New Year – New Degree Options at McKendree!
BY
STEPHANIE QUINN, PhD
JOY SANTEE, PhD
__________________________________________
As technology continues to permeate all aspects of the 21st century work environment, employers are demanding college graduates who excel at professional communication. In fact, effective written and oral communication skills are consistently ranked among the top skills employers expect of job applicants. However, being able to send a clearly written email or create a Microsoft Word document is no longer enough.
Employees can spend anywhere from 50-80% of their work day communicating in both verbal and written formats, so you can set yourself apart from other job applicants by developing key communication skills during your time at McKendree.
One of the best ways to do this is to pursue either a major or minor in McKendree’s new Professional Writing and Rhetoric program. This competitive program will prepare you for the ever-changing communication needs and expectations of the workplace. Regardless of your professional plans or the degree you pursue while at McKendree, consider adding a major or minor in Professional Writing and Rhetoric to effectively prepare yourself for writing in the workplace in the digital age.
In this program, you will learn to create print and web-based documents that incorporate verbal, visual, oral, and video components and will graduate with a portfolio of work to show prospective employers. Our emphasis on civic engagement and community service opportunities will enable you to gain invaluable workplace writing experience in community-based organizations before you graduate. You will also be able to pursue internship opportunities in non-profit and for-profit organizations, showcase your work during Academic Excellence Day, join the Association for Professional Writing and Rhetoric student organization, and leave McKendree with skills employers want.
This Fall, two new courses will be offered in the program: Introduction to Professional Writing (PWR 210) and Civic Engagement through Professional Writing (PWR 390). Talk to your advisor about exploring this program by adding one or both of these classes to your Fall schedule, and contact Dr. Joy Santee (jmsantee@mckendree.edu) or Dr. Stephanie Quinn (smquinn@mckendree.edu) for more information. Follow us on Twitter @McKendreePWR and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/McKPWR.
Below is an example of a project students might create by using InDesign.
The purpose of this project was to use an existing article, and create a magazine layout with either Adobe InDesign or another application. (Provided by Kimberly Bennett)
Note: The article’s text has been blurred out due to copyrighted material. If you would like to read the article, feel free to read the original.
