Professional and Technical Writing

The Professional and Technical Writing major is designed for students who want a career in user assistance, technical communication, science writing, editing, content strategy and development, social media management and creation, grant writing, and science journalism. Students in this major participate in internships and experiential learning programs. They often apply course knowledge to work with clients on real-world projects.

At Virginia Tech, you will create user guides, online documentation, scientific reports, how-to videos, persuasive proposals, and other workplace documents. In addition to your professional and technical writing classes, you will complete courses in literature, digital media, and critical frameworks. Working individually and in teams, you will combine writing skills with technological solutions to solve problems, help users from diverse backgrounds, and address pressing technical and social challenges.

• Technical editor/writer 
• Web development and writing 
• Management, scientific, and technical consulting 
• Software publisher 
• Scientific research 
• Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publisher 
• Content strategist 
• Editor 
• Social media coordinator 
• Communications manager 
• News reporter 
• Digital copywriter

Interesting Fact: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the number of technical writers increase by 15% between 2012 and 2022.

For students entering in 2023, Virginia Tech will exclusively use the Common App for first-year and transfer applications. While we remain a Coalition member, we have paused the Coalition application for one cycle to provide ample time to adjust to the new application platform that Coalition will be using.