Q: How do I register to take TPW courses?

Undergraduate admission: Apply online.
NOTE: If you already have a bachelor's degree, but nevertheless want to apply for admission as an undergraduate, rather than as a graduate, check with the undergraduate admissions office to ask about possible restrictions on second baccalaureate admissions.

Graduate admission: Apply for graduate admission online.
NOTE: When the application form requests your Major/Program objective, choose “CERTIFICATE ONLY: Technical & Professional Writing”; also, for Degree objective, choose “Other,” then specify “TPW certificate” (and also choose “Not interested in a credential program”).

If you receive a message saying that your application cannot be accepted because admission has been closed for the semester, contact Patty Rodgers in the Graduate Division.

Open University: If the deadline for applying for undergraduate or graduate admission has passed, Open University may be your only option.
NOTE: Unless you take only one course per semester, your cost per unit will be higher if you enroll in Open University. Also, as an Open University student you will not be able to enroll until classes begin (and then only on a space available basis, after registered students who have the prerequisite have all been accommodated). Finally, although you may earn a TPW certificate by taking all the required courses through Open University, to earn a TPW B.A. degree or minor, you must be a registered student, at least during your final semester, when you apply for graduation.

College of Extended Learning: The College of Extended Learning offers a limited Technical & Communication Proficiency Sequence. Earning this requires that you enroll in all classes required for the Sequence through the College of Extended Learning. For more details, visit the Technical Communication Proficiency Sequence website.

A: The cost is different for regularly enrolled and Open University students. Regularly enrolled students: see Fees and Other Expenses on the SFSU web page for more information. Open University students: see the Open University web page.

NOTE: Financial aid typically only is available to students pursuing a degree (not a certificate). However, there are scholarships of special interest to TPW students.