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Proposed Technical Communication Certificateby Chris McKitterick

[email protected]

This document proposes a University of Kansas Certificate in Technical Communication. It outlines courses for this program, describes them, and then suggests how we can tie them together to build a strong set of skills while presenting a unified message to the program’s students. It suggests a schedule for offering the courses and how to staff them with trained instructors. Finally, it surveys some existing collegiate Technical Communications programs as a useful comparison.

Revision 1.6, 11-4-2003

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Proposed Technical Communications Certificate Program /

Contents

Program Overview...............................................................3Statement of Intellectual and Educational Purpose.....................................................................3Rationale......................................................................................................................................3Target Students............................................................................................................................4

Student Success Stories...........................................................................................................5

Curriculum..........................................................................7Quick Course List........................................................................................................................7Program Offerings.......................................................................................................................7Individual Course Descriptions...................................................................................................8

English 362. Foundations of Technical Writing......................................................................8English 562. Advanced Technical Writing I...........................................................................8English 563. Advanced Technical Writing II..........................................................................8English 564. Advanced Technical Editing..............................................................................9Documentation Project Management......................................................................................9Internships................................................................................................................................9Seminars in Technical Writing..............................................................................................11

Program Detail..................................................................11Teamwork Across Courses and Across Departments................................................................11Proposed Schedule.....................................................................................................................12

Table 1 Proposed Schedule.................................................................................................12Table 2 Proposed Offering Frequency................................................................................13

Proposed Staffing.......................................................................................................................13Duties of Senior Certificate Program Staff............................................................................15

Program Assessment..................................................................................................................15

Appendixes.........................................................................17Appendix A: “Technical Communication” Defined..................................................................17Appendix B: Sampling of Technical Communications Programs.............................................18

Table 3 Offerings at Other Schools....................................................................................18Table 4 Other Writing Programs........................................................................................25

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Program Overview

Statement of Intellectual and Educational PurposeThis proposed Certificate Program in Technical Communications is designed to provide students with a focused program of applied study in the methods and forms of writing scientific, medical, design, architectural, and business documents. It provides certification of the completion of the program on a University of Kansas transcript. Students may enroll in the Certificate either as a stand-alone program or in combination with a graduate degree program. A Certificate in Technical Communications might be attractive to working professionals who need to increase their skills or who seek alternative employment. This Certificate might also be attractive to students in English as well as in the sciences, engineering, or business disciplines who plan to seek employment as technical writers or merely want to strengthen their writing skills while adding a certification to their transcripts that will help them stand out in a pile of job applications.

RationaleAs our world grows increasingly complex, society is driven to integrate more closely with technology. Research, business, and science require ever-more comprehensive documentation. Technical writers earn lucrative salaries that only get better with training and experience. Because of these things, technical-communications skills are now among the most important skills that University of Kansas graduates can acquire.

Technical-communications courses are valuable preparation for workplace writing and editing, which is different from the forms and modes of writing that students learn during traditional English literature or writing courses. Businesses are constantly in search of applicants who can demonstrate these specialized skills, and a Certificate is one way to help demonstrate that a student has been exposed to the necessary training while not diluting classic English programs.

Most businesses require their employees to continually enhance their value to the company through personal and career development. This includes learning new skills so employees become more versatile. According to the University of Maryland – Baltimore County, “businesses complain that many of their employees, though college graduates, cannot communicate effectively in writing. They are willing to pay for this skill, so if you can write, you’re ahead of the field. People who can write are simply more effective at what they do than those who can’t.” Technical writing is a core business skill in high demand. We owe it to our students to offer this program.

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The goals of this program: Provide KU graduates with the technical-writing skills they need to

find fulfilling, well-paying jobs. Either that, or to help them pay their bills while they write the Great American Novel.

Attract non-traditional and non-degree seeking students (specifically working professionals) to the University of Kansas.

Update KU’s offerings to match those of peer schools and compete better with larger schools.

Serve scientific, medical, architectural, design, and engineering students within the University of Kansas by offering necessary training.

Increase relationships with area and national businesses and research institutions.

Extend KU’s influence within the area’s professional community. Potentially open doors for more special programs supported by area

and national businesses and research institutions. Increase University of Kansas cross-departmental cooperation

between CLAS and the scientific, medical, architectural, design, and engineering departments.

Promote the Edwards Campus and, by enhancing its offerings, the University as a whole.

