When I was first looking into Grand Canyon University and the BA in Professional Writing for New Media degree, I had a lot of questions about classes, workload, professors, projects and whether the program would actually prepare me for a career after graduation. If you’re anything like I was, you’re probably scrolling through websites, reading program descriptions and trying to picture what day-to-day life as a professional writing student really looks like.

In this post, I’ll answer the most common questions I get about my experience at GCU in the professional writing program — from what the coursework is like to how flexible the program feels, to what surprised me the most and what I wish I had known before starting.

Everything here is based on my own experience as a GCU student and my goal is to give you a clear, honest look at what it’s actually like, beyond the brochure and website descriptions. Whether you’re thinking about applying, just starting the program or simply curious, I hope my answers help you feel more confident and informed as you consider your next step.

My GCU degree is the BA in Professional Writing for New Media and it’s designed for students who enjoy writing, editing, want to make an impact and are looking to turn communication skills into a professional career.

Before choosing this degree, I explored many possible paths, from healthcare to law to education, because it was important to me to find something that felt both fulfilling and impactful. What I eventually realized was that writing had always been part of my life, even if I hadn’t seen it as a career option first.

"I have been a writer my entire life, from writing short stories in my bedroom as a preteen to finishing my first novel this year in my twenties. It was very important to me not only to choose something that I enjoyed, but something that would leave an impact on the world or the lives of those around me in a positive way."
— Isabel Maguire, BA in Professional Writing for New Media, 2026 Graduate

If you are even a little bit interested in crafting good writing, I would highly suggest this major. 

The Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing for New Media is different from most bachelor’s degrees at GCU because it’s not required that you know exactly what type of writing you want to make into a career. Throughout the program, you will take classes in grant writing, technical writing, advertising and copywriting and even scientific writing, among others (does not include creative writing). These different courses allow you to explore different professional writing styles, discover what type of work you enjoy most and build a well-rounded skill set before committing to a specific career path. 

The professional writing degree offered me many opportunities to gain skills that can be helpful for any future career. Some key skills I learned in the professional writing major are:

Public Relations and Communications Strategies

Public relations (PR) is a very important part of professional writing, but I feel like most students, like me, don’t know what it is when they first start out. One of the classes I took was a “fundamentals of PR” class. In that class, we created press releases, social media promotions, fact sheets and email templates.

The fun part about PR in marketing and advertising is that anyone can use it. So, if you want to get a job in sports management or with a corporate company, the skills you learn can be very helpful. Every single company needs to market itself to popular audiences, whether it be to gain sponsorship, sell something or promote its skills or talents.

PR isn’t only about promoting other people. It can also teach you how to promote yourself professionally. 

Fundamentals of Writing Breaking News and Feature Stories

Breaking news and feature stories are so important in the writing field. Think about how we get our news today; we typically find it online in news stories. Writing a story like this is important because it is based on real people and real events. This isn’t a fiction story where it doesn’t matter as much if the facts don’t completely line up. 

Because of this, many rules go into writing something like this. From the first day in my first journalism class, I learned about the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Code of Ethics. This is a set of professional guidelines to help journalists make ethical decisions and maintain public trust, by reporting and writing accurate, fair and thorough information.

Crafting Multimedia Content

The BA in Professional Writing for New Media includes the new media for a reason, and that reason is multimedia creation. There are various classes that explore different types of advertising, digital design, social media posts and others.

Throughout my program, I learned to focus less on mastering a single tool and more on learning how to adapt my writing and communication skills across evolving digital platforms, which can help me prepare for careers in writing, marketing, media, content strategy and related fields.

Even in these classes, you need to be able to draft a good caption that will draw in a specific audience, which means that you may use writing even if you don’t want to go into something specifically labeled as a professional writing career. 

Building a Professional Resume and Career Preparation

One of the things I really appreciate about the bachelor's in professional writing is how it emphasizes transferable skills that I can carry with me after graduation. Some of the career-focused things you learn are how to:

• Build a resume
• Create a visually appealing portfolio
• Use LinkedIn
• Reach out to future employers

I worked on a wide variety of hands-on writing projects across different courses in the professional writing program. Throughout the program, classes include practical assignments that introduce different styles of professional writing. One particular class that I remember enjoying is technical writing, which focuses on clear, straightforward how-to documents and instructions. Even though I quickly realized technical writing wasn’t for me, I really enjoyed the hands-on parts of the class. 

One assignment involved writing step-by-step instructions for a specific object and then having someone else follow them. It was a cool hands-on activity that showed me how the wording of even a simple instruction matters because even if you know exactly what you are talking about, it could come across differently to someone else.

