Program Description

Application Requirements

Program-Specific Instructions

Additional Information

Application to Certificate Program Only

The submitted goals statement should be 750 - 1000 words and describe particular areas of interest within a chosen concentration. Read More.

Applicants are required to send in the names and email addresses (via the online application) of the two individuals who will be submitting the required letters of recommendation. The recommendations should be academic, rather than professional or personal Read More. 

Applicants should submit a 1,500 to 2,000-word writing sample (uploaded online) of literary analysis. Read More.

Applicants to the certificate in professional and technical writing are encouraged to submit a portfolio (uploaded online) that showcases nonacademic/workplace writing. Applicants should submit a 10-15 page portfolio of their nonfiction work such as technical or business reports, editing projects, or any other materials reflecting interests and skills in nonfiction writing. The portfolio should include 2-3 samples of writing oriented to the applicant's professional or educational interests. The admissions committee would prefer to see at least one sample of professional or technical writing (newswriting, report, feature article, instructions, web design, etc.) but any piece that has a clear audience and rhetorical purpose is acceptable. On a cover sheet, discuss the audience and purpose of the writing sample. The cover sheet should be uploaded with the portfolio.

Application to Certificate Program as a Secondary Program

Applicants to the graduate certificate in professional and technical writing who are already accepted or enrolled in a degree program in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences must submit a Graduate Secondary Certificate Program Application.

All students who hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university are eligible to apply.

International students with F-1 or J-1 non-immigrant status are advised to refer to the University Catalog's Admission of International Students to learn more about policies relating to full-time status and time limits.

English Proficiency Requirements

All Mason students must have a full command of academic English to be successful in their studies. For this reason, Mason requires applicants to demonstrate English proficiency for admission consideration, regardless of citizenship. Click here to view the requirements.

International Transcript Requirements

All transcripts from colleges or universities outside the United States must be translated into English, if applicable, and submitted for evaluation to the Mason Office of Admissions. Mason will provide evaluation service free of charge for all international transcripts, however, some programs may request an outside evaluation be completed. Because of volume, more time may be needed to process applications requiring a Mason evaluation. You should submit your application 6 weeks prior to the deadline if you plan to utilize Mason’s free evaluation service. For expedited service, students may submit their documents to any NACES member organization at their own expense. If you decide to use an external evaluation service or if your program requires an outside evaluation, GPA and Degree equivalences must be included with your course-by-course evaluation. Mason evaluations are used for internal purposes and are not released to applicants. For information on international transcript requirements, go here.