Minor

Writing & Communication

The study of writing and communications facilitates the universal human experience involving the transmission of ideas, policies, relationships and culture. A background in communications can make you a more appealing candidate in the workforce and a better member of any community.

Resources

New TabCourse Requirements

PDFMinor Checklist

Copies of the Review

About the Writing & Communication Minor

The Writing and Communications minor prepares students to be successful in a variety of fields and professions. Whether in business, marketing, design, publishing, public relations, journalism, or psychology, excellent communications skills are in demand.

Our writing and communications minor is truly interdisciplinary; students have the opportunity to choose electives from a variety of fields and tailor their education to their professional goals. By combining classes from a variety of backgrounds, you’ll be able to create your own unique emphasis in the minor and gain valuable knowledge and skills in areas you would not otherwise have encountered.

Learning Outcomes

What you’ll learn in the Writing & Communication minor:

  1. Understand, utilize, and critique methods of communication
  2. Demonstrate the ability to achieve communication goals, including analyzing and crafting messages
  3. Understand and articulate the role of communication in multiple disciplines
  4. Demonstrate the ability to produce professional communications across multiple genres and mediums

Career Opportunities

Strong skills in writing and communications open doors to careers in almost any field, such as healthcare, marketing, politics, or publishing. Students can tailor their Writing and Communications minor coursework to their desired career path.

  • Communications director
  • Journalist
  • Public relations manager
  • Brand strategist
  • Editor
  • Technical writer
  • Market research analyst
  • Sales
  • Business Management

Getting Started in the Writing & Communication Minor

Follow these simple steps below to get a head start in the Writing & Communication Minor today.

Enroll

Begin by taking Communications, Writing, and Rhetoric (WRI 210) and Public Speaking (WRI 217) in your first or second year.

Contact Your Advisor

Get in touch with New tabDr. Sarah Maitland to discuss your interests and goals.

Declare

Turn in a completed PDFDeclare Minor form to the Registrar’s Office.

Questions? Contact the Registrar at emailregistrar@svu.edu.

Writing & Communication Faculty

Professor Sarah Maitland

Sarah Maitland

Associate Professor of English; Associate Provost; English & Writing and Communications Program Coordinator; Director of University Writing

“Students from all disciplines can benefit from a Creative Writing minor because they receive highly individualized attention as they perfect their writing styles, study diverse perspectives, and further prepare themselves for career paths and for graduate school. Our small workshop class sizes promote stimulating discussion about students’ original works as well as the exchange of ideas and insights. I am honored to be a part of a process that gives one of the greatest gifts an education can bestow, and that gift is one of creative expression. ‘The writer’s job is to tell the truth,’ Ernest Hemingway once said. Students are schooled in artistic freedom and perspective so that they never lose sight of who they are or what they hold dear and true to their hearts.”

—Karen Hufford, Professor of English; Creative Writing Program Coordinator
Alumna Krislee Twiner at graduation.
Alumni Success

Krislee Twiner Ellsworth (‘18)

Published Young Adult Novel Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble

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Literary journal in physical and digital formats.
In the News

Annual Campus Literary Journal Now Available As E-Book

the review, Southern Virginia University’s annual literary journal featuring original student and faculty artwork and writing, is now being offered as an e-book in companionship with the physical edition to allow for increased accessibility and awareness campus-wide.

Link to news article.Read More