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.
Projects from 2026
Songs of a Phoenix, Rachel Bradley
Crossing the Line, Courtney M. Chester
Parallels, Christiana Cooper
The World of Magic Suite: The Emergence of a Light Novelist, Frederick A. Drayton The Third
Life Story Work with a Person Living with Dementia: From Theory to Practice in the Informal Setting, Laura M. Fortenberry Ms
Ordinary and Out of Reach, Marianna G. Gibson
Greenwood Pilot, Jazmyne Hambrick
Through Darkness into Light, Jordyn Hatten
Don’t Frankenstein Your Stories (and Other Oh-So-Practical Advice for Novelists), Elizabeth A. Hill
Depths of Power, Savannah A. Jackson
Lights of Magic: A Contemporary YA Fantasy Novel, Vanessa R. Martin
app-uh-latch-uh, Sarah B. Moore
In Too Deep, Sydnee Newsome
The Weight of Knowing: Of Aura and Void, Veronica M. Perez
An Ecology of the Monstrous: How Readers Shape and Are Shaped by Monster Romance, Allison D. Rayburn
The Last Day, CHESLEY L. RICHARDS
Documenting Sustainable Social Media Workflows: Supporting Student Professionalization in Faculty-Student Teams, Jenny Rissen
Ghosts of the Resistance, Blake Sydnor
Dead Trees & Etz Chaim: A Messianic Jewish autoethnographic reflective poetry chapbook, Mark Trager
This is What Happens, Tiffany Wells
Projects from 2025
1322.house, Linette Andrea
All in the Family: Truths from a Broken Home, Susan Asher
How to Be Unique: A Guide to The Law School Admissions Process, Abigail E. Bjerke
What We Don't Say Out Loud, Antwan Bowen
Between Prompt and Page: Writing, Reflection, and The Rise of A.I. Collaboration, Mallory Bowen
Bottoms Up, Beowulf, Nikki Branum
"Open When...": A Fiction Book, Kendall Chamberlain
An Ode to Keats, Makaylah J. Chambers
The Twelve Steps of Emily, Emily Chick
The Past, Present, and Future of Janerra Copeland and Poetry, Janerra Ladaria Copeland
Nightmares, Change, and Motivation: MAPW Portfolio, Emily Crocker
Negotiation, Expression, and Microlanguage: The Processes of Student Welfare and Identity in High School English Language Arts Classrooms, Jencarlos Feliciano-Ponce
Complicated Heroines: An Exploration of Antiheroes, Brittany Files
Girl, You Crazy, Stefani T. Flanagan
Research Reimagined: The Dissertation-to-Book Journey and Building a Scholar-to-Author Presence, Seema Kumar
Just Another Single Father, Krisstofer Marshall
Hymns of the Inanimate, Jessica McLeod-Waddell
Silver Star: The Superheroine Love of My Life, Primo C. Murillo Jr.
I Am What I Read: Exploring the Importance of African American Representation in Children’s Literature, Alexandria Myrick
Things We Baked Together, Karah N. Nance
Superior to Something, Walter Parker
Void and Other Stories, Savanna Stewart
Moon Fall, Marisa Vilardi
Even Through the Pine Shade, Heather Voraphongphibul
Observations in Writing, Education, and the Internet in the AI Era, Jacob Westberry
The Everyday Scientist: Down in the Weeds in the Heart of the South, Pamela Zendt
Projects from 2024
Fostering AI Literacies in the Composition Classroom: A Mixed-Methods Study, James Blakely II
The Killer's Quadrant, Laura Bonilla
Manuscript of The Tilian Chronicles, Elliot Brozovsky
If Only, Cherish Collins
Visions of Inclusivity: A Screenplay Focusing on Women, Sexism and Film During the 1990s, ABIGAIL HAYMAN
The Unseen Pen: The Hidden History of Black Women Writers During the Civil Rights Movement, Serenity Hill
Regional Theatre, Justin Kalin
Implementing Writing Activities in a Postsecondary Tutoring Program for Students with Intellectual Disabilities, Milya Maxfield
Georgia Ghosts: History, Folklore, and the Roots of the Southern Gothic, Katherine M. McDowell
That's Life, John Menechino
Built for Two, David Miller
Diversity and Inclusivity in the First-Year Composition Classroom, Emily Morris
The Farm, Justin Morris
Supporting KSU English Instructors in Meeting the Access Needs of Deaf and Hard and Hearing Students, Kris Roberson
The Oak Springs Biker, Sarah Rogers
Inclusive Publishing Strategies for Journal Staff and Prospective Authors in the Digital Humanities, Rachel Schrauben Yeates
The Seeds That Carried, Hannah E. Shearer
The Echoes of Autumnal Guilt: The Art of Interactive Storytelling, Olivia Subero
Birthday Girl, MaKayla Tappin
Hustle & Flow: Pitching and Writing to Great Success, Charles Thomas
Some Rhythm, Some Blues, Kapri Washington
Capstones from 2023
The Exile's War, Stephen Edwards Arnold
GEORGIA, Lesley Brian Bargo
Reality Check, Jaime Blei
HIRING UX WRITERS FOR CONTENT STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT AND CONTENT MANAGEMENT IN START-UP BUSINESSES, Josie Carter
Universal Background Generator 2.0, Konrad Drapela
DESIGNWRITE: A Professional Editing Website, Jerrie Fillion
Beyond Words: An Exploration of Research and Writing for Indigenous Land Acknowledgements, Oksana Flores
Vinyle zine: The Execution of the Pedagogy of Pro-Blackness, Kandice Fowlkes
EnsleyEdits: Creating a Style Resource for Professional Writers, Ensley Fraschillo
City of Ruins, Elise Good
Conversations I've Never Had, Rebecca Graham
Six Stories: Short Fiction from Contemporary Life, Richard Grant
The Invisibles of the Civil Rights Movement: Uncovering the Unseen Changemakers, John Greene
Big Screen Heroes with Paper Voices: A Superhero Adaptation Research Essay, Zachary Green
Mer: An Audio Drama, Angelica Guilbeaux
High Impact Practices in First Year Composition Courses, Haley Hamilton
It's a Fine Line, Janika Jackson
Demon's Run (Part 1), Zack Loehle
Smoke and Mirrors, Adara London
Frontlines, Sarah Packer
Wronged Women: A Foray into the Wronged Woman's Mind, Suzanna Poole
Thunderfort, Lever Stewart
Orion's Run, Bonnie Wakefield
Those Living in the Shadow of Death: A Short Story Cycle, Hope Walker
Capstones from 2022
Wildwater, Will Amato
Dark Legends, Aneka Bailey
REFLECTIONS, Kiera Baity
Miss Hartwright's Most Terrifying Tale: A Novel, Kevin Bomely
Key Steps and Strategies for Successful Revision in First-Year Composition, Maura Bowden
All the Clawed Feet of Winged Gods, Samantha Casto