Writing Courses

The Mary G. Walsh Writing Center, along with Salem State University as a whole, is dedicated to assisting our students in their growth and development as writers, readers, and critical thinkers during their university journey. We offer support not only through the general education curriculum but also by providing resources for careers in writing-related fields, including various majors, concentrations, and a graduate certificate in writing and rhetoric.

General Education Writing Courses

All students are required to take three writing-intensive courses (W-I, W-II, and W-III). The three courses, which we refer to as the vertical model of writing instruction, supports students in their growth and development as writers over the course of their career at Salem State. Through carefully scaffolded courses, the students work to learn and build on understanding writing as a process and a mode of learning while also understanding the nature of writing as rhetorical and deliberate.

For more information, please visit the General Education website or contact Tanya Rodrigue at trodrigue@salemstate.edu.

Writing-Focused Majors, Minors and Concentrations

 

The English department at Salem State offers a diverse and enthusiastic faculty ready to fully engage your intellect and imagination, with a broad and innovative array of classes and concentrations in areas such as creative writing, professional writing, literature, and film studies and a unique and inspiring setting in beautiful and historic Salem, MA. Classes are small and student-focused and are led by a faculty at the forefront of their respective fields. The English major offers a concentration in professional writing and creative writing.
 

• The professional writing minor and concentration offers classes that focus on modern processes, electronic collaboration and online interactive media. Students learn that they are writing for organizations and develop a keen sense of their intended audience.
• The creative writing minor and concentration offers a variety of opportunities outside of the classroom. The Writers' Series invites noted authors of short stories, biography, poetry, poetry, memoir and essays to share their work at free readings throughout the academic year. There are three literary magazines: Red Skies, the student-produced e-zine, Molecule, the tiny lit mag, or Soundings East, the student-edited, nationally distributed literary magazine. Each year, the creative writing program celebrates its own with an undergraduate reading, a graduate student reading, and a faculty/staff reading of original works.

The media and communications department offers a bachelor of science degree with several concentrations including advertising, journalism, and public relations. They also offer minors in advertising, journalism, media and communication studies, media and social change, and public relations. Visit the department website to learn more about their programs and course offerings.

Tutor Practicum Course

 

All tutors in the Center and in the Course Embedded Tutor Program (CETP) take ENL 302/ENG 870 which prepares them to tutor students across the university. This course is a 3 credit W-II course with a W-I or equivalent prerequisite. Enrollment in the class is by invitation only, yet those who are interested in taking the course can contact Al DeCiccio. 

Graduate Certificate in Writing and Rhetoric

Our English department offers graduate students the opportunity to earn a certificate in Writing and Rhetoric fully or partially online. The program, which is the only certificate program of its kind in Massachusetts, is designed for current and future secondary teachers and professors of writing whose careers depend upon a strong foundation in literacy and keen rhetorical analysis. Our courses give students a thorough introduction to Writing and Rhetoric as a scholarly field as well as hands-on, administrative and teaching experience through our internship program. The strengths of our program include areas such as digital writing, multilingual writing, and writing center/writing program administration. The program is unique in that it offers students rich opportunities for theory, practice, research, and internships with mentoring from experienced writing program administrators and a team of faculty with doctoral degrees in the discipline of Writing Studies. This program is ideal for current secondary education teachers across the disciplines, community college and first year writing teachers, and students interested in pursuing further graduate studies in departments of English. Learn more about the graduate certificate.