Welcome to the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures
The department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures is the heart of and home for writing at Michigan State University. Across our initiatives, in the research and scholarship we pursue, and in the teaching and learning opportunities we offer, we emphasize curiosity, discovery, and the robust exchange of ideas along with attention to the importance of writing and communication—drawing across techniques and media, being attentive to audience and purpose, and sharing one’s ideas with the world.
If you have any questions about enrolling in Summer 2025 or Fall 2025 First-Year Writing courses (WRA 101 or WRA 195H), please see our frequently asked questions page.
The Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures (WRAC) offers:
- the first-year writing experience for most MSU students, which prepares students to leverage their experiences as writers and learners as assets for informing their ongoing development as writers
- an undergraduate major in Professional and Public Writing, which provides students experience in the writing and communication strategies crucial for academic, professional, and personal success in today’s digital world
- an interdisciplinary undergraduate major in Experience Architecture, which provides students experience in developing strategies for UX research, design, development of digital applications, project management, coding, writing, and digital rhetoric for success in digital and professional spaces
- a graduate program in Rhetoric and Writing, offering MA programs and a PhD, helping graduate students develop the intellectual, pedagogical, and professional skills to be activists and leaders in academic and beyond-academic careers
we offer
First-year writing experience
Our First-Year Writing courses are the core composition experience for most MSU students, which prepares students to leverage their experiences as writers and learners as assets for their ongoing development as writers.
Undergrad major in professional and public writing
The BA in Professional and Public Writing (P2W) provides students experience in the writing and communication strategies crucial for academic, professional, and personal success in today’s digital world.
Minor in Writing
The Minor in Writing gives students collaborative experiences and writing tools to become great leaders, advocates, and communicators at work and in public spaces. The minor helps students reach their professional goals in any number of careers or graduate programs.
undergrad major in Experience Architecture
The BA in Experience Architecture (XA) provides students experience in developing strategies for UX research, design, development of digital applications, project management, coding, and writing for success in digital and professional spaces.
graduate program in Rhetoric and Writing
Our MA programs and our PhD program support graduate students develop the intellectual, pedagogical, and professional skills to be activists and leaders in academic and beyond-academic careers.
2019 Professional Writing Student of the Year
Emily Jenkins
2018 Professional and Public Writing
2018 Experience Architecture Student of the Year
Ashton Keys
2019 Experience Architecture
“This program has given me so much—the skills and tools to feel like I can enter the workplace at an advantage and people who I can count on along the way.”
SOPHIE SCHMIDT
Professional and Public Writing Alum
The Student Experience: Professional AND Public Writing Major
A quick look at the Bachelor of Arts in Professional and Pubic Writing (P2W) degree at Michigan State University, featuring P2W students, faculty, and alumni.
Spartan Strong: The Strength to Overcome Cancer
Justin Alexander (Experience Architecture ’20) was the picture of health. A baseball player and quarterback of his high school football team, there was no reason to be overly concerned when he developed a persistent cough. So it came as a shock when he first heard he had Hodgkin’s lymphoma, life as he knew it was placed on hold.
featured stories
Experience Architecture Students Awarded for Creating MSU’s First 24-Hour Designathon
A group of Experience Architecture (XA) students who organized the first-ever MSU Designathon received the Emerging Student Organization Award at the 24th Annual Student Leadership Excellence Awards Reception, sponsored by the MSU Office of Spartan Experiences in the Division of Student Affairs. The Emerging Student Organization Award is presented yearly to a newly formed student organization for outstanding efforts and achievement during its first year. The MSU Designathon, held March 22-23, 2025, was Michigan State University’s first-ever 24-hour design sprint. More than 130 students from 10 universities participated in this event, which allowed students of all majors and skill
“Creative Impact”: Honors Students Explore Social Justice through Art and Activism
At the end of fall semester 2024, Honors College students in WRA 291H, Understanding Impacts: Addressing Inequity to Create Social Justice, showcased their semester-long work in an inspiring exhibition titled Creative Impact. The event highlighted students’ creative responses to social justice issues, collaboratively developed through coursework and community engagement in the Greater Lansing area. The Course Led by Professor Nancy DeJoy and Graduate Assistant Sophia Maggio, the course was designed to help students explore the intersections of creativity, social justice, and community-engaged research. Students worked directly with local nonprofits while using creative practices to reflect on their experiences and
Interdisciplinary Humanities Major Chosen to Deliver Spring 2025 Commencement Speech
Long before she applied to be the College of Arts & Letters’ 2025 commencement speaker, Lexi Lake had begun writing her speech. “I want to shout from the rooftops how glad I am to be a Spartan,” she said. “I just have all this love and adoration for the university.” Her speech, titled “What It Means to Go Green,” will reflect on the Class of 2025’s shared experiences and resilience. “Wherever we go in life, whatever we do, we’re always going to have Michigan State,” Lake said. “We’re always going to hold that title of alum.” Finding a Path