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
College of Arts & Letters Students Earn First-Place Awards at UURAF
Nine MSU students whose primary majors are in the College of Art & Letters received first-place awards for their research and creative scholarship presented at Michigan State University’s 27th Annual University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF). The 2025 UURAF, held both in person at the Breslin Student Events Center and online on April 11, consisted of more than 900 presentations in 37 different subject areas made by more than 1,100 MSU students who were mentored by more than 700 faculty, staff, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, and government/industry partners. Held each spring, UURAF provides an opportunity for MSU undergraduate students
Spring 2025 College Graduates Receive Board of Trustees Awards for Perfect 4.0 GPAs
Twelve College of Arts & Letters students who are graduating in Spring 2025 have earned Board of Trustees Awards for having maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average during their undergraduate education. These students are among the 271 graduating from MSU in Spring 2025 with a 4.0 GPA, the highest scholastic average one can attain at the end of their undergraduate career at Michigan State University. The MSU Board of Trustees recognized the achievement of these graduating seniors during its April 11 meeting. To be eligible for the Board of Trustees Award, at least three-fourths of the credits for
Ph.D. Student Receives Prestigious Future Leaders Scholarship
Nicole Koyuki Golden, Ph.D. student in Writing and Rhetoric and Graduate Assistant Director of The Writing Center at Michigan State University, was awarded the International Writing Centers Association (IWCA) Future Leaders Scholarship in recognition of her significant contributions to the writing center community and her potential as a leader in the field of writing studies. “I was honored to be selected for the award alongside several other phenomenal writing center leaders,” Golden said. “I deeply appreciate the recognition of my efforts in writing center contexts, and I hope to continue to push writing center studies to enact justice and