by our College Data Analytics TeamStudying Professional, Technical, Business, & Scientific Writing covers Professional, Technical, Business, And Scientific Writing. A Program That Focuses On Professional, Technical, Business, And Scientific Writing; And That Prepares Individuals For Academic Positions Or For Professional Careers As Writers, Editors, Researchers, And Related Careers In Business, Government, Non-Profits, And The Professions. Includes Instruction In Theories Of Rhetoric, Writing, And Digital Literacy; Document Design, Production, And Management; Visual Rhetoric And Multimedia Composition; Documentation Development; Usability Testing; Web Writing; And Publishing In Print And Electronic Media. Examples: [Biomedical Writing], [Medical Writing], [Professional, Technical, And Scientific Writing/communication]. Continue reading for the essential details every professional, technical, business, & scientific writing major should know — including career paths, salary data, the skills you will develop, and the best colleges offering professional, technical, business, & scientific writing programs.
Across the country, professional, technical, business, & scientific writing is a widely-pursued major, with 2,835 degrees awarded annually.
Our 2026 Best Professional, Technical, Business, & Scientific Writing Schools ranking analyzes these 159 schools to determine the best overall colleges for professional, technical, business, & scientific writing students. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of professional, technical, business, & scientific writing programs later in this article.
Coursework for Professional, Technical, Business, & Scientific Writing develop a specific mix of skills, knowledge, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in the occupations professional, technical, business, & scientific writing graduates commonly enter.
The skill set developed in a professional, technical, business, & scientific writing program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:
Based on O*NET data, a professional, technical, business, & scientific writing major emphasizes the following knowledge areas:
There are several professional, technical, business, & scientific writing degree levels. The table below shows the typical length of the most common levels, and how many graduates earn each one.
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Varies | 15 |
| Associate Degree | 2 years | 9 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 4 years | 640 |
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 2,138 |
| Doctorate | At least 4 years | 31 |
People currently working in careers related to professional, technical, business, & scientific writing tend to have obtained the following education levels.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Doctoral degree | 35.9% |
| Master’s degree | 20.6% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 14.2% |
| Some college courses | 8.8% |
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 8.8% |
| Less than a high school diploma | 7.1% |
| Postsecondary certificate | 1.4% |
| First professional degree | 0.8% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 0.8% |
| Post-master’s certificate | 0.8% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 0.5% |
| Post-doctoral training | 0.2% |
See the chart below to get an idea of what level of education most of those in professional, technical, business, & scientific writing careers hold.
Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*
Studying professional, technical, business, & scientific writing can lead to a variety of career paths. These are some of the most common occupations related to professional, technical, business, & scientific writing.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to professional, technical, business, & scientific writing.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,273,615 | 14.3% |
| Postsecondary Teachers, All Other | 964,215 | -0.1% |
| Technical Writers | 396,969 | 6.9% |
| Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers | 175,767 | 9.1% |
| Writers and Authors | 155,629 | -4.3% |
| Editors | 11,763 | 3.2% |
The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of professional, technical, business, & scientific writing graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow as graduates gain experience.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $34,712 |
| 4 years | $44,745 |
| 5 years | $51,958 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.
Salaries for professional, technical, business, & scientific writing graduates vary widely by occupation. The following table shows the top highest-paying careers professional, technical, business, & scientific writing grads often go into.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Editors | $100,346 |
| English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | $88,437 |
| Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers | $70,619 |
| Postsecondary Teachers, All Other | $68,967 |
| Writers and Authors | $63,195 |
| Technical Writers | $52,099 |
With 159 different professional, technical, business, & scientific writing programs to choose from, finding the best fit can be a challenge. We have analyzed these schools to produce unbiased professional, technical, business, & scientific writing school rankings to help you.
Students interested in professional, technical, business, & scientific writing, you may also want to explore other closely related fields of study within the same broad area.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Creative Writing | 7,423 |
| Rhetoric and Composition | 1,400 |
| Writing, General | 765 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies, Other | 446 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
