BA Writing and Rhetoric at Syracuse University

Programme overview

The BA in Writing and Rhetoric explores the power of language across a range of genres. It combines small, student-centered classes with an interdisciplinary curriculum, and students may take courses in the Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Faculty: College of Arts and Sciences | Department: Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Composition | Study mode: full-time | Location: Syracuse, NY, United States

What you will study

Students study argumentative, digital, research, civic, science, professional and technical writing and creative nonfiction, along with rhetorical traditions, writing technologies, and the relationships among writing, rhetoric, identity, literacy and power. Sample courses include Professional and Technical Writing in Global Contexts, Indigenous Writing and Rhetoric, Feminist Rhetoric(s) and Writing, Rhetoric and the Environment.

Career pathways

Prepares students for careers that demand strong writing, reasoning and communication skills, in the communications and writing career path.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

First-year admission (university-wide): applicants must be enrolled in or have graduated from an accredited high school. SAT/ACT scores are not required for Fall 2026, Spring 2027, Fall 2027 or Spring 2028 admission, and applicants without scores remain eligible for merit scholarships. Required items: Common Application or Coalition Application, official high school transcript, senior year grade report, high school counselor evaluation, one academic recommendation, and the ED Agreement if applying Early Decision. Recommended preparation: four years each of English, science, social studies and mathematics (through geometry and intermediate algebra) and at least three years of a foreign language.

Requirements published at faculty level.

USD 69,180 a year (2026-27). 2026-27 Main Campus undergraduate full-time tuition ($34,590 per semester for 12-19 credits, shown as $69,180 for the academic year on the cost page); one undergraduate rate band, the same on the international costs page. Excludes housing, meals, miscella Source

Students may apply for the fall or spring semester. First-year fall applicants may apply through Early Decision I, Early Decision II, Early Action or Regular Decision. Transfer applicants may apply for fall or spring.

First-year deadlines: Early Action November 1; Early Decision I November 1; Early Decision II January 5; Regular Decision January 5. Fall transfer applications are due July 1; spring applications (first-year and transfer) are due November 15. Some programmes have earlier deadlines (for example Drama acting and musical theater application and prescreen December 1; architecture portfolio January 5).

First-year students apply through the Common Application or the Coalition Application powered by Scoir. SAT/ACT scores are not required for Fall 2026, Spring 2027, Fall 2027 or Spring 2028 admission, and students who do not submit scores remain eligible for merit scholarships. An application fee waiver can be requested in writing by the school counselor to [email protected].

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