PCS Technical and Professional Writing Certificate designed by professors and pros 

The University of Delaware Division of Professional and Continuing Studies (UD PCS) is building connections with UD’s colleges, giving adult learners more chances than ever to tap into cutting-edge content. 

One of these collaborative efforts arrives this spring, as UD PCS unveils an online Technical and Professional Writing certificate built with the guidance of faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences. The course is designed to give working professionals career-enhancing credentials in a growing specialty field.  

Designed and taught by faculty from UD’s Department of English, the course distills much of the knowledge that has been included in for-credit classes. The first six-week section of the three-course certificate starts March 31. The second section begins in fall 2025, and the third will be offered in spring 2026. 

Other joint efforts between UD PCS and University academic departments are on the horizon. 

“This certificate was purposefully built with working professionals in mind,” said Vic Wang, director of noncredit professional programs at UD PCS. “With the help of our amazing faculty, we work very hard to give programs the research-based knowledge and academic rigor that UD is known for.” 

The new program features a “stackable” certificate, which means learners can complete the required courses one at a time, at their own pace, until they “stack up” enough courses to earn the certificate.  

“We aimed to build a stackable program that’s truly flexible, convenient and accessible to anyone — anywhere and anytime,” said Wang, who is also exploring the potential for creating pathways between noncredit and for-credit programs, giving participants an opportunity to use their certificate as a head start on a degree program. 

Research conducted by UD PCS was instrumental in verifying current market demand for the certificate, which in turn is helping the UD Department of English decide whether to expand their own for-credit programs.  

“Here in the English department, it is part of our efforts to come up with credit-bearing certificate programs at the graduate level, as well as expand our undergraduate offerings in technical writing, and even potentially create a master’s program in technical and professional writing,” said Cathryn Molloy, professor of writing studies and faculty lead for the certificate program. 

“There’s a lot of evidence to support the fact that technical writing positions are only growing,” she added. 

John Ernest, chair of the Department of English, agreed. 

“Professional and Continuing Studies is really doing some great work in helping departments consider the possibilities that are out there, and make it part of an ongoing effort to develop these kinds of programs within the department,” he said.  

In time, the certificate program may ultimately help drive interest in graduate-level technical writing degrees and become a “pipeline” into those for-credit programs. 

“If our plans work out and we create a technical and professional writing master’s program down the road, we’re exploring whether we would be able to give credit toward that to people who have taken the certificate program,” Ernest said. “So you don’t want to water down the certificate program any.” 

“That means the academic content in this certificate is the real deal,” he added. 

Visit UD PCS’s Technical and Professional Writing Certificate home page to learn more.