Professional Writing, Editing, & Publishing (B.A.) - J, O

Program Description

This program will prepare students for a wide range of career options within the publishing industry from writing to editing to management and editorial positions in literary agencies and publishing houses.  Students graduating with a degree in Professional Writing, Editing, and Publishing from NVU will do so with skills critical to the publishing profession: writing in many genres including grounding in journalism and literary nonfiction, graphic design, the art of literary editing, technical skills needed to format manuscripts for commercial presses and an understanding of the literary marketplace. Courses in the core of this program cross disciplinary lines, incorporating the tangible benefits of both liberal arts and career training. For all students in the program, a capstone course will develop a book from initial manuscript submission and acceptance through to the editing and design phases, culminating with actual publication and distribution through a new imprint, Northern Vermont University Press.

Student Learning Objectives

1. Students will demonstrate proficiency in editorial tasks such as copy-editing, line-editing, proofreading, submission management, HTML and CSS coding, social media marketing, distribution channels, and other publishing software and tools.
2. Students will demonstrate proficiency in editing fiction, poetry, and non-fiction for clarity, style, and publication.
3. Students will demonstrate proficiency in journalism, its ethics, history, and best practices in both print and web.
4. Students will demonstrate proficiency in the production of fiction, poetry, narrative nonfiction for publication.
5. Students will demonstrate competence in layout and design as they pertain to news publications, magazines, and books.  
6. Students will develop stylistic versatility, being able to adapt voice to a variety of professional audiences and platforms.
7. Students will demonstrate proficiency in collaboration under varied situations.