Communication & Writing

The School of Professional & Continuing Studies offers classes and programs that focus on communication and writing for multiple audiences and using multiple media.

Our classes and programs cover writing of any kind (creative, fiction, nonfiction, memoir, biography) and communication more generally, including professional, technical, field-specific, and media- or modality-specific communications.

Our Communication & Writing classes and programs seek to extend the values and resources of a liberal arts education into personal and workplace writing and communications.

The selections listed in the tabs below represent a portion of what we have to offer. Additional listings are available and include a wide range of classes.

Registration

In the tabs below, classes and programs include a registration link. For specific information on how to register for online classes, review the information in the Online Partner Registration page. Procedures differ slightly by partner, but may all be completed online.

Programming Levels

In our Professional Education & Enrichment areas of study, we seek to provide a selection of coursework and programs that meet different enrichment and workforce levels of study. Each is described below:

  • Career-curious and enrichment: Designed to explore a career or expand an interest
  • Career-level: Designed to build skills or shift to a new career
  • Professional-level: Designed to deepen or widen knowledge and experience
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  • Career-Curious & Enrichment Programs

    Writing

    Grammar Refresher

    Online: Develop English grammar skills and take your writing and speaking to the next level. This course explores the eight parts of speech, punctuation and mechanics, foundational sentence construction, phrases, clauses, problem words, common mistakes, and more with practical, hands-on exercises.Instructor-led (start dates vary) or self-paced (three months access) through ed2go.

    Writing Essentials

    Online: Master the essentials of writing so you can excel at business communications, engage online audiences, and take your creative literary talents to a new level. This course provides you with the writing tools you need for success. Instructor-led (start dates vary) through ed2go.

    Communication

    Communicating with Flair

    Online: Confidence is a key to delivering an effective speech or presentation. And delivering an effective presentation can be critical to success at work. This introductory-level course helps you develop the skills youll need to become an outstanding and confident public speaker. Self-paced (three months access) through MindEdge.

    Effective Public Speaking

    Online: There’s a reason that workplace communication skills are so highly sought after by employers. Strong communicators can save their organizations time and money. And workplace communication skills are integral to an employee’s personal journey. Knowing how to craft attention-grabbing cover letters and resumes and ace a job interview are essential skills to master en route to finding professional fulfillment. Self-paced (three months access) through MindEdge.

    Personal Branding

    Online: Building a personal brand is about more than just online self-promotion. Building your brand is a continuous process. It involves gaining new experiences, new knowledge and skills, expanding your circle of relationships, and increasing the value that you bring to every work project and business relationship. Self-paced (three months access) through MindEdge.

  • Career-Level Programs

    Writing

    Creative Writing Value Suite

    Online: Creative writing is more than just having a good idea for a story. To be a writer, you must know the mechanics of writing, have strong editing skills, and be able to give and receive constructive feedback in a writer’s workshop. If you have an idea for a story, these online writing courses will help you create a publishable piece of fiction or nonfiction. Instructor-led (start dates vary) through ed2go.

    How to Make Money From Your Writing

    Online: Learn the secrets, methods, and tips to help you generate money with your writing. Whether you want to create your own business, add to your income, supplement your retirement, or boost what you’re earning as a writer, this class includes practical information that rarely gets taught in writing classes. Instructor-led (start dates vary) or self-paced (three months access) through ed2go.

    Communication

    Certificate in Business Communications

    Online: Communicating clearly and concisely in written and oral formats is critical to your professional success. From clarifying and structuring your ideas to designing the PowerPoint slides that will best complement them, the techniques, interactive exercises, and checklists in this certificate program will help you create presentations and workplace documents that inform and persuade. Self-paced (one year access) through MindEdge.

    Soft Skills Suite

    Online: Focus on the communication, interpersonal, critical thinking and decision-making skills that employers seek and supervisors reward. Suite consists of four courses: Achieving Success with Difficult People, Interpersonal Communication, Skills for Making Great Decisions and Individual Excellence. Instructor-led (start dates vary) through ed2go.