Chatham University Master's Professional Writing

UA Traveler, did you do your degree while living in China? I would like to move to China in August but it might be easier to do the M.A. in Professional Writing while living in Taiwan due to some websites being blocked in China.

I currently have a writing job in Taiwan and can continue to work in Taiwan and do the course work for these classes on my two days off.

 

Please read through this thread I started a year or two ago. It will give you a set of options. 好运气

http://www.degreeinfo.com/distance-learning-discussions/36488-professional-writing.html

 

Yes you can complete the program one class at a time, as a matter of fact that is how the program is structured, you take one class every seven weeks. The entire program takes about 18 months to complete.

 

Do you have to begin the program in August or can one start anytime? I am considering starting this year but am curious about when one can start this Masters program.

 

You can start on August (Fall) or January (Spring). Check Chatham's website for more information.

 

Please check the MAIS program at Western New Mexico University before you make a decision - WESTERN NEW MEXICO UNIVERSITY - before you make a decision. The curriculum is great and the price is about half the cost of Chatham. Full disdclosure: I am completing the MAIS with concentrations in English/Writing. The instructors are great; I would name the good ones but, honestly, I haven't had a bad professor in the entire program. A course in poetry and a thesis and I'm through.

 

Thank you for the information.

 

Hi,

I actually did my degree while teaching writing at an international high school in South Korea; however, you could complete the degree from pretty much anywhere in the world, including mainland China. If you have trouble accessing course content, you'll want to sign up for a VPN. I subscribe to a service through ExpressVPN, which has provided nothing but stellar service and always managed to help me exit the Great Firewall of China.

Just as a side note my MPW from Chatham has helped me get a near full ride scholarship into a PhD program focused on Composition and TESOL. The director of the program commented that he liked my background in Professional Writing and he said that helped bolster my application material. My degree has also landed me a part time gig teaching writing for an online university, so I can say without a doubt that the price I paid was worth it.

Feel free to hit me up with any additional questions.

 

Has anyone managed to land a writing job after finishing this degree? I hope to land a telecommuting writing job after I graduate.

 

Hi all,

I am so glad to have come across this forum. I have been researching the MPW program at Chatham University. With a full time job, pursuing a writing degree at a traditional university/college isn't an option. So this online program appears to be a good fit for what I am looking for. I am an investment professional with a secret wish of becoming a writer. Given my background, establishing a niche in financial writing seems to be a natural place to start, although I would love to write in other areas as well. I enjoy research, analysis and writing about my findings. It sounds like the program at Chatham does give you quality training/education to become better writers. But, ultimately, I am curious about the reputation of the program and whether it will help those who graduate land a job in the writing world.

Also, I would be happy to hear from fellow writers on advice, career "reality" etc. Thanks in advance!

 

Hello everyone,

I am so glad to have come across this forum. I have been looking at the MPW at Chatham University for a few weeks now. As a full time professional, pursuing a writing degree at a traditional university isn't an option. So the MPW online degree program seems ideal. In reading this thread, the program does seem to help students become better writers. I am most curious about whether this program is highly recognized in the writing community? Will students have an easier time finding jobs in their specific fields?

I am an investment professional with a secret hope of becoming a writer someday. I enjoy finance and investments. I am fond of research and writing about my findings. Given my background, becoming a financial writer appears to be a natural place to start although I would love to write about other topics. Chatham University seems to be the only quality university I can find so far that has a course in "financial writing."

Happy to hear from anyone with insights, advice, tips to share about the program and about writing as a career in general.

Thank you in advance!

 

Hi there and welcome aboard :wavey: I have one more class left at Chatham and will be graduating in December. Chatham's program is great, but a bit on the pricey side, my total bill $24,000. I'm not paying full tuition of course, I'm using employment TA so my out-of-pocket expense will be around $4,000 or so. Shop around, there are other great options out there as well, not just Chatham. Now, Chatham does a great job in exposing you to different writing genres, we get to write from technical writing, financial writing to science writing and everything in between. Classes are 7 weeks long, and you take one class at a time, so if you are employed full time the program is doable. As far as workload is concerned, it is your typical online learning environment. You will get to read approx. 200 or so pages a week, plus weekly postings, plus your weekly writing assignments, which could vary in length (10-15pg is the avg). So far all my professors have been great, most professors work for outfits such as NY Times, CNN, Washington Post, Newsweek, and everything in between.

With regards to your career question, writing, like any other field, comes down to experience. The more experience you have the better. You don't even have to have a writing degree to be a great writer, although it helps. This degree was my guilty pleasure, I do quite a bit of writing for my current employer, so this degree has definitely helped me tremendously. Do I consider my self a good writer? Absolutely not, I still have much to learn, but if you like writing, then, this degree will definitely help you hone your skills. Another plus with this degree is the ability to teach business writing, Thanks to this degree I was able to teach a class at my local community college, I had a blast. I also helped design a business writing course for my current employer, so I'm definitely reaping the benefits. Please PM if you have any more questions. rivateeye:

 

Follow Up to My Initial Post

I'm happy to report that my degree from Chatham has gotten me into a PhD program, and I was told that my degree in professional writing was one of the things that made me stand out from other applicants. I also now have a great job teaching English online, and I owe it all to my degree from Chatham. With all that said, I always tell people about Western New Mexico University, where one can earn 18 post graduate credits in English via the Internet for a fraction of the price of Chatham's program.

 

New Student Looking for Some Insight

Hi everyone! I am a new student in the MPW program at Chatham. I just started my first semester worth of classes on Tuesday and I am really nervous/overwhelmed. I have no idea what to expect and/or what the professors are expecting from me. I was wondering if those of you who are seasoned veterans could give me some advice?

I am taking three classes: Grant Writing, Financial Writing, and Science and Environmental Writing. I am not sure if the professors for each of the classes has remained the same but has anyone had any positive or negative experiences when they took theses courses? Is it difficult to do well in them?

Thanks!

 

I'm in Pittsburgh and my SIL works there. Chatham is still a women's only university for their undergrad studies but is open to everyone for their advanced degrees.

 

This is not true anymore. Chatham is now fully coed. See their press release. Chatham University