Because writing, research, critical thinking, and design are skills for any industry, our students go into many different careers and academic paths. Here, you'll find a small sample of our graduates, where they went after graduation, and what they say about our major for their career (Professional Writing for undergraduates, Writing Studies for graduate students).
Mary AielloMaster of Arts in Written Communication, 2008
Current title: Senior Associate, Corporate Content Specialist, Marketing Coordinator at PMA Consultants
"The outcome of the program allows me to wear many hats in the professional world (e.g., Marketing, technical writer and editor, document and content specialist, procurement specialist, technical analyst, document designer, web design assistant, etc.). Significant writing and editing skills allowed me to transition from the operations and administrative side of the company to the corporate side. I now weigh in on many major moving-forward decisions that the firm makes, and I'm tasked as a quality control document and content specialist in leading a team of marketing coordinators in regional offices across the United States. I'm more than equipped; I'm succeeding!"
Master of Arts in Written Communication, 2006
Current title: Senior Coordinator at General Motors
"The communication, journalism, and public relations skills that I gained as an undergraduate student at Eastern Michigan University have helped to expand my career tremendously. As I currently work closely with General Motors executives, manage my husband's music artist career, assist entertainment professionals, and operate our business, Frosty Entertainment, I have put all the skills I gained to work! As social media advances, I am currently expanding my marketing skills as well by taking college level classes. It is imperative to remain up to date and possess the ability to recreate your brand and learn new techniques. My Written Communication degree has opened many doors for me, and I plan to add published author to the list in the fall of 2017!"
Bachelor of Arts in Written Communication, 2014
Current title: Graduate student at Penn State with a focus of Rhetoric and Composition with a dual title of African American Studies
"For me, the benefits of written communication lies, ironically, in the work done outside of the page. That’s something that I didn’t quite understand before taking encountering the program at Eastern. I had virtually no understanding of rhetoric or how rhetoric is used in our everyday lives. The Written Communication program provided me with a broader consciousness of how to interpret and engage the world around me. I also learned that writing is not merely an isolated practice done by one individual; it is a process of building community and making connections towards a desired end. Additionally, I owe a great deal of gratitude to the faculty for the exemplary levels of support and mentorship they provided me with during my time there. Every bit of help they provided as been instrumental in my growth as a scholar, including professional development and publication. I would recommend this program to anyone."
Bachelor of Arts in Written Communication, 2016
Current title: Law student at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
"Eastern’s Written Communication program helps students develop strategic skills such as how to incorporate expertise to serve as a liaison between differing sectors within a company, and how to help clients resolve both aesthetic and actual content issues within their documents. Additionally, in various written communication courses students learn how to work various computer programs (wiki, html, etc.)."
Bachelor of Arts in Written Communication, 2011
Current title: Customer Advocacy Integration Specialist at Ford Motor Company
"Written communication is crucial to any business or personal relationship; being able to communicate well with others is basically a building block of life."
Bachelor of Arts in Written Communications, 2016
Current Title: Mortgage Underwriter at United Shore
"Talking to people (mortgage brokers) is a big part of my job. I am able to use the skills obtained in my Written Communications Degree to explain complicated information (and sometimes, unpleasant news) to brokers. Analytical skills are used during this job as well; You must be able to pick up on little details that could affect a loan."
Master of Arts in Written Communication, 2015
Current title: Content Marketer/Writer at Compuware
“A degree in Written Communication teaches you a variety of skills that prepare you be a writer, communicator, and story teller in a professional capacity. The degree is applicable to multiple fields, including marketing, corporate communications, technical writing, and others. Not only do you learn to write well, you learn the ‘back end’ of writing, too—the fundamentals of good communication, information design, rhetoric, and other useful concepts and tools most people are unaware of. Having knowledge of these things and knowing how to apply them to writing is what enables you to have authority in a role as a communicator. Written Communication means being successful in making complex or unfamiliar concepts easy for others to understand. It also means making those ideas interesting for others. I think what that means is a story should be a backdrop for everything, even the most technical pieces. That’s because a writer is always trying to get a reader to act on something. Whatever I write should communicate an idea in a compelling or clear way that enables a reader to make an easy choice or at least think differently or more deeply about a concept. If you’re telling a story, you’re leading a reader and making it possible for them to make choices along the way.”
Master of Arts in Written Communication, 2015
Current title: Personal Service Assistant at University of Michigan Northville Health Center
"The written communication program taught me the value of rhetoric in both reading and writing techniques. It exposed me to diverse forms of writing and allowed me to understand the core principles of each form."
Master of Arts in Written Communication, 2015
Current title: Academic Advisor at Ivy Tech Community College
"When I decided to study in EMU’s Written Communication Program, I didn't realize that I was making one of the most important decisions of my academic and professional life. I didn’t realize that, in addition to growing as a writer, I would also grow as a communicator, a collaborator, and a critical thinker. Because this program is grounded in rhetorical theory and practice, students learn how to strategically navigate and negotiate writing across dynamic contexts with various audiences. They begin to recognize writing as a social activity—dependent upon interactive contexts—and they begin to understand and articulate the real value that they bring to those contexts. Learning to articulate my value as a written communication professional was one of the most challenging, but most empowering lessons I learned throughout my time at EMU. Because I’ve been through this program, I’ve learned how to communicate effectively across contexts, and I know how to help others see the value in that work. EMU’s Written Communication Program doesn’t just teach you a skill set; it teaches you a new framework for looking at and solving problems heuristically, and that is critical in a workplace, higher education, and in our everyday communication."
Writing@EMU is a dynamic site for sharing news and announcements related to EMU's academic programs in professional writing and written communication.
Because writing, research, critical thinking and design are skills for any industry, our alumni go into many different careers and academic paths.
Eastern Michigan University also offers an undergraduate program in professional writing.