Target StudentsIn the near term, this proposed program targets the following groups of students:

Local working professionals who need to increase their technical-communications skills, increase their value to their companies or organizations, or seek a way to move either vertically or laterally in their workplaces.

Edwards Campus students majoring in English, who are often working professionals. The courses offered in this program are attractive to these students because they understand the value of practical coursework.

Traditional, full-time students who hope to graduate into jobs in science, research, or business, where they will spend much more of their time writing technical documents than their core coursework might suggest.

Traditional, full-time students who hope to begin a lucrative career in technical communications. Based on an exhaustive survey of open positions in technical communications, I have found that applicants are required to have 1) experience in technical writing or editing, 2) familiarity with technical-writing software, and 3) a B.A. degree. This certificate provides students with experience – that catch-22 requirement – by helping them build a portfolio of writing samples (to prove writing ability) and placing them in real-world workplace

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writing environments via internships. They also become proficient with a variety of software tools through hands-on use.

Traditional, full-time students want to study English but do not intend to pursue a career in academia. Writing practice, a writing portfolio, and potential workplace experience (internships) provide them with a marketable skill, which frees them to study literary subjects of interest without concern about how that coursework transfers to the work world. This could help attract and retain English majors who might otherwise end up as Business majors and so forth.

Student Success StoriesFeedback from many former students of English 362 validates targeting the groups of students listed above. Note that working students’ companies often pay for the class because it is directly related to required work skills. Some examples:

Full-time English student. This fiction and poetry writer, approaching graduation, recognized the need for a practical skill that would support her while she pursued her art. She says, “What I learned in your class will help me throughout my life. Thanks!”

Full-time software programmer, English as a second language. For years, he has worked as a “code monkey” for a local corporation and dreamed of being able to perform other tasks than typing code. He used the projects he wrote for class to show his manager that he is capable of writing solid, useful technical documents, and now has the opportunity to spend some of his time doing tasks that hold more interest for him. His dream is to publish a technical manual with his name on the cover.

Full-time technical writer. This student was hired to write documents as well as build and maintain organization websites, but no one at the nonprofit organization knew what that entailed. She was able to immediately use the projects she wrote for class in her workplace, so the class served as on-the-job training. After the class, she was able to work with confidence that she finally knew what she was doing.

Full-time technical-support staff and network administrator. When he was hired for his expertise, this highly technical person (and his manager) hadn’t realized that he would be spending as much as on-third of his time writing technical documentation. He has been “bluffing it” for years, and finally decided to take a class to learn how to do it right.

Full-time Computer Science student. This student took full advantage of this class to apply all the major assignments to projects he has long wanted to create, using the specification, proposals, and website he created for the class to help launch a small software business. He says, “I learned more practical and useful material in

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362 than in any of my other classes… I hadn't known much about the material beforehand, and I'm already using it outside of class for real, practical applications. Nice!”

Graduating senior in CLAS. This sports-oriented student, who had been anything but serious academically, took this class very seriously because he realized he was graduating without measurable skills needed in the workplace. He worked hard on all his projects and took the opportunity to document projects he enjoyed; in fact, this class showed him that he was already a businessperson – he just needed to build the website and write the ad copy and product guides. He is now earning a living doing what he loves.

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CurriculumThis section lists and describes the coursework I recommend for the Certificate in Technical Communications. English 362: Foundations of Technical Writing is currently offered every semester at both the Lawrence and Edwards campuses, and English 590: Advanced Technical Writing is offered in Fall 2004.

Quick Course ListEnglish 362 (3 credits): Foundations of Technical WritingEnglish 562 (3 credits): Advanced Technical Writing IEnglish 563 (3 credits): Advanced Technical Writing IIEnglish 564 (3 credits): Advanced Technical EditingEnglish ??? (3 credits): Documentation Project ManagementEnglish 596 (1-3 credits): Internship (repeatable)English ??? (1-3 credits): Seminar in Technical Writing (subject-matter varies;

examples: “Writing the Science Article,” “Writing the Grant Proposal,” “Writing the Lab Report,” “Writing for Engineers,” “Writing the Case Study,” and so on) (repeatable)

Program OfferingsBecause our target clientele includes non-degree-seeking, working professionals as well as traditional, degree-seeking KU students, I suggest we offer the Technical Communications Program in three forms:

A 9-credit Technical Communications Certificate for working professionals, so they can complete the program in one year. This abbreviated program eliminates the Internship requirement. Requires students to take Foundations of Technical Writing, Advanced Technical Writing I, and three credits from the following: Advanced Technical Writing II, Advanced Technical Editing, Documentation Project Management (not yet approved), or Seminars in Technical Writing (not yet approved). Marketed to area businesses and working professionals.

