General Advising FAQs

PW Advising Resources

• PW General Advising (see below)

• Writing & Rhetoric Minor

• Professional Writing Major

• MQPs

If you still have questions after consulting these resources, contact WPI Academic Advising or your PW Advisor.

General Advising FAQs

How does my coursework count toward the WR minor and/or PW major’s requirements?

For questions related to your overall WPI coursework and progress towards the PW major:

• Contact Academic Advising.
• Fill out the “Professional Writing Major Program Tracking Sheet.“

I have more specific questions about how my coursework counts towards the WR minor and/or PW major requirement.

• WR Minors:
  • First, consult the “Writing & Rhetoric Minor” page, and the “Writing & Rhetoric Minor FAQs” page.
  • If you still have a question after consulting those resources, contact your PW Advisor.
  • Fill out the “Writing & Rhetoric Minor” planning sheet. When you contact your PW advisor, submit this document along with your specific advising questions.
• PW Majors:
  • First, consult the “Professional Writing Major” page, and the “Professional Writing Major FAQs” page. For MQP-related questions, consult the “MQPs” page and the “MQP Resources and FAQs” page.
  • If you still have a question after consulting those resources, contact your PW Advisor.
  • Fill out the “PW Major Checklist.” When you contact your PW advisor, submit this document along with your specific advising questions.

For any of the above documents, you must include specific course names and specific academic terms.

• Example: Instead of “PSY 2501,” write “PSY 2501 Music and Mind”
• Example: Instead of “22,” write “A22” for an A-term course in 2022.

Documents that do not include specific course names and/or specific academic terms will be returned for revision. Once this information has been provided, PW advising can proceed (see below).

PW Terminology

What is the difference between the terms “WR courses” and “PW electives”?

Professional Writing majors are required to take a certain combination and number of WR courses as part of their core WR coursework requirement. Likewise, Writing & Rhetoric minors are required to take different combination and number of WR courses as part of their WR coursework requirement.

In General: When we refer to “WR courses,” we mean courses located in the Professional Writing program and taught by the core Professional Writing faculty. The Professional Writing program’s courses are listed as “WR” courses in the WPI catalog (e.g., WR1011, WR4111).

For PW majors:

• When we refer to “core WR coursework,” we mean:
  • “WR” courses in the WPI catalog (e.g., WR1011, WR4111)
  • HU3900s and HU3910s taught by the core Professional Writing faculty.
• When we refer to “PW electives,” we mean courses that substantively further your depth in communication and thus qualify as electives towards your Professional Writing major. In other words, the “PW” in “PW electives” is referring to the “Professional Writing major.” Pre-approved PW electives include:
  • “WR” courses in the WPI catalog (e.g., WR1011, WR4111)
  • HU3900s and HU3910s taught by the core Professional Writing faculty.
  • Courses listed in Section B of the WPI Professional Writing Program Tracking Sheet

What is the difference between the terms “PW major” and “WR minor”? 

“PW major” means the “Professional Writing major” that the Professional Writing program offers. We also use this to refer to the students who are majoring in Professional Writing (e.g., “They are a PW major”).

“WR minors” means the “Writing & Rhetoric minor” that the Professional Writing program offers. We also use this to refer to the students who are minoring in Writing & Rhetoric (e.g., “They are a WR minor”).

Admittedly, these terms could create some confusion (“PW major” & “PW electives”; “WR courses” & “WR minors”). If you’re confused about anything, just ask your PW advisor or a PW faculty member.