Get a taste of real-world communication while you gain college credit
Learning Outcomes
Students in the Business and Technical Writing Minor will:
- Be able to analyze audiences in order to plan effective documents
- Be able to develop and edit readable and user-friendly texts
- Understand how technology shapes professional communications
Advising Sheet
Like most minors at WCU, the BTW Minor requires students to take six courses, or 18 credits, in order to complete the program. Our students take four required professional writing courses: ENG 320, ENG 368, ENG 371, and ENG 375. They must also choose one elective course from among several possible electives (see below) to complement the writing courses and strengthen their communication experience for their desired career area. A required three-credit supervised writing internship (ENG 395), available in nonprofit or business organizations or on-campus offices, completes the minor. View our updated BTW Minor advising sheet.
Courses
Each of the four required BTW Minor writing courses—ENG 320, ENG 368, ENG 371, and ENG 375—is offered every fall and spring semester. For the elective course, students should make their choice in consultation with the minor coordinator. Planning for the internship (ENG 395) should begin in the semester before the internship is to be scheduled. Also, please note that in order to declare the BTW Minor, students must have completed a 200-level WRT course. View the complete list of required and elective courses for the BTW Minor.
Program Coordinator
Ashley Patriarca
Main Hall 523
610-436-2822
APatriarca@wcupa.edu
Affiliated Faculty
News and Updates
BTW Success Stories: Laura Blyton
Laura Blyton
WCU Class of 2012
Editorial Assistant, Wolters Kluwer Health (Publishing)
The skills I developed as a student in the Business & Technical Writing Minor play a crucial role in my job in the Institutional Medicine (e-publishing) Department at Wolters Kluwer Health, a textbook publisher highly respected in the medical field. In this position, I write surveys and analyze medical student and resident feedback, shaping our digital resources. To gain even more editorial experience, I am also acting as product development editor and copyeditor on my own textbook project, the Handbook of Applied Therapeutics, 9th Edition. (I am proud to report that it will be in bookstores soon!) I am currently aspiring to be a full-time product development editor. With the practical content-development skills I learned from WCU's BTW Minor, I know I can make my goal a reality.
BTW Success Stories: Courtney McGinn
Courtney McGinn
WCU Class of 2014
Law Student, Widener University School of Law
I am a second-year law student at Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, DE. I plan to practice in the area of International Human Rights and hope to work with the United Nations Human Rights Council. The writing experience I gained from the BTW Minor prepared me for the writing-intensive atmosphere of law school and will continue to benefit me as I further my career. Thanks to the BTW Minor, I am now able to write persuasive and informative pieces that I can feel confident handing to a judge or prospective client. The minor has also given me the ability to discuss the contents of my writing with clarity and authority, whether I'm in a classroom setting or a courtroom.
Resources of Interest to BTW Minors
New Faculty
Dr. Ashley Patriarca joined the English Department in Fall 2013 as an Assistant Professor of International Business Writing, and she regularly teaches courses in the BTW Minor. Her research interests include professional writing, risk communication, social media, grant writing, and technical editing, and her work has appeared in College Composition and Communication, Technical Communication, and Journal of Business and Technical Communication. If you're interested in learning more about Dr. Patriarca and her teaching and research interests, please visit her faculty page or her personal website, or email her at apatriarca@wcupa.edu.
Declare the Minor
Interested in declaring the Business and Technical Writing Minor? Visit the WCU Registrar's forms page and download an "Add Minor" form. Then submit the completed form, with all necessary signatures, to the Registrar in 25 University Ave.