A 12-credit Technical Communications Certificate for traditional KU students or students already holding Bachelor’s degrees. If student hasn’t taken the prerequisite, it can be taken for credit (resulting in a 15-credit Certificate). Requires students to take Foundations of Technical Writing, Advanced Technical Writing I, and Advanced Technical Writing II or Advanced Technical Editing, and the remaining credits from Documentation Project Management (not yet approved), Internships, and Seminars in Technical Writing (not yet approved). Marketed to non-traditional students.

A 15-credit undergraduate Technical Communications minor or emphasis for traditional KU students (not yet approved). Requires

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students to take Foundations of Technical Writing, Advanced Technical Writing I, Advanced Technical Writing II or Advanced Technical Editing (or both), and the remaining credits from Documentation Project Management (not yet approved), Internships, and Seminars in Technical Writing (not yet approved).

Individual Course DescriptionsThis section describes the courses mentioned above.

English 362. Foundations of Technical WritingIntroduces students to the principles of technical communication. Students learn to organize, develop, write, and revise technical documentation for science and business. Students review and practice the essential tech-writing elements. We also survey document forms common to scientific and technical disciplines. Students gain valuable experience through research, real-life technical-writing exercises, peer review, and presentations. Types of writing assignments include proposals, specification documents, technical reports, websites, oral presentations, and manuals. Includes an introduction to technical-writing software tools. Currently offered as English 362.Prerequisites: English Composition (English 101 and 102), and basic computer and word-processing literacy (for example, how to create email and computer files).

English 562. Advanced Technical Writing IBuilds on what students learned in the Foundations of Technical Writing class, and stresses research methods in technical communication. To write good technical documentation, students need to understand how source information is created. This course strongly emphasizes developing research skills; students research topics, personally interview sources, analyze their audience using proven methods, and learn to use the scientific method in creating and revising technical documentation. This course simulates on-the-job training, and students begin to develop a technical-writing portfolio. Students are expected to master the basic software tools of the trade during this course. Offered in Spring 2004 as English 590.Prerequisite: Foundations of Technical Writing (English 362).

English 563. Advanced Technical Writing IIStudents in this advanced practical course apply the principles of communicating scientific and technical information to a variety of readers, ranging from the non-technical manager to the expert engineer. Students concentrate on the varying writing styles required for proposals, reports, specifications, journal articles, online forms, and larger documents, based on their audience. Students also learn to deliver effective oral

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presentations. This course also simulates an internship or on-the-job training. It helps students who cannot pursue an internship to develop a valuable technical-writing portfolio by this point in the certificate program.Prerequisite: Advanced Technical Writing I (English 590).

English 564. Advanced Technical EditingStudents in this hands-on course work with writers in Advanced Technical Writing I and II, learning to work productively with other people’s writing. Editing technical material requires specialized skills, so this course focuses on editing a variety of technical documents for clarity, consistency, cohesiveness, conciseness, comprehensiveness, correctness, and all the other measures of good technical documentation learned in previous classes. Students practice how to identify and correctly use specialized vocabulary and how to employ editing tools such as proofreader's marks, style guides, and standard editorial reference material. Students apply this knowledge to print and electronic documents. Students practice how to identify and correct common problems such as ambiguity and passive voice, and study grammatical structures and stylistic strategies appropriate for different types of documentation. This course simulates on-the-job training, and students develop a valuable technical-editing portfolio while continuing to improve their own writing skills by improving the work of others.Prerequisite: Advanced Technical Writing I.

Documentation Project Management (This course is not yet approved.) This course combines skills learned in the previous coursework and expands the scope from single documents to a full-scale, long-term documentation project. Students learn project design, resource management, coordination, and delivery, including planning, scheduling, organizing, staffing, and directing documentation teams. This course also simulates on-the-job training and provides practice developing and managing publication projects for scientific and technical organizations, either as project editor, lead (or lone) writer, or documentation manager. Includes an introduction to final documentation production and indexing methods. Students learn valuable cross-team coordination skills while preparing to handle end-to-end technical-document production, from document specification, through all the phases of writing and editing, to final delivery to customers. Students who successfully complete this course should be able to confidently handle any documentation projects thrown their way in any type of organization.Prerequisite: Advanced Technical Editing or Advanced Technical Writing I.

