PhD in Professional Writing

Program Note: Professional Writing will be renamed in the 2019-20 Catalog (forthcoming) to Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication.

The PhD in Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication prepares students to teach and conduct research in the areas of composition, rhetoric, technical communication, and writing program administration. For students following a career path in industry, they are prepared to work as consultants, editors, content developers, and researchers.

The core curriculum provides students with training in rhetorical theory, research methods, scholarly writing, and the foundational concerns of writing studies, after which students work with their advisors to select courses that most align with their professional interests.

Students who hold teaching assistantships teach in the English Department's First-Year Writing Program sequence and eventually may be able to teach upper-division courses in professional writing, engineering communication, and persuasive writing. Students interested in writing program administration may be able to serve as an assistant director in the university's Center for Writing and Communication and/or the First-Year Writing Program.

For program requirements, visit the English Graduate Catalog.

Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication Coordinator:
Dr. Will Duffy
901.678.2651
weduffy@memphis.edu

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