The Professional Writing Program:
Committed to Student Success Beyond the Classroom

For more than 20 years, The University of Maryland's Professional Writing Program (PWP) has taught juniors and seniors to do professional research and to build the writing skills that they will need to make as they build their careers as professionals and citizens beyond the classroom.

The program was created in response to a need articulated by administrators and faculty across the university. They agreed that students had to master the ability to create and present arguments persuasively to expert and lay audiences.

University of Maryland English Faculty developed a new model for a writing program--one based in the writing and communication skills that students will need as working professionals. The program focuses on fostering growth in rhetorical and language skills, recognizing that students should become more aware of the ethos they project, and more adept at defining and analyzing audiences that they may be addressing. In addition, each PWP course entails a significant research component to prepare students for success in the "real world" by imparting the skills they need to create as well as present arguments effectively. As the sharing of specialized data becomes the measure of citizenship, the skills that students acquire in their Professional Writing class will permit responsible participation in society.

One of the program's strengths is its faculty: working professionals who share their experiences in analyzing and negotiating "real world" writing problems and who are dedicated to their students' success as they prepare for the working world.

PWP has been recognized by the Maryland State Department of Higher Education as one of Maryland's "Most Innovative Educational Programs."