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Home Current Undergraduate Student Information What is the Technical and Professional Writing Certificate?

What is the Technical and Professional Writing Certificate?

The certificate in Technical and Professional Writing (TPW) offers students the opportunity to focus and sharpen their expertise in workplace and technical communication.

By completing the certificate, you’ll gain hands-on experience with technical and professional writing projects, and you’ll have access to writing-focused internships, experiential learning courses, and networking events.

The TPW certificate can be completed through online, in-person, or hybrid courses.

What is technical and professional writing?

As technical writers, students will analyze audiences, visualize data, manage content, write reports, design user interfaces, compose web pages, and communicate science to the public. The TPW certificate prepares students to become innovative, collaborative, and technically proficient writers who can work across a range of fields, including business, health, nonprofits, technology, science, publishing, environment, and law.

TPW Certificate at a Glance

  • Can be completed online or on campus
  • 12 credits
  • Open to enrolled students and non-degree seeking students
  • Credits are "stackable" - courses taken for your major, Core, etc. can also count toward the certificate

TPW Perks and Career Advancement

  • Connect with CU Denver’s English Careers Advisory Board of TPW professionals  - all certificate students are invited to networking events, panels, and workshops (virtual and in-person) with our network of TPW professionals
  • Receive one-on-one mentorship with faculty and TPW industry professionals
  • Get connected with internship opportunities
  • Gain hands-on practice by taking high impact client-partnered TPW courses (you complete real world technical writing projects for industry and community partners; client-partnered courses are remote or in-person)
  • Work with faculty, career advisors, and TPW mentors to focus your job searches, build your TPW portfolio, optimize your resume, and practice interviews

Program Delivery 

  • This is on-campus and online program

Declaring This Certificate

For CU Denver Students:
For Non-Degree seeking students:

Questions? Email certificate advisor Dr. Kari Campeau at kari.campeau@ucdenver.edu.

What are the requirements to complete the certificate?

  • 4 courses or 12 hours of approved credits in the certificate’s course clusters (listed below). Credits applied to the certificate must be earned at CU Denver.

  • Option to take an internship for credit instead of a course (3 courses + internship)

  • A 3.0 GPA average in all approved TPW Certificate courses.

  • Credits applied to the certificate must be earned at CU Denver.

What are the course requirements?

Students should take a foundational course in technical writing. Then, students can take 9 credits across both clusters. Students also have the option to enroll in a TPW-focused internship for credit. 

Courses not appearing on this approved list may still apply to the certificate – just ask the Director!

Foundation: Technical Writing

Certificate students must complete English 3154: Technical Writing

Cluster 1: Technical & Scientific Writing

These foundational courses introduce students to technical or scientific writing. Students can expect to gain an academic grounding as well as hands-on experience in technical or scientific writing.

  • ENGL 3154: Technical Writing

  • ENGL 4175: Writing in the Sciences

  • ENGL 4190: Advanced Topics in Writing in approved topics (such as medical writing, usability and UX, accessibility in professional writing)

  • ENGL 4177: Technical Editing

  • ENGL 3140: Writing and Editing with AI

  • COMM 4500:  Health Communication  

  • COMM 4558: Digital Health Narratives

  • COMM 4575 - Designing Health Messages

  • HIST 4261 / COMMM 4261: Working With Data

  • GEOG 2080: Introduction to Mapping and Map Analysis

  • GEOG 4088: Introduction to GIS

  • PBHL 3330: Controversies in Public Health

Cluster 2: Professional Writing

These courses offer students an opportunity to develop their TPW skills in a specific field or industry. Courses focus on the unique TPW skills and situations called for when writing for business, nonprofit, community, journalistic, or grant-writing contexts.

  • ENGL 4280: Proposal and Grant Writing

  • ENGL 4190: Advanced Topics in Writing & Digital Studies in approved topics (such as podcasting, humor writing, creative nonfiction writing)

  • ENGL 4701: Multimedia in the Community

  • ENGL 4177: Technical Editing

  • ENGL 3170: Business Writing

  • ENGL 3084: Digital Writing and Storytelling

  • ENGL 3405: Topics in Writing (in approved topics)

  • ENGL 3416: Magazine Writing

  • ENGL 3415: Screenwriting Workshop

  • ENGL 4088: Literary Editing: Copper Nickel

  • ENGL 2060: Introduction to Writing and Digital Studies

  • COMM 3650: Media and Society

  • COMM 4660: Queer Media Studies 

  • COMM 3072: Media Writing Skills

  • COMM 3081 / HIST 3260: Introduction to Digital Studies

  • COMM 3660: Social Media for Social Change

  • ANTH 2400: Global Storytelling Cultures

Elective: Internship

For this elective, students should work with the certificate director to enroll in an internship for credit related to professional and technical writing. Students complete the internship in conjunction with the following course:

  • ENGL 3939 - Internship

Who can I contact for more information?

If you want to learn more about the Undergraduate Certificate in Technical & Professional Writing, please reach out to the program director, Dr. Kari Campeau at kari.campeau@ucdenver.edu.