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CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS CLASSES WORKSHOPS & LECTURES ONLINE LEARNING
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Certificate Program in
Editing (Autumn/UW Campus)
(Also offered in Bellevue, Downtown Seattle and Online + Classroom Combined)

Overview  |   Courses  |   Instructors  |   Advisory Board  |   How to Apply

Course Descriptions

The 2008-2009 program is underway and is no longer accepting applications

Single courses may be available
Next program starts:
Autumn 2009
Details will be posted in Spring
Program location:
UW campus, Seattle
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Interested in taking a single class? Some courses (designated by a Class is also available to professionals who do not intend to pursue the certificate, but wish to enroll in individual classes on a space available basis below) may be open on a space-available basis to professionals who are not seeking the certificate. See Single-Course Enrollment for details.

Autumn Courses

Editorial Roles and Careers: An Introduction

Schedule, Section A: (5 sessions) Mondays, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Sept. 22-Oct. 20, 2008; $339; 1.5 CEUs.
Instructor: Ingrid Emerick.

Schedule, Section B: (5 sessions) Wednesdays, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Sept. 24-Oct. 22, 2008; $339; 1.5 CEUs.
Instructor: Ingrid Emerick.

Aspiring editors learn more about opportunities and the editor's role in publishing. This course also helps participants explore whether editing is a viable career choice. Through lectures and discussions, readings and presentations by guest speakers, participants consider the following questions:

  • What do editors do, and where do they do it?

  • What are the typical milestones in a publishing project, and what do editors do at each one?

  • What do editors need to know about professional etiquette?

Participants gain insight into how the various types and stages of editorial work are interrelated with the work of authors, agents, administrative and managerial staff, designers, production and marketing departments, distributors, booksellers, and other collaborators in the publishing process.

Practical Grammar for Editors

Schedule, Section A: (6 sessions) Mondays, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Nov. 3-Dec. 8, 2008; $359; 1.8 CEUs.
Instructor: Cherie Tucker.

Schedule, Section B: (6 sessions) Wednesdays, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Nov. 5-Dec. 10, 2008; $359; 1.8 CEUs.
Instructor: Cherie Tucker.

The foundation for good editing skills is a solid knowledge of how the language works. This class provides a painless review of the language basics:

  • Sentence structure
  • Phrases and clauses
  • Punctuation
  • Subject/verb agreement
  • Rules and their reasons
We will focus on sharpening awareness of structural, usage, and grammatical errors in everyday materials, from the media to e-mails to hone your editing skills. To continue in the editing program, participants must successfully complete a grammar test at the end of the class.

Winter Course

Fundamentals of Copy-Editing

Schedule, Section A: (10 sessions) Mondays, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Jan. 5-March 23, 2009 (no class Jan. 19, Feb. 16); $639; 3 CEUs.
Instructor: Kris Fulsaas.

Schedule, Section B: (10 sessions) Wednesdays, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Jan. 14-March 18, 2009; $639; 3 CEUs.
Instructor: Kris Fulsaas.

Participants learn how a professional copy editor approaches the task of editing a short, simple nonfiction manuscript of up to 50 pages that contains few elements other than running text. They develop an understanding of what copy-editing is (attention to punctuation, spelling, grammar, organization and established style), and what it is not (rewriting, proofreading or substantive editing).

Throughout the course, there is frequent practice of standard editorial markup. Participants also learn how to construct and update an editorial style sheet, how to recognize the typical elements of a simple manuscript, and how to identify the manuscript's elements for a designer and a compositor.


Spring Courses

Advanced Editing: Class is also available to professionals who do not intend to pursue the certificate, but wish to enroll in individual classes on a space available basis

Schedule, Section A: (10 sessions) Mondays, 6:30-9:30 p.m., March 30-June 8, 2009; $599 (no class May 25); 3 CEUs.
Instructor: Kris Fulsaas.

Schedule, Section B: (10 sessions) Wednesdays, 6:30-9:30 p.m., April 1-June3, 2009; $599; 3 CEUs.
Instructor: Bill Thorness.

The course is designed for students interested in developing the skills needed to edit both books (including single-author guidebooks and multi-author scholarly works) and materials other than books (magazines, newspapers, academic journals, corporate communications, Web sites, and the like). Guest speakers discuss the production environment and the pressures of working with short timelines and frequent deadlines.

The course presents various editorial problems and solutions, and students develop their skills by working through practical examples from a wide range of materials. The course covers identifying structural problems, reorganizing, reworking, and rewriting, as well as communicating with co-workers on both the editorial and the production staff. There is an introduction to online editing with practice lab included in this course.

Prerequisites: Fundamentals of Copy-Editing or a solid command of grammar, strong writing skills, and familiarity with standard editorial marking techniques used in The Chicago Manual of Style.

How to sign up for individual enrollment in this course


Career Development Practicum (optional)

Schedule: (11 sessions) Thursdays, 6:30-9:30 p.m., April 2-June 11, 2009; UW campus, Seattle; $589; 3 CEUs.
Instructor: Kim Runciman.

This optional course provides a practical, comprehensive editing experience. Students will identify class editing projects in the areas of: magazine, newspaper, Web, corporate communications, or book publishing. Working with the instructor, who serves as a bridge to, and/or takes on the persona of, an author and/or editing professional, each student practices building effective relationships and learns the business of editing by engaging with an author or organization. Networking and strategies for obtaining editing work are also explored.


Optional Workshops

The following workshops are optional and are not required to complete the Editing Certificate Program.

MS Word for Editors Workshop (optional)

Location: UW campus, Seattle

For workshop schedule, instructor and registration information, please see the MS Word for Editors Workshop Web page.

Editors now make extensive use of tracking and change features incorporated in PC word processing, especially the widely used features of MS Word. This workshop provides exposure and practice in MS Word advanced editing tools, including track changes, comments, find and replace, shortcuts, toolbars, and customization.

Students will:

  • Use advanced MS Word 2007 features to efficiently and effectively edit content.
  • Apply features and resources available to editors.

The Web Savvy Editor Workshop (optional)

Location: UW campus, Seattle

For workshop schedule, instructor and registration information, please see The Web Savvy Editor Workshop Web page.

More and more editors are expected to write and edit Web content. This workshop helps prepare students to edit and write for the Web and use online dictionaries and other resources. The workshop will explore how editing and writing for the Web differs from print, and what makes a good Web site.

Students will learn:

  • The basics of web jargon and HTML (Note: This is NOT a HTML course)
  • Useful online resources for editors
  • How to use the Web effectively for fact-checking and other editing-related tasks
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