Professional Writing Certificate (COM)

Professional Writing Certificate

The professional writing certificate allows students to develop their writing skills for professional and business environments. It is delivered entirely online to serve professionals already working in careers as well as students planning to begin professional or business careers. Students will learn the rhetorical requirements for specific forms of written communication, including letters, memos, reports, proposals, promotional materials, and press releases. They will also learn to edit their own writing for clarity, correctness, and style.

Communication Department Information

College of Arts and Humanities
Ellensburg
Bouillon Hall, room 232A
Mail Stop 7438
509-963-1055
Fax: 509-963-1060
www.cwu.edu/communication
See website for how the communication programs may be used for educational and career purposes.

Faculty and Staff
Chair
César García, PhD

Professors
Philip Backlund, PhD, communication studies
James L. Gaudino, PhD, communication studies
Michael R. Ogden, PhD, journalism, film and video studies

Associate Professors
César García, PhD, public relations
Cynthia Mitchell, MBA, journalism

Assistant Professors
Elizabeth Kerns, MA, public relations
Sacheen Mobley, PhD, communication studies
Maria Sanders, MA, film and video studies
Nadene Vevea, PhD, communication

Lecturers
Yong Cao, ABD, communication
Emily DuPlessis, MA, communication
Jennifer Green, MA, journalism
Helen Harrison, MA, film and video studies, advertising, communication
Terri Reddout, MA, public relations and advertising
Toby Staab, MA, journalism
Jon Ward, MA, film and video studies
Steve Woodward, MA, journalism

Staff
Kristin Gaskill, Observer business manager
Vicki Winegar, secretary senior

Department Information
The Department of Communication prepares students to become active participants in communicating with and the shaping of modern culture in a global society. The department emphasizes student-centered instruction in gathering and disseminating written, spoken, and visual information, as well as course work in the processes, effects, and theories of human communication. The department is committed to a liberal education in written, oral, visual, and convergent media communication, as well as to training in diverse professional fields.

Department Standards

Admission Requirements
Admission to the communication department majors in Public Relations, Journalism and Communication Studies is selective. Before admission to the communication department, students must demonstrate the following: a minimum overall GPA of 2.4 (for Digital Journalism) or a 2.7 (for Public Relations and Communication Studies); completion of two communication gateway courses with a B average or higher; a score of at least six (6) on the Write Placer test; and submission of a cover letter stating the reasons for their interest in the field. Should students wish to change within the department, students must re-apply to the new major.

Exit Requirements

1. Students must maintain a 2.4 GPA with a minimum grade of C- in all courses counted toward fulfilling any major or minor requirements.
2. No course may be counted twice in fulfilling an internal or external minor.

Financial Obligations
Production courses required for broadcast journalism and/or film and video studies have associated lab fees.

Bachelor of Arts
(NOTE: Students seeking a BA degree must complete one year college/university study or two years high school study of a single world language.)

Communication Foundation Core Requirements
COM 201 - Introduction to Mass Communication Credits: 5
COM 207 - Introduction to Human Communication Credits: 5
Total Core Credits: 10

College of Arts and Humanities Information

Administration and Organization

Dean
Stacey Robertson, PhD (Hebeler Hall, room 202)

Interim Associate Dean
Katharine Whitcomb, PhD (Hebeler Hall, room 202)

Mail Stop 7518
509-963-1858
Fax: 509-963-1851
www.cwu.edu/arts/

Overview
The College of Arts and Humanities (CAH) is comprised of 12 departments and programs, which represent the disciplines of the arts and humanities. All of the departments and some of the programs of CAH offer undergraduate degrees as well as minors which supplement other degree programs. Five departments offer Master’s degrees. In addition to its role in providing degree programs, CAH is responsible for many of the course offerings of the general education programs as well as extensive service coursework for the entire university. The college also plays a major role in Central’s teacher education programs, offering bachelors and master’s degrees for students preparing to be secondary teachers and providing coursework in educational foundations and discipline-specific methods for teacher education majors. Building on a legacy of teaching excellence, college faculty are engaged in research, creative activities and service, involving students in the scholarship and practical applications of their various academic specializations, while making important contributions to the intellectual tradition and to society at large. There are no special requirements for admission to the college, but some departments have requirements that are described under the respective department and program headings in the catalog.

Mission
The College of Arts and Humanities advances knowledge, promotes intellectual inquiry, and cultivates creative endeavor among students and faculty through teaching informed by scholarship, creative activity, and public and professional involvement. We are committed to helping students develop intellectual and practical skills for responsible citizenship and the challenges of contemporary life in a global society. The college offers disciplinary and interdisciplinary programs of the highest quality, acts as a steward of the foundational disciplines upon which all inquiry is based, and serves as a cultural center for arts and humanities for the university and the region.

Vision
The College of Arts and Humanities will be recognized as a distinguished learning community known regionally for scholarly and creative excellence, innovative, and rigorous foundational liberal arts education, and undergraduate and graduate programs that are outstanding and unique in the state.

Departments and Programs
Africana and Black Studies Program: Bobby Cummings, PhD (Michaelsen Hall, room 104)
Art: Gregg Schlanger, MFA (Randall Hall, room 100)
Asia/Pacific Studies Program: Jeffrey Dippman, PhD (Language and Literature Bldg., room 337C)
Communication: Marji Morgan, PhD (Bouillon Hall, room 232A)
English: George Drake, PhD (Language and Literature Bldg., room 423)
Film and Video Studies Program: Liahna Armstrong, PhD  and Jon Ward (Bouillon Hall, room 225)
History: Jason Knirck, PhD (Language and Literature Bldg., room 100)
Latino and Latin American Studies Program: Stella Moreno, PhD (Language and Literature Bldg., room 102J)
Music: Todd Shiver, DMA (Jerilyn S. McIntyre Music Building, room 144)
Philosophy and Religious Studies: Matthew Altman, PhD (Language and Literature Bldg., room 337)
Theatre Arts: Scott Robinson, MFA (McConnell Hall, room 106)
World Languages: Laila Abdalla, PhD (Language and Literature Bldg., room 102)