Professional Writing majors at Miami are diverse in their interests and backgrounds. Many are double-majors, fusing their interests to craft career paths that focus on excellent communication skills. In these profiles, PW students share their favorite Professional Writing courses, the ways professors have helped their work, and they provide advice for future majors.
Sarah Baumgartner, ’21
Why Professional Writing at Miami University?
“I have always loved writing—when I was a child, I scribbled stories about mermaids and princesses in crayon for my mother. Creative writing will always be a part of my life, but as I’ve aged, my desire to use my writing in a professional sense has grown. Before college, I wasn’t sure how that looked, what classes to take, or what major could cater to writing in a business setting. Upon visiting at Miami, I discovered Professional Writing and knew it was exactly what I needed.
“My favorite thing about this major is that it challenges me. My writing improves immensely each semester because the classes in this major push me to think and create in ways I’m not used to. It has really refined my ability to write critically.”
Working with Professional Writing professors
“My professors have always been willing to answer any question I have—school-related, career-related, or otherwise. They have encouraged me to publish some work to not only expand my resume, but also to help me hone in on a specific area of study. I’ve had professors review my resume and cover letters. One of my PW professors wroten a letter of recommendation for me. Most always send emails or information about internships they hear about, too.”
Goals and aspirations
“When people ask me what I want to do for my career, I tell them I want a job where I get to talk a lot with a lot of people. As a triple major in Professional Writing, Strategic Communication, and Journalism, my heart is set on sports broadcasting, but I also have a desire to enter public relations.
“One of the greatest experiences I’ve had is taking ENG 223, the class on rhetorical analysis. That class stretched me so much but it sharpened my ability to dissect texts and write beyond what I thought I was capable of. I still use my notes and lessons from that class today. My hope is I’ll be able to use the Professional Writing major in the workplace for things like grant writing and public relations-related writing.”
Advice for future majors
“Understand this major will refine you. Be willing to say ‘I don’t know’ and push into that uncertainty. That is the place where you will grow as a writer and as a person.”
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Aaron Smith ’20
Why did you pick the Professional Writing at Miami University?
“I picked Miami because it feels like home to me. My majors here at Miami are Journalism and Professional 
Writing. I thought that these two majors go great together and would allow me to pursue a variety of different things.
“Through Professional Writing, my writing has improved. I am able to write in different styles, such as technical, rhetorical, and more broadly. This has been very useful in my journalism classes too. Professional Writing is different than other majors because it is broad and has so many different tracks, with a lot to choose from and it provides you with different options for your future.”
Thoughts on some Professional Writing classes
“In my ENG 224 class I am learning about social media campaigns, public relations, and marketing communications. Learning about these areas of business have had an impact on my job aspirations as I learn more about them.
“Classes I am looking forward to taking are ENG 415 and ENG 411. In ENG 415 our class will be given a project to help a client achieve one of their communication goals. In ENG 411, you learn visual design and how to use Adobe’s Creative Cloud.”
Goals and aspirations
“My goal is to become a writer for ESPN and cover the NBA. With my majors in Professional Writing and Journalism, I am gaining the skills to get there, and I am applying for internships now.”
Advice for future majors
“In the Professional Writing major, you will have the opportunity to work with different forms and styles of writing so be ready to write!”
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Clayton Tarantino, ’20
Why did you pick the Professional Writing major at Miami University?
“I am a major in both Psychology and Professional Writing. I chose the PW major as a way to broaden my opportunities after I graduate. I thought that with a PW major, it could help me market myself to more writing and creative-based work, which is more my style.
“I felt the PW major is a versatile, engaging, and marketable e
ducational track that will make me a stronger writer in a variety of professional settings. Anyone with a talent for writing, paired with an interest in business and advertising, would be a good fit for professional writing. Obviously, PW majors are so much more than people who write for big businesses, but I think this interest is a good place to start.
“One of the strengths of the PW program is its vastness, its ability to be many things at once. With that in mind, the PW major is also the perfect major for writers who aren’t quite sure what they want, or what they’re looking for, but want to polish their writing skills and become marketable.”
Working with Professional Writing professors
“Miami faculty as a whole really want their students to succeed. I am constantly sent emails of internship opportunities on the PW listservs, and some professors will even mention these opportunities in class. I have even been speaking with my 223 professor about ongoing issues and other advice as I try to navigate a potential summer internship opportunity at a Cincinnati radio station. Everyone in the English department is very helpful, and I think that anyone in Bachelor Hall would be willing to help a PW student with career or academic needs.”
PW offers variety and freedom in terms of coursework
“Many PW classes offer freedom of subject exploration for assignments and projects. Right now, I am working on forming a formal public relations statement for my Business Writing class (ENG 315). My group decided to handle a tough PR situation similar to the death of the gorilla Harambe back in 2016 at the Cincinnati Zoo, so the entire assignment has been very informative and fun.
“PW as a discipline is so vast and new that the major offers so many different perspectives to students, so each class feels fresh and exciting. I am currently enrolled in a Business Writing class (ENG 315), as well as a Rhetoric of Information and Data Visualization class (ENG 222). It is unbelievable how different these courses are, but it feels so amazing to take classes that vary, that challenge me, and that keep me engaged.
“PW majors have extreme freedoms in terms of course work, in both terms of courses taken as well as the timing for these courses. Due to the flexibility of the major, I actually will be studying abroad in Cork, Ireland. I will still be on time to graduate, as I will be fulfilling my English elective courses for the major when in Ireland.”
Goals and Aspirations
“I would like to have a career that allows me to be creative, that challenges me, and that allows me to experience more of this world through meeting new people or going to new places. As it stands now, I am interested in branding. My understanding of branding is that a company sells not only a product, but an idea of a product. This ‘idea’ is backed with a logo, color scheme, ad-campaigns, and even specifics such as tones or moods associated with the product. I would like to do creative or managerial work in branding, perhaps through creating new concepts for growing company.”
Advice to Future Majors
“I have two pieces of advice for Professional Writing majors:
- First, look at your end-goal from the beginning of your PW career in college. It is really helpful when choosing your classes and specialization to have a goal in mind. My interest in branding has been a major factor in choosing the classes I take at Miami, some of which that include concepts like logo design and writing in business settings.
- Second, I recommend trying to fulfill elective credits within the major during a study abroad experience. I absolutely cannot wait for my time in Ireland next semester to further complete my major.”