Professional and Technical Writing

The Professional and Technical Writing (PTW) program prepares you for exciting career paths like technical communications for software companies, content strategy for healthcare agencies, documentation and communications specialists for education, government, and non-profit organizations, as well as other roles related to user experience, social media, and AI. You will learn to create content that bridges technical expertise and the needs of various audiences by mastering writing, editing, and design skills using industry-standard digital tools and practices. You’ll learn how to work with, transform, and develop technical content for websites, multimedia, presentations, training materials, marketing campaigns, technical reports, and emerging forms of media. The program teaches industry-demanded skills in content management systems, digital design tools like Adobe Creative Suite, and collaboration platforms used by major employers. It includes three main parts: core classes that cover essential knowledge and skills, specific courses for the PTW major, and a specialized area outside of the major that helps you develop expertise in one of 10 different specific fields including marketing, computer science, and public health. For example, combining PTW with a computer science specialization could lead to roles creating software documentation, while a marketing focus could prepare you for a content strategy position.

As technologies and workplace communications needs evolve, the PTW program prepares you for careers with significantly higher-than-average median salaries. Graduates have gone on to work for companies and organizations such as Automation Anywhere, BGB Group, Insperity, Grey Group, The City of New York, NYU, CUNY, as well as starting their own businesses and pursuing graduate degrees in management, leadership, and clinical fields. When you graduate you’ll have a professional portfolio showcasing your ability to create user-friendly documents, corporate-style reports, white papers, web content, high-value presentations, multimedia assets, and a range of texts related to the work of communications within your specialization. Our internship course supports senior students through real-world projects with actual clients, strengthening their professional identity and portfolio while providing hands-on experience. With training in the latest content development tools and processes, students gain the skills to bridge communications and technology, preparing them for a smoother transition into the job market and industries that align with their interests.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand and resolve legal and ethical issues surrounding publication

• Demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of visual rhetoric and writing in multimedia environments

• Describe technical information in readable prose for specialists and non-specialists

• Use professional tools for technical and professional communication

• Work and write collaboratively

• Evaluate, analyze, summarize, and vet information

• Match deliverables to an audience and purpose

• Create and defend a proposal both orally and in writing

• Conduct needs assessments

• Perform usability tests

• Understand issues of cultural diversity as they relate to written and digital communication

Admission Information

Incoming Students: Students may enter the BS program in Professional and Technical Writing with a minimum high school average of 75, and must demonstrate CUNY proficiency in reading, writing, and mathematics.

Continuing Students: Students may enter the BS program in Professional and Technical Writing with CUNY proficiency in reading, writing, and mathematics. Moreover, students may transfer from one of the City Tech AAS, AA, AS, or unclassified programs either before or after completing the associate degree.

Transfer Students: Transfer students must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 and should have taken one semester of college-level English having earned a grade of C or higher. Transfer students must also possess CUNY proficiency in reading, writing, and mathematics.

Advisement Information

Please direct inquiries to Dr. Patrick Corbett, Director, Professional & Technical Writing Program, PCorbett@citytech.cuny.edu

Explore the Department of English on the City Tech website.