by our College Data Analytics TeamIn the latest year, 162 U.S. colleges awarded 3,756 degrees and certificates in Professional, Technical, Business, & Scientific Writing. Master’s degrees are the most popular award, at 82% of graduates. College Factual ranks 51 schools in its 2027 Best Professional, Technical, Business, & Scientific Writing Schools ranking and compares their cost in a Best Value ranking. Graduates earn a median $34,712 one year after completing, rising to $52,903 after four years.
Studying 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].
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; BLS; O*NET; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Across the country, professional, technical, business, & scientific writing is a widely-pursued major, with 3,756 degrees awarded annually. 162 colleges award professional, technical, business, & scientific writing degrees, an average of 23 graduates per school; the largest program awarded 1,845.
By level, the 3,756 awards include 18 certificates, 8 associate degrees, 632 bachelor’s degrees, 3,087 master’s degrees and 11 doctorates.
Women earned 71% of professional, technical, business, & scientific writing degrees and certificates in the latest year (2,679 of 3,756). The largest groups of graduates by race and ethnicity are White (1,962) and Black or African American (841), and international students earned 66.
College Factual ranks 51 schools in its 2027 Best Professional, Technical, Business, & Scientific Writing Schools ranking, including 1 for associate degrees, 25 for bachelor’s degrees, 20 for master’s degrees and 1 for doctorates. It also ranks professional, technical, business, & scientific writing schools within 18 states. In all, 162 colleges offer professional, technical, business, & scientific writing programs; compare them by degree level below or in the Best Value Professional, Technical, Business, & Scientific Writing Colleges ranking, which weighs quality against cost.
The most common professional, technical, business, & scientific writing credential is the master’s degree: 3,087 of the 3,756 awarded in the latest year. Jobs related to professional, technical, business, & scientific writing call most for Reading Comprehension, Writing and Speaking, and for knowledge of English Language, Communications and Media and Education and Training, according to O*NET. The most important abilities are Written Comprehension, Written Expression and Oral Expression.
Top skills, rated 0–5:
Top knowledge areas, rated 0–5:
How long a professional, technical, business, & scientific writing degree takes:
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Varies | 18 |
| Associate Degree | 2 years | 8 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 4 years | 632 |
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 3,087 |
| Doctorate | At least 4 years | 11 |
Doctoral degree is the most common level of education among workers in jobs related to professional, technical, business, & scientific writing, at 35.9%.
| 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% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 0.8% |
| First professional degree | 0.8% |
| Post-master’s certificate | 0.8% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 0.5% |
| Post-doctoral training | 0.2% |
Source: O*NET Online.
6 occupations are related to Professional, Technical, Business, & Scientific Writing, with an average median salary of $73,944; the strongest outlook belongs to English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary, at 14.3% projected job growth. Typical job titles include Assistant Professor, Lecturer, Instructor and Associate Professor.
That occupation also has the most projected jobs of any related to professional, technical, business, & scientific writing, at 1,273,615.
| 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% |
Professional, Technical, Business, & Scientific Writing graduates earn a median $34,712 one year after completing their program, $52,903 after four years and $51,929 after five years, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $34,712 |
| 4 years | $52,903 |
| 5 years | $51,929 |
Source: College Scorecard.
The highest-paying occupation related to professional, technical, business, & scientific writing is Editors, with a median salary of $100,346.
| 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 |
Professional, Technical, Business, & Scientific Writing has 4 similar majors in the English Language & Literature field, which together award 10,113 degrees a year; the largest are Creative Writing (7,430), Rhetoric and Composition (1,367) and Writing, General (727). Browse all English Language & Literature majors or the full list of college majors.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Creative Writing | 7,430 |
| Rhetoric and Composition | 1,367 |
| Writing, General | 727 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies, Other | 589 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
