Online Writing Bachelor’s Degree
According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the majority of employers place value on written communication and problem solving skills. There is not only a steady demand for individuals with writing skills in the labor market, but also a potential for growth. Another NACE survey indicates that graduates with a bachelor's in rhetoric and composition or writing studies can expect an average starting salary of $41,144. After more than ten years of experience, writers can expect their salary to increase to roughly $57,000–$64,000. Proficiency in writing is currently in demand and can be translated to nearly any industry.
Why Earn a Writing Degree Online?
Earning a bachelor's of writing degree online can provide students with a convenient working environment, flexible scheduling, and affordability that may not be available through traditional on-campus programs. Online programs allow students to access course materials and lectures from anywhere. Asynchronous or self-paced courses allow students to complete assignments and watch lectures at their own speed. Students may also be able to complete their degrees faster if their program offers accelerated sessions, where each course is 6-8 weeks long rather than 16.
Tuition for online courses and programs also leans toward affordability more so than their on-campus counterparts. Online students are also exempt from other costs traditionally associated with attending college, such as room and board and transportation. Completing a writing degree online is ideal for working professionals or students with childcare obligations.
What Can I Do with a Bachelor's in Writing?
A bachelor's in writing online prepares students to work in nearly any industry. Writing is a versatile and translatable skill in demand across public and private sectors. Companies providing a good or service require writers to convey the benefits of their product to potential consumers. Nonprofit organizations need writers to compile stories about their work and the impact of that work in order to garner donations, volunteers, and support. A writing bachelor's also prepares students for an advanced degree in writing or a related field, such as communications.
Skills and Knowledge Gained
Students pursuing an online bachelor's degree in writing learn to synthesize information from a variety of primary and secondary materials and craft a compelling argument. Rather than a series of quizzes and exams, courses in a bachelor's of writing curriculum evaluates a student's learning through essays to track the evolution of their writing over time.
Employers recognize the importance of writing skills and its necessity not only in everyday business communications, but also in constructing and shaping the company or organization's brand. Companies and organizations generate a variety of written materials, including textbooks, brand messaging, testimonials, instructional content, and op-eds and blogs.
Careers and Salary Potential
An online bachelor's in writing prepares students for a wide array of career paths and fields, as most industries have positions requiring effective writing skills. Common industries employing graduates with a writing degree include education, advertising and sales promotion, marketing and media management, software development, and publishing. Within each of these industries, various positions open to those with an educational background in writing, such as editor, journalist, content strategist, and technical writer.
Education: The education industry encompasses institutions and organizations that provide instructional materials and promote learning, such as universities, public schools, and tutoring companies. This industry requires writing expertise for positions like communications specialists, instructional designers, and textbook writers.
Advertising, Branding, and Sales Promotions: The advertising, branding, and sales promotions sector involves providing targeted messaging, strategies, and campaigns to generate interest in a given product or service and increase sales. In this industry, positions like branding strategists, content writers, and marketing analysts all require strong writing skills.
Marketing, Advertising, and Media Management: Positions within the marketing, advertising, and media management industry that require strong writing skills include public relations managers, media and press administrators, creative strategy executives, senior communications managers, and marketing managers.
Software Development: The software development field focuses on the design, programming, evaluation, troubleshooting, fixing, and maintenance of mobile or computer applications and other software components. Many of these companies require technical writers to generate instruction manuals for their products.
Publishing: The publishing industry includes companies and organizations that acquire, compile, print, and distribute written media, most often in the form of books. While publishing companies normally work with writers and authors, they also directly employ agents and editors who require excellent writing skills as well.
Listed below are five potential career paths for graduates with a bachelor's in writing.
Editor
Annual Median Salary: $58,770
Editors primarily review and revise drafts of written materials and prepare them for publication. Editing is often associated with correcting spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors in a manuscript. But editors also work with writers to develop new ideas for articles and other content, curate content submissions and choose what to publish, rewrite text according to a specific style manual or target audience, and promote published materials.
Reporter or Correspondent
Annual Median Salary: $40,910
Reporters or correspondents disseminate information about what is happening locally, nationally, and internationally through newspapers, magazines, radio, and television. They investigate new story topics, interview potential sources for insider or local knowledge, develop relationships with subject matter experts who may provide insights, and produce content the public can easily understand.
Journalist
Annual Median Salary: $39,848
Journalists focus on creating content for print mediums like newspapers and magazines and their online counterparts. They conduct research on assigned or pitched topics, follow leads on breaking stories, interview sources, and write either longform features or shorter news articles. They possess excellent communication skills and work well under deadlines.
Technical Writer
Annual Median Salary: $70,930
Technical writers draft, create, and develop materials conveying complex technical concepts and information in a more approachable manner, such as instruction manuals or product assembly guides. They evaluate products and determine the need for instructions, meet with technical staff and product developers, and write content for publication.
Writer or Author
Annual Median Salary: $61,820
Writers or authors produce written content for a variety of media types, including websites and blogs, magazines, newspapers, novels, nonfiction books, television or movie scripts, and advertisements. They conduct research on the subject matter or topic of interest, meet with sources or experts who might be able to provide a first hand perspective, write a draft, submit draft to editors for feedback, and revise content for publication.
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