Strong writing drives mission success. Every policy memo, technical report, and public-facing letter your agency produces shapes how decisions are made, how stakeholders respond, and how the public perceives your work. When writing is unclear, the mission slows down. When it is clear, concise, and credible, the mission moves forward.
The Business Writing Certificate Program is built for government professionals who want to consistently produce writing that meets the highest federal standards. Through four targeted courses, you will build skills from the ground up—starting with the foundations of clear, structured writing, then moving into the day-to-day correspondence that keeps your agency running, the critical thinking that sharpens persuasive arguments, and the grammar and editing precision that separates good drafts from polished final products.
This program combines the Federal Plain Language Guidelines, the Plain Writing Act of 2010, and proven writing frameworks with hands-on practice in the documents you actually create at work—emails, memos, letters, reports, and analytical writing. You will leave able to plan faster, draft with purpose, revise with confidence, and deliver writing that readers can act on the first time.
This is the recommended order, but some courses may be taken in a different order.
Unit 1 2 Days
Build core writing skills for government and public-sector work with a focus on purpose, audience, structure, and plain language. Learn a practical process to plan, draft, revise, and edit documents so they are clear, concise, and easy to act on.
Unit 2 2 Days
This one-day course equips federal professionals with techniques to plan and produce effective written communication, including letters, emails, and briefing memos, using plain-language principles and DoD-aligned style guidelines.
Unit 3 2 Days
Unit 4 3 Days
Learn to write and edit with accuracy and clarity through a structured approach to essential grammar, usage, and proofreading. This three-day course emphasizes correct sentence construction, punctuation, spelling, plain-language guidelines, and a repeatable editing process.
Receive instruction from subject‑matter experts who bring proven government experience.
Courses that are regularly updated based on feedback and industry developments, ensuring versions are mapped to federal competencies.
The instructor was wonderful and so knowledgeable. The course materials were extremely relevant to what my job is. I feel like I can be better because of this class.
— 2025 student
Directly addressing the day-to-day challenges of federal employees.
Your trusted training partner, equipping public service professionals with the skills and knowledge to excel in their roles and drive meaningful impact.
Attend this certificate program live online or as self-paced training. Engage with expert instructors, ask questions, and get feedback on your exercises and projects.
Get the same interactivity and access to the instructor as in-person students. There are no extra fees and we’ll work with you to ensure your remote setup is perfect.
Learn at your own pace with pre-recorded video lessons and hands-on exercises. Work through the material on your schedule with access to course content and resources.
Our instructors are industry experts and experienced educators, driven to help you succeed.
We want you to succeed in your career goals. In addition to 9 days of hands-on, interactive training, you’ll also receive ten 1-on-1 mentoring sessions where you can:
We offer a single free retake of any module or the whole program within a year.
Since 1921, Graduate School USA has partnered with over 125 federal agencies and trained more than one million federal employees. Led by instructors with deep, real-world knowledge of federal regulations, policies, and practices, our private group programs are practical, mission-driven, and tailored to your agency’s objectives. We offer expertise across key federal domains—including human resources, financial management, acquisition and contracting, leadership, and more—to deliver training where and how your team needs it.
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