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Certificate in Business Writing (Online at your own pace)


Adult Enrichment / Business & Consumer -
Online Certificates and Courses 2025

Begin by understanding the format, construction, and successful techniques of writing good business reports and proposals. Improve your skills with editing and proofreading. Discover what good journalists know and learn how to write a news story, press release, or other publicity notice that stands out in the workplace. Enhance your career by mastering critical communication skills that will help you move forward and stand out in your organization.

Courses (click link for details):

  • Business Writing
  • Effective Copywriting
  • Writing News and Press Releases

Courses are online and asynchronous, meaning students may login to the classroom anytime during the course session, day or night, 24/7. For more information, go to our Online Professional Development Certificates & Courses FAQ


Class details:

Business Writing
Unit 1: Writing as a process
    Audience, Purpose, and Medium
    Outlining for Successful Writing
    Organization Models (Choosing a Model that Works)
    Principles of Business Communication
Unit 2: Written communication in the workplace
    Writing Reports (formal and informal)
    Drafting and Revision
    Writing the First Draft
Constructing Openings and Closings that Work
Unit 3: Writing a proposal
    Writing for Your Readers
    Writing Effective Content
    Safeguarding Users
    Ethical Considerations
Unit 4: Collaborative writing and research
    Research and Team Writing
    Collaborating Across Departments
    Working Through Conflict
Effective Copywriting
Unit 1: Copywriting essentials
    How to tell the difference between bad copy and good copy
    The art of the perfect sentence
    Developing your message
    Crafting your document roadmap
    Adapting your style to the audience and message
Unit 2: Getting to the point
    Clarity and brevity: Less is more
    Active vs. Passive Voice
    Cutting the clutter
    Using concrete examples and avoiding unwarranted superlatives
Unit 3: Self Editing
    Leaving yourself time for revisions
    Avoiding common grammar mistakes and punctuation pitfalls
    Subject, verb and object agreement
    Fact checking
    The benefits of having an in-house style guide
Unit 4: Creating attention-grabbing press releases
    Writing benefit-driven copy
    Setting the right tone
    Language to use and language to avoid
    Writing a great headline
Writing News and Press Releases
Unit 1: The skills good journalists have
    What journalists know how to do
    How to think like your audience
    Kinds of publicity notices
    Keys to successful publicity notices
Unit 2: Writing a good news story
    The inverted pyramid
    The 5 Ws and H
    How not to bury the lead
    Writing a good headline for your story
Unit 3: Creating the successful press release
    The press release format
    Quotes, how many to use, who to quote and how
    How and where to highlight your organization and contact
    Avoiding the direct sales pitch
Unit 4: Distributing your press release
    Targeting media, journalists and audiences
    Email press releases
    Print press releases
    Getting attention
Instructor

William A Draves


William A. Draves is one of the foremost authorities in the world on teaching online. More than 6,000 faculty and teachers have taken this course. He did his graduate work in education, with an emphasis on adult education, from The George Washington University in Washington DC.

Draves has taught for over thirty years, including teaching at the graduate level. His books include "How to Teach Adults," the most popular book ever written on the subject, and "Energizing the Learning Environment."

He has been interviewed by Wired.com, The New York Times, NPR, NBC Nightly News, Washington Post, Virtual University News, Chronicle of Higher Education and other national media.

Draves is author of the book, "Advanced Teaching Online," which is used as the text book for this course. This course is part of the Certified Online Instructor (COI) designation, the most recognized certification for online teaching in higher education.

Dionne (Dee) Felix


Dionne (Dee) Felix is an experienced educator, mentor, and presenter with experience in instruction, course development, and face-to-face and online education. Dee has conducted highly engaging workshops in business writing, education, and faculty and professional development. She has helped traditional and non-traditional learners transform their approach to, and success in, writing. Dee currently teaches in higher education, both the English and Education disciplines.

Kathryn Lynch-Morin


Kathryn Lynch-Morin is a professional writer, editor and content curator. She specializes in social media, content creation and inbound marketing as project coordinator for a national organization. She also spent five years working for Michigan’s largest news and information source, MLive.com, where she won a number of awards for her writing and reporting. She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Journalism.

OE-21170a-ugc

  Kathryn Lynch-Morin , Dionne (Dee) Felix , William A Draves


Online
Sun-Sat, Feb 3 - May 2
12:01 AM - 11:59 PM

Su
M
Tu
W
Th
F
Sa

Min Age   18 yr.

Price: $ 495 00
OE-21170b-ugc

  Kathryn Lynch-Morin , Dionne (Dee) Felix , William A Draves


Online
Sun-Sat, Apr 7 - Jun 27
12:01 AM - 11:59 PM

Su
M
Tu
W
Th
F
Sa

Min Age   18 yr.

Price: $ 495 00
Registration begins  
Jan. 7th at 9:00 AM
OE-21170c-ugc

  Kathryn Lynch-Morin , Dionne (Dee) Felix , William A Draves


Online
Sun-Sat, Jun 2 - Aug 29
12:01 AM - 11:59 PM

Su
M
Tu
W
Th
F
Sa

Min Age   18 yr.

Price: $ 495 00
Registration begins  
Jan. 7th at 9:00 AM
OE-21170d-ugc

  Kathryn Lynch-Morin , Dionne (Dee) Felix , William A Draves


Online
Sun-Sat, Sep 2 - Nov 28
12:01 AM - 11:59 PM

Su
M
Tu
W
Th
F
Sa

Min Age   18 yr.

Price: $ 495 00
Registration begins  
Jan. 7th at 9:00 AM