Some other projects that I completed through the course of the program include:

• Short stories
• Poetry analysis
• Personal essay
• Long-form articles 

This professional writing degree has prepared me for a career by helping me build practical, transferable skills that apply across a wide range of career paths. I plan to pursue a career in English education and eventually teach English literature at the college level. While I could have chosen an education focused major, I wasn’t certain of my direction when I first applied to GCU, but the professional writing for new media program gave me room to figure that out. 

The program helped me develop writing skills I will carry into future classrooms, including presenting, interviewing and communicating confidently with others. I feel prepared to take these practical skills into whatever career path I choose next.

Testimonials From Other GCU Professional Writing Students

It isn’t just me who has benefited from this program in terms of future career plans. I asked a few of my classmates how professional writing has helped them develop skills they’ll carry into their own careers, and here’s what they shared.

“Now working for an organization where I write daily, I have seen the value of the writing program at GCU. The ability to take complete information and write it in layman’s terms is a skill that is highly useful in a lot of careers. Additionally, I’ve learned how to identify newsworthy or important information quickly from my time at GCU.”

— Leandra Wells, Professional Writing for New Media, 2026 graduate

"The professional writing program opened my eyes to a variety of writing techniques. Most noteworthy are adaptation and revision. This degree taught me how many different fields and professions need professional writing.” 

— Kate Webber, Professional Writing for New Media, 2027 graduate

“My professional writing classes have helped me become a more confident writer and speaker. I’ve learned to be comfortable even if I’m uncomfortable. I also have been able to improve my interviewing skills and learn more about what I want to do as a career.”

— Lydia Voxland, Professional Writing For New Media, 2026 graduate

My professor told us that AI should be used as a tool, not as a replacement for writing, and students are taught how to use it ethically and responsibly. The discussion of AI can be a sore subject for most writers. But with the growing popularity of AI programs such as ChatGPT and Copilot in schools, this is a discussion that needs to be had. 

My professors at GCU addressed AI head-on, explaining that AI tools are here to stay and should be used thoughtfully. Instead of fearing AI, the focus was on understanding its capabilities, limitations, and how to use it responsibly. 

The workload for professional writing students fluctuates. I would say it’s heavier than some majors, but not on the fact that there are a lot of assignments. It’s heavy because the assignments we have are more time-consuming, as there are a lot of writing projects and essays we have to do. But the nice thing about that is we break assignments down into parts. 

For example, in my reporting and newswriting class, we were working on a feature story for the entire semester, turning in bits of it at a time until the final. So, we turned in the beginning of our story and got feedback on it before turning in the full article. 

I highly suggest you start the assignments at least partway through the week, or you’ll  end up with three or more writing assignments to do on Sunday night. I can tell you I have personally done that way too many times, but toward the end of my program, I found a good schedule of starting the assignments earlier than I thought was necessary, so that the work was my best and not as rushed. 

If you need to work while going to school, I recommend a student worker position on campus. The flexible schedule gave me more time for homework while still allowing space for friends, and the work itself helped me build real writing skills in my field by editing blogs and writing devotionals in a professional internship-like setting.

I think one of the main pieces of advice I have for incoming students is to connect with those in your classes. Chances are you will see them again in many of your other classes. My goal for myself each semester, as a very introverted person who isn’t always comfortable meeting new people, was to get at least one contact of someone in each class in case I needed help on any assignments down the road. 

This usually turned into a friendship, especially since I sat next to them in every class. Don’t overthink it. People are more friendly than you may think. Remember, most of the students in your class are as nervous and new to college as you are, so help each other. 

Another tip is to get involved on campus in a club. GCU has the Write Here Write Now club, a student organization dedicated to practicing writing skills, sharing written work and bonding over a shared passion for the art.

The next thing I would say is to communicate well with your professors. They won’t know if you are struggling unless you tell them. They encourage open communication so they can help you find what works, instead of struggling through the entire semester. They are there to help you, so take advantage of that support. Communicating early also helps you build relationships with your professors, which can be especially valuable if you decide to apply to graduate school and need a letter of recommendation that reflects genuine knowledge of you. 

Lastly, enjoy your time at GCU. College goes by fast and even though schoolwork can seem hard at times, you’ll look back and realize how amazing that experience was. Enjoy every moment because the relationships you build and the skills you learn are what shape your later adult life.

Thank you so much for reading this far, and I sincerely hope this was helpful as you consider whether to pursue the BA in Professional Writing for New Media.