DePaul’s WRD Department affords students lots of opportunities for academic and professional growth, both within course curriculum and beyond it. The department’s degree programs, summarized below, are accompanied by opportunities to work, publish, and conduct research.
Degrees
Major in Writing and Rhetoric (BA) – dedicated to writing degree students who will study literate activity across time and culture, and produce effective writing in contemporary settings—from the personal to the professional. For course requirements, see the WRD department web page.
Minor in Professional Writing – Gain writing skills in technical writing, digital writing, and writing style to complement a wide range of majors. Learn more about the minor here.
Combined BA/MA – The combined Bachelor’s + Master’s degree programs allow students to complete 12 graduate credit hours while still undergraduates. These 12 graduate credit hours will count toward both the undergraduate and graduate degree programs. To view program details, visit the BA/MA program website.
The Writing and Rhetoric (BA) offers two options for MA:
- DePaul Undergraduate Degree/Writing, Rhetoric, & Discourse (MA)
- Writing and Rhetoric (BA)/Secondary Education English (MEd)
To learn even more about the department’s combined degree program, check out this blog post!
MA in Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse – DePaul’s writing and rhetoric graduate program is Chicago’s only master’s-level program with a singular focus on writing, rhetoric, pedagogy, and language. The program incorporates a solid theoretical foundation in rhetoric and discourse paired with practical training, the master’s in Writing, Rhetoric and Discourse make you a better writer and expand your literacy skills. Options for declaring a concentration are Professional and Digital Writing and Teaching Writing and Language. To view program details, visit the MA program website.
Graduate Certificates
The department currently offers four paths to different certifications within the MA program.
- Graduate Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
- Graduate Certificate in Teaching English at Two-Year Colleges
- Strategic Writing for Advancement of Nonprofits (SWAN)
- Graduate Certificate in Digital Humanities
To view certificate requirements, visit the department website.
Professional Development Opportunities as part of your Degree
Being a B.A. or M.A student in DePaul’s WRD program affords students lots of different opportunities for publication and professional development, summarized here:
Publication
Creating Knowledge is DePaul’s Undergraduate Liberal Arts and Studies Journal. The journal seeks submissions of projects and papers from WRD majors and Minors in upper level courses. The deadline to submit work to the WRD Committee is May 22. Being published in the journal reflects strong writing and synthesis ability and offers a strong argument for your potential to succeed in Graduate School. You can find more information on the Creating Knowledge page housed on the WRD Blog.
Conferences
Most conferences allow anyone to submit work to present as a poster, round robin discussion, PowerPoint session, or other. The graduate and undergraduate programs in the WRD department support students who are looking to present work at a conference in many ways. First, professors may reference conferences accepting work that aligns with the class coursework. If not, students taking a particular interest in coursework should talk to professors and advisors about opportunities to submit work professionally. Finally, the department has established Undergraduate and Graduate Research Funds for financially supporting students looking to submit work to conferences and travel as a result.
Graduate students are welcome to submit work to the Graduate Student Symposium at DePaul. Outside of DePaul, the Conference on College Communication and Composition is considered a major conference with lots of opportunities for networking and professional development. For more information on CCCC, check out this blog post.
Work
Eligibility for on-campus work at DePaul requires students be full-time. Students may only work 25 hours a week between all on-campus work.
The HumanitiesX program an LAS initiative to create more space, time, and incentives for community engaged courses, affords WRD students internship and job opportunities. For more information on these opportunities, and on HumanitiesX, check out the blog post covering it!
If you are interested in working as a writing tutor, you can apply to work at DePaul’s writing center, the University Center for Writing-based Learning. Though not a direct affiliate of the WRD department, the center offers many WRD students an opportunity to explore peer-tutoring and pedagogy practices. Check out their website for more information!