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Professional writing is/as rhetorical

Professional Writing is connected to the concept of Rhetoric. This means rhetoric has a large focus on the audience and a successful professional writer is able to create interest from/for their audience. Moreover, this is combined with the aspects of the professional world which is typically done within a professional atmosphere, be it a workplace or as freelance work, created by someone who has knowledge and skills at writing and comprehends the wide range of requirements needed to successfully create the pieces being composed.

One of the main principles of rhetoric, when applied to the work of professional writers, is the art of effective communication and creating authoritative arguments.

Professional writing programs

Professional writing at Michigan State University

Michigan State University offers three tracks in their undergraduate program. These tracks are the following: Digital and Technical Writing, Writing, Editing, and Publishing, and Writing in Communities and Cultures.^[1]

They also offer a Masters and Ph.D. program.

Professional writing in other fields

Even if a student does not plan on writing as their career, they must still prepare for the inevitable writing for their career. Any professional field will require some form of writing, therefore a background in professional writing will never be wasted. Some instances where professional writing may be used in other career fields include the following examples:
Law
- Case studies - Client correspondence
Science
- Lab reports - Experiemental procedures and logs - Grant proposals
Retail
- Advertisement - Inventory reports - Damage reports
Entertainment
- Recording contracts - Project proposals - Website authoring

Nearly every conceivable company could use a professional writer on staff. Whether it be a fast food chain looking for additional web development, a law firm editing legal documents, or perhaps even a musical venue looking for someone to create flyers and posters on a regular basis; a professional writer can fit into any organization. Professional writers are specifically valuable in the workplace for their many talents including communication skills, creativity, technological proficiency, and other social skills.

Professional writing as compared to other majors

Professional writing, particularly as an undergraduate major, is most often confused with English and/or Journalism due to their similar skill groupings and classes.

English courses often include classes in Professional Writing and Professional composition, emphasizing a clear and technical approach to writing. However, the majors begin to differ in that English has a larger focus on the reading and analysis of Literature. Traditionally as well, writing within an English major revolves around the creation of essays and critiques, besides creative writing such as poetry and fiction.

Journalism, while retaining the conciseness that is characteristic to most Professional Writing documents, tends to produce short and fact-based articles rather than the more in-depth reports within Professional Writing.

Professional Writers tend to have more specific and varied audiences with a focus more specific than facts alone. Professional writing involves advanced writing skills with an emphasis on writing in digital environments (e.g., web authoring, multimedia writing), evaluating rhetorical techniques to tailor writing to specific audiences, and requires proficiency in writing in a professional atmosphere such as the workplace for a company or professional organizations.

References