InternshipsTo further students’ experience, enrich the Certificate Program with actual on-the-job training, service local and national organizations’ technical-communications needs, and increase the University’s visibility in the professional world, we need to connect students in this program with

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internships. Businesses and research institutions are always short of technical writers and editors, but often resist hiring full-time employees to document products they only release on occasion. This is when they hire short-term workers or interns. Demand is always high for such workers.

Internships cost the participating company time, but that investment is balanced by the interns' productivity and the public goodwill generated; also, the company might be helping train a future employee. Interns are usually highly motivated to perform well. They see this as an opportunity to establish an "in" with a company while learning what it really takes to make it in the technical-writing world.

Interns gain valuable experience working in actual business environments where they fulfill real writing and editing needs. These experiences help student interns build writing portfolios and learn professional work attitudes, plus they build relationships with potential future employers or at least establish contacts to use as references. Note that internships are based on qualifications, interviews, and availability, so not all students will be able to take an internship during their program of study.

Most major universities with technical-communications programs offer internships, usually for credit and usually during the Summer. For a 3-credit course equivalency, most programs require 90-120 hours of documented on-site work in one semester. Students sometimes take 1-credit internships, and their required work is proportionally decreased.

I have built several positive relationships with area businesses through teaching my Foundations class (particularly at the Regents Center), and also have several national connections with businesses and publishers interested in working with interns. Students involved in a University-recognized Certificate Program present potential employers with credentials proving that they are serious and experienced. I am confident that I can develop a technical-communications internship program beneficial to the University, our students, and participating businesses, and ensure it coordinates well with the program Professor Hirsch has already established.

Starting this Spring, I plan to spend a good deal of my efforts in outreach: visiting area businesses, analyzing their needs, identifying how to best meet them, and marketing the program. I understand the corporate and technical language, and have a long history of selling managers and even high-level executives on proposed projects.

Seminars in Technical Writing(These seminars are not yet approved.) The University’s School of Engineering and School of Social Welfare have expressed interest in my

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helping them develop courses covering specific technical-documentation forms, and this led me to consider supplementary or seminar courses for this Certificate Program. For example, a course might specifically focus on the science-journal article, specification document, lab report, or so on. I created and taught a successful one-day seminar during Summer 2003, and see this as an excellent model for developing one-credit courses. I will also work with educators at other schools who offer such courses while developing these seminars.

I suggest we offer supplementary short courses to satisfy this demand while also enriching the overall Certificate Program and providing students with greater technical-writing experience. These courses would be hard-core practicums in a specific discipline, building on the Foundations course and other work in this program. When these are offered depends on demand and staff availability.

These alternate courses could also be substituted for the editing or project-management course for students interested specifically in technical writing – for example, for those students who work for a large organization that already has editors and documentation managers on staff.

Prerequisites: As for Foundations of Technical Writing. These short courses should require previous Certificate Program coursework, specifically the Foundations class.

Program Detail

Teamwork Across Courses and Across Departments To enhance the real-world focus of this Technical Communications Certificate Program and to help develop students' portfolios, I plan to work with the University Press of Kansas on the advanced courses' term projects (if funding allows; otherwise, I plan to create Web-based term projects). I hope to coordinate the Certificate Program with the scientific, medical, design, architectural, and engineering departments on campus (treating them as customers and sources), identify what information they need to present to the public, and then task the students with writing and editing new content as well as revising existing papers.

These projects could then be collected into a year-end anthology of technical reports and articles published by the Press or delivered online. To further the Technical Communications Certificate Program’s training, Advanced Editing students (and Project Management students, if that course is later implemented) would also coordinate final production with the Press, possibly as interns, or manage the Web delivery.

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To pull together this aggressive and exciting plan requires that these classes be offered as soon as possible, with each succeeding course offered the following semester until all are available. I am offering the first Advanced Technical Writing course this coming Spring; Advanced Technical Writing II should be available in Fall 2004; Advanced Technical Editing in Spring 2005. If we follow the schedule as presented here, the University can offer a complete, end-to-end Certificate Program in Technical Communications for students graduating in Spring 2005 or 2006. If we offer Summer classes as well, students could complete the full Certificate even more quickly.

