College Majors & Coursework


Majors

BIS: Professional Writing & Communications
George Mason University, expected Spring 2025
Certificate: Web Design & Development
Parkland College, 2005

Coursework

George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

ENGH 489: Proposal Writing & Development
Provides foundation in the skills and knowledge required to effectively create proposals for various types of organizations. Emphasizes best practices in management, presentation, and research skills necessary to find funding, manage proposal efforts, and build relationships with funders. Reviews editing, concision, and technical writing skills required for proposal writers.
ENGH 388: Professional & Technical Writing
Intensive study and practice in various forms of professional and technical writing, including proposals, reports, instructions, news releases, white papers, and correspondence. Emphasizes writing for variety of audiences, both lay and informed, and writing within various professional and organizational contexts.
COMM 320: Business & Professional Communication
Study of basic theories and skills of communication in professional contexts, including interviewing, relationship maintenance, small group teams, and public presentations. Emphasizes developing practical and critical thinking skills.
COMM 384: Public Relations And Social Media
Students engage in social media research and analysis, examine best practices for designing effective campaigns, understand the conditions that create viral media, implement a personal branding strategy, and gain experience in strategic content creation by writing and executing a team-based social media campaign.
COMM 303: Writing Across The Media
This course covers journalistic writing techniques for media platforms in wide use today. Students examine basic story structures and practice writing informative stories using those structures. The course emphasizes journalistic writing, yet it is appropriate for non-journalism students who seek to sharpen their writing skills in nonfiction sectors of the media industry.
INTS 331: The Nonprofit Sector
Readings, classroom discussions and activities, and practical experience reveal historical, legal, and socioeconomic forces that define and influence the American nonprofit sector. Explores structures, issues that affect nonprofit management, governing, and financial systems.
INTS 431: Principles of Fundraising
Examines history of philanthropy and public policy, and the economic and legal frameworks that shape it. Combining theory and practice, students study human behavior, communications, and management systems that are hallmarks of successful fund raising, and begin to develop skills to generate donations, foundation grants, and other unearned revenue for a nonprofit organization.
ENGH 375: Web Authorship & Design
Provides a rhetorical foundation for web authoring and design in professional settings. Students will learn basic principles of writing for the web, information architecture, coding for accessibility, and usability testing. The production-oriented component of the course provides instruction in writing valid code and practice with web- and graphic-editing software tools.
AVT 311:Graphic Design Methods And Principles
Emphasis on developing design solutions requiring demographic, historical, and/or cultural research. Course strengthens design and typography skills, introduces conceptual problem solving, audience considerations, and broad-based tools designers use to develop effective visual communication solutions.
AVT 215:Typography
Introduction to history and use of type. Reading and projects develop awareness of type as a linguistic and visual communication tool. Introduces typographic design elements, including color, hierarchy, integration with imagery, structure, and content.
ENGH 302: Advanced Composition
Intensive practice in writing and analyzing expository forms such as essay, article, proposal, and technical or scientific reports with emphasis on research related to student's major field.
PHIL 112: Ethics & Cybersociety
Examines ethical issues associated with new developments in information technology, including privacy rights, intellectual property rights, and the effect of information technology on society.

Northern Virginia Community College, Manassas, VA

MKT 221: Public Relations
Introduces public relations as a marketing activity and focuses on media relations, publicity, strategic planning, public relations research, communication with multiple audiences, and the elements of an effective public relations campaign to influence public opinion. Equips students with the basic skills for writing publicity materials and coordinating public relations campaigns and media kits. This course applies basic writing and communication skills to the principles of public relations.
ART 140: Introduction To Graphic Skills
Teaches basic studio skills and concepts. Emphasizes concept development and problem solving using traditional art materials and computer techniques. Uses current graphic software applications.
ITE 115: Introduction To Computing
Covers computer concepts and internet skills, and uses a software suite which includes word processing, spreadsheet, database, and presentation software to demonstrate skills.

Parkland College, Champaign, IL

CSC 175: Javascript Development
Basic programming skills using the JavaScript language to enhance websites; developing JavaScript applications and utilities; and gaining a deeper understanding of web development techniques.
GDS 110: Typography
Introduces digital software from a graphic design perspective. Digital Design Studio will teach students industry standard software proficiencies in Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop.
CIS 152: Web Design & Development
Basic skills for creating websites covering a range of topics from HTML and CSS to basic usage of common design patterns and web frameworks. Covers use of common tooling and online resources for building websites.
CSC 110: Beginning HTML
This course examines how developers are utilizing the World Wide Web for educational, entertainment, and business purposes and considers the inherent technical, legal, ethical, and professional implications.It is intended to provide students with the basic knowledge and skills needed to create and evaluate effective web sites.
MKT 101: Introduction to Marketing
Managerial process (planning, organizing, leading, and controlling) essential to the successful operation of various types of businesses. Student learns the steps necessary to become an effective manager. Discussion of managerial challenges in today's workplace.
ART 121: 2D Design and Color
Foundation course in two dimensional design principles: unity, variety, balance, movement, emphasis, proportion, and space. Exploration of different compositional strategies in a variety of media. Examination of the creative process: design research, ideation, production, evaluation, and revision.
ART 122: Drawing I
Skill-oriented beginning representational drawing. Visualizing and basic drawing construction, pathologies of drawing; linear perspective; presentation; elements of line, shape, value, and volume.
MAT 108: Introduction to Applied Statistics
Basic statistical principles, graphic presentation, descriptive measures of central tendency, dispersion and location, inferential statistics and hypothesis testing, analysis and inference of linear correlation coefficient, and slope of regression line.