Writing & Publishing Career Success

Champlain Professional Writing Graduates Are Ready

No matter what type of writing you want to pursue, the Professional Writing program will prepare you with the skills, abilities, and perspectives to thrive as a writer in a multitude of careers.

Some graduates have continued their education with graduate school. Others have gone on to teach English, write about food and wine, edit books, and organize poetry readings.

Some of our past Professional Writing graduates are now:

  • freelance journalists
  • managing editors
  • magazine editors/publishers
  • technical writers
  • production assistants
  • content developers
  • copywriters
  • marketers
  • bloggers
  • social media writers
  • freelance writers

In addition to the extensive career-focused programs and support offered College-wide, each of Champlain's majors feature skill-building hands-on learning opportunities and other programs that help our students create highly marketable résumés. 

Highlights of the Professional Writing Program

  • All the Professional Writing faculty actively write and publish in their respective fields—an essential factor in keeping the program at the forefront of change.
  • In addition to a wide range of creative options, the Professional Writing program offers workplace-ready courses such as publishing, grant writing, copyediting, and technical writing.
  • All Professional Writing students take a sequence of portfolio classes that teach them how to create their own website and online portfolio, use social media to drive traffic to their site, develop professional contacts and working relationships, contact editors and publishers, navigate ethical and legal issues in the profession, and craft practical survival tools such as résumés, pitch letters, and business cards.
  • Professional Writing students typically take one or two internships over the course of their program, which gives them stellar experience for their résumés and valuable recommendations from employers.
  • Professional Writing students have studied in Tibet, Nepal, New Zealand, Israel, Italy, France, England, Spain, Australia, Portugal, Bosnia, and India. You also may spend a semester at Champlain's campuses in Dublin, Ireland, and Montreal, Canada.
  • Almost all of our students have had their work published or performed by graduation, many even begin earning money from writing or editing while still undergraduates. In fact, 88% of Professional Writing graduates in the Class of 2019 are employed or continuing their education within six months of graduating.
  • In the Professional Writing Capstone class seniors pick a topic of their choice to write about over their final semester, developing a piece of writing that is their stepping-stone to the workplace or to graduate school. Capstone projects have included writing a young adult novel, editing a travel writing anthology, creating a cookbook, crafting a graphic novel, and writing the business plan for a travel agency specifically for writers.

Recent Professional Writing graduates have accepted various positions, including: 

  • Amy Bennett Photography // Contributing Writer and Editorial Assistant // Burlington, VT
  • Portland Museum of Art // Philanthropy Assistant, Stewardship and Events // Portland, ME
  • Wareham Week // Reporter // Wareham, MA
  • Dealer.com // Copywriter // Burlington, VT
  • Mansfield Hall // Academic Coach Writing Specialist // Burlington, VT
  • New Breed // Content Marketing Specialist // Winooski, VT
  • Seven Days // Audience Engagement Specialist // Burlington, VT
  • SLS Consulting // SEO Copy Editor // Pasadena, CA