The Master of Arts in Professional Writing program (MAPW) is a professional graduate degree program that prepares candidates for a wide variety of writing-related positions in business, education, publishing, and the arts. Coursework in three concentrations applied writing, composition and rhetoric, and creative writing allows students to gain theoretical and practical knowledge in various fields of professional writing. As students become experienced in producing and analyzing business, technical, journalistic, and creative texts, they develop a sophisticated understanding of style, structure, and audience. MAPW students will become writing professionals who can move in many directions during their careers. They will become flexible writers who can tune in to the writing conventions of a given genre, adapting their writing style to the requirements of various rhetorical contexts.

What is the MAPW Capstone Project?
A project designated as a thesis, portfolio or practicum and accompanied by a rationale for its purpose and design that involves electronic and/or print media and is relevant to the student’s concentration in professional writing. After submitting an approved capstone proposal, the candidate works under the direction and advice of two faculty members to produce the project. The candidate must submit the capstone project at least two weeks before either 1) a discussion about the project with the faculty committee, or 2) a public presentation about the project or a reading from the project for an audience of faculty and peers.

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Capstones from 2023

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The Exile's War, Stephen Edwards Arnold

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GEORGIA, Lesley Brian Bargo

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Reality Check, Jaime Blei

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HIRING UX WRITERS FOR CONTENT STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT AND CONTENT MANAGEMENT IN START-UP BUSINESSES, Josie Carter

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Universal Background Generator 2.0, Konrad Drapela

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DESIGNWRITE: A Professional Editing Website, Jerrie Fillion

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Beyond Words: An Exploration of Research and Writing for Indigenous Land Acknowledgements, Oksana Flores

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Vinyle zine: The Execution of the Pedagogy of Pro-Blackness, Kandice Fowlkes

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EnsleyEdits: Creating a Style Resource for Professional Writers, Ensley Fraschillo

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City of Ruins, Elise Good

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Conversations I've Never Had, Rebecca Graham

Six Stories: Short Fiction from Contemporary Life, Richard Grant

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The Invisibles of the Civil Rights Movement: Uncovering the Unseen Changemakers, John Greene

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Big Screen Heroes with Paper Voices: A Superhero Adaptation Research Essay, Zachary Green

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Mer: An Audio Drama, Angelica Guilbeaux

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High Impact Practices in First Year Composition Courses, Haley Hamilton

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It's a Fine Line, Janika Jackson

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Demon's Run (Part 1), Zack Loehle

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Smoke and Mirrors, Adara London

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It’s A Business, Remember? How a History of Major League Blunders Killed the National Pastime, and On Baseball’s Future as a Cultural Artifact and Global Sport, Rinn Norman

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Frontlines, Sarah Packer

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Wronged Women: A Foray into the Wronged Woman's Mind, Suzanna Poole

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Thunderfort, Lever Stewart

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Orion's Run, Bonnie Wakefield

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Those Living in the Shadow of Death: A Short Story Cycle, Hope Walker

Capstones from 2022

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Wildwater, Will Amato

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Dark Legends, Aneka Bailey

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REFLECTIONS, Kiera Baity

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Miss Hartwright's Most Terrifying Tale: A Novel, Kevin Bomely

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Key Steps and Strategies for Successful Revision in First-Year Composition, Maura Bowden

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All the Clawed Feet of Winged Gods, Samantha Casto

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Toward a More Humane Public Policy: How the Humanities Can, and Should, Inform the Creation and Analysis of Public Policy, Eric Celler

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Courier of Souls, Brian Cochran

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LOVE IN THE OORT CLOUD, Rebecca Connelly

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Midnight Tarot Pulls, Fern Conte

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A Wellbeing@KSU Journey: MAPW Portfolio, Meghan Cooper

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Shout Me Home, Tyra Douyon

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A Year Underwater: A Collection of Essays, Victoria Fontenot

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The Cycle of Book Publishing through a Queer Lens, Aly Gilmore

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The Progression of African American Representation in Film and Television, Kyra Hammond

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Queering Composition: A Language for LGBTQIA+ Perspectives in First-Year Writing Instruction, Ian Hatcher

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What Made the Writer Emerge?, Jasmine Jones

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Spelmanite Soldiers, Kiahna Kuykendall

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Digital Storytelling in Higher Education: An Analysis of Production Practices, Meagan Lowney

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Tiptoeing through the Tulips at Seventy: A Memoir, Fran Miele

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The Wishgrant, Mezi Mulugeta

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The Genre Writer's Portfolio, John Nelson

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Batter: A Creative Writing Portfolio, Hannah Newman

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Unclean and Unforgivable, Cindy Pope

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Breaking the Silence: Forgotten Stories in the Mental Health Field, Crystal Wilkins

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With the Screenwriter's Pen: An Analysis of the Representation of Gifted Children in the Family Film, Sarah Williams

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Finding Their Chrysanthemum: Linguistic Representation in Children's Literature, Marielena Zajac

Capstones from 2021

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Lucy’s Secret: An Interactive Narrative About Parental Alcoholism From A Child’s Perspective, Katie Allran

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Writing Strong Fiction: Influences of Point of View on Character, Ime Atakpa

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Holly Springs, Virginia: Narratives for a Short-Story Cycle, Ronald B. Baldwin

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Phantom, Ashley Banks

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Blue Amber, Denise Boivin-Iassogna

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Video for All: An Argument Towards Standardization Of Video Production Practices and Research, Kelley Bostian

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La Bodega: Junior's Story, Rashaan Canady

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Life in the Second Youth, Donna Cochran

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COVID-19's Impact on Communication Practices in the Animal Welfare Nonprofit Sector, Tiffany M. Davis

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Remote Working During the Pandemic: MAPW Graduates in the Workforce, Jordan Dollar

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Student-Perceived Inclusivity in the FYC Classroom: Embracing Multilingualism, Melinda Grant

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A Black Southern Woman’s Perspective on Literature, Culture, & Identity: A Portfolio of Creative Nonfiction and Academic Writing, Jonquil Harris

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A Pin-up’s Guide to Traveling Like a Local: A Series, Annedra Utley Herring

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Home, Kandace James

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Falling Star, Miro Jefferis-Nendick

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The Seventh Plateau, Willie Lawson

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Black Lens, Dominic Ligon

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Peaks and Valleys: The Life and Legacy of Carleton Watkins, Danny Madore

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The Lies They Hold, Sherrie Morgan

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WHAT IS DONE IN THE DARK WILL COME TO LIGHT: A NOVELLA, Giselle Reid

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Query into Queer: A Creative and Analytical Examination of LGBTQ+ Experiences, Peyton Sibert

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Understanding Community and Engagement in Synchronous Online Writing Instruction, Conner Sutton

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MAPW Portfolio, Arlene White