Portfolio/Thesis Requirement

The Portfolio/Thesis Requirement course offers a unique pairing of a thesis project and a digital portfolio in the final semester of a student¿s experience in the MS in Professional Writing program. In completing both major assignments, students are able to showcase a significant body of work spanning the needs of the professional environment and the requirements of the academic system of evaluation. Each student will identify a thesis project topic in a particular discipline of professional writing (e.g. medical writing, writing for social media, finance writing, grant writing, etc.) or a combination. The self-identified topics must be approved by the faculty Instructor and will guide the development of the thesis project and (to a lesser extent) the digital portfolio. The digital portfolio will contain documents and media demonstrating the student¿s understanding of the principles, concepts, styles, formats, and critical content of coursework across the entire experience of the program. Reserved for the final semester of study, the thesis project is a culminating report designed to show original writing and critical thinking. The thesis project can take on several formats as outlined in the course site and must demonstrate academic rigor, including theoretical and practical knowledge of the principles professional writing and the self-identified topic/area of concentration. Students will contract with the faculty Instructor at the start of the semester regarding the topic and format of their thesis projects