PPW Certificate Courses
Courses that count toward the PPW certificate
For detailed descriptions of PPW courses, please visit the course description page on the PPW Community web site.
Required Coursework
You must take at least one of these courses:
| EngCmp 400 | Written Professional Communication |
| EngCmp 410 | Writing in the Legal Professions |
| EngCmp 420 |
Writing for the Public |
Other Classes That Count Towards the Certificate
These are other classes you may take as part of your certificate work. You need at least two 1000-level courses from this list to complete the certificate:
| EngCmp 510 | Narratives of the Workplace |
| EngCmp 515 | Persuasive Writing in Advertising and Fundraising |
| EngCmp 520 | Integrating Writing and Design |
| EngCmp 550 | Topics in Public and Professional Writing |
| EngCmp 1100 | Language of Business & Industry |
EngCmp 1101 |
Language of Science and Technology |
| EngCmp 1103 | PR Writing |
| EngCmp 1104 | Creative Corporate Writing |
| EngCmp 1111 | Professional Writing in Global Contexts |
| EngCmp 1250 | Advanced Topics in Public and Professional Writing |
| EngCmp 1400 | Grant and Proposal Writing |
| EngCmp 1410 | Advanced Research and Documentary Writing |
| EngCmp 1900 | Internship: Public and Professional Writing |
| EngCmp 1902 | Independent Study in PPW |
| EngCmp 1903 | Service Learning Seminar in PPW |
Some other courses offered by the English department, including independent studies, may be eligible. Check with the director about specific courses.
Two classes were originally housed in the Writing Program. If you took these classes under thier old numbers, they still count toward the PPW certificate.
| EngWrt 1395 | Public Relations Writing |
| EngWrt 1397 | Creative Corporate Writing |
Petitioning for Other Courses to Count
W-courses in other departments cannot count toward the PPW certificate.
Students may petition for courses in other departments or courses taken at other colleges to count toward the certificate. Up to six credits may be accepted, provided the student can show that the course work was equivalent to the kind of work done in our courses. Good candidates for eligibility include courses in which professional discourse is a key concern and courses in which the content is in part directed toward writing (rather than being simply a course with a discrete writing component). Please download the petition form (you'll need a pdf reader like Acrobat), complete it, attach materials, and send it to
Public and Professional Writing Certificate
Department of English
University of Pittsburgh
526 Cathedral of Learning
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
If you need a hard copy of the petition form, please stop by the Writing Center (M-2 Thaw Hall) and ask at the front desk.
If you have questions, e-mail ppw@pitt.edu.