Proposed ScheduleTable 1 proposes a schedule for Certificate Program course offerings, in order to provide students with an optimal real-world experience and to help them build a solid portfolio in Technical Communications to show current or prospective employers.

Table 1 Proposed ScheduleCertificate Program

CourseOffering

DateStaff Per Section

Foundations of Technical Writing

Several sections available now.

GTA or Lecturer (part-time staff) if supported by full-time staff.

Advanced Technical Writing I

Spring 2004. Full-time or experienced part-time instructor.

Technical-Writing Internships

Summer 2004.

(No instructor required: full-time staff supplementary duty.)

Advanced Technical Writing II

Fall 2004. Full-time or very experienced part-time instructor.

Advanced Technical Editing Spring 2005. Full-time or very experienced part-time instructor.

Documentation Project Management

When approved.

Full-time or very experienced part-time instructor.

Supplementary Courses ASAP when approved.

Full-time or experienced part-time instructor. Note: If exclusively non-English Department course, School or Department serviced is responsible for staff and/or staff salary.

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Table 2 proposes an offering-frequency schedule.

Table 2 Proposed Offering FrequencyCertificate Program Course Offering Frequency Number of

SectionsFoundations of Technical Writing

Every semester, including Summer.

As many as needed to fulfill demand. Demand currently outstrips availability.

Advanced Technical Writing I Annually at first; as program grows, every semester.

Initially, one section per normal school year and one during Summer. After that, one per semester.

Technical-Writing Internships Every semester, especially Summer.

N/A

Advanced Technical Writing II Annually at first; as program grows, every semester.

Initially, one section per normal school year and one during Summer. After that, one per semester.

Advanced Technical Editing Annually at first. Initially, one section per calendar year.

Documentation Project Management

Annually, or as needed.

One section per calendar year, or as needed.

Supplementary Courses As needed. Expect demand to grow with exposure to other KU Schools and Departments.

As needed. English Department liability limited to curriculum development and staff training; possible (infrequent) lectures or assistance.

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Proposed StaffingTable 1 shows that, when the program is initially underway as a 9 or 12-credit Certificate, this program will require – at a minimum – one senior faculty and a number of GTAs or Lecturers. Current demand for English 362: Technical Writing is greater than we can offer, which varies from three to six sections per regular school-year semester. Unfortunately, our offerings depend largely on teacher availability and interest, because the University does not have any full-time Technical-Communications staff (we have one appointed at 0.8).

This demand for English 362 excludes the needs of the School of Engineering and the School of Social Welfare (among others), which will likely more than double demand for sections number when they require a Technical Writing class for their program. When other technical and scientific KU Schools and Departments recognize the necessity for training their students to write technical documents, the need for more GTAs and Lecturers will surely increase. If the English Department fulfills these needs with classes devoted to, for example, the School of Engineering, I recommend that those Schools and Departments serviced by these courses subsidize the teacher salary, though the English Department’s Technical Communications faculty should continue to train and supply them as needed. I recommend that cross-Departmental negotiations such as this be considered part of the TC senior faculty’s job description.

I will teach each of the new courses during their initial semesters. While teaching, I will test them regarding suitability, gather student feedback, and adjust the curriculum as needed. After that, experienced teachers should be able to successfully take on some of the load to accommodate increasing demand by using my prepared lectures and other materials, supplementing them with their own experience and materials. I will also continue to provide teacher-training activities. Staffing needs will grow steadily through 2006, when demand could require greater staffing and more teacher training than I can anticipate now.

If we use GTAs and Lecturers to teach the advanced courses, they need solid training. I suggest that no one teach a course without having first taught a prerequisite, thus gaining knowledge about the foundation material as well as solid experience.

A student-teacher who progresses through this entire program—as student, teacher, or both—will graduate with the skills and information they need to successfully join the ranks of science, business, and industry. They will also be much more marketable than their peers seeking virtually any technical or communications position.

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As the Certificate Program grows in offerings and popularity, it will require more staff experienced in technical communications—as well as teaching—to maintain consistency and quality across the program. It will also need more experienced staffers who can provide expert guidance to student-teachers. To become a resource for local or national businesses seeking to educate their staff, this program needs to remain based in real-world experience.

In order to realistically offer this 9/12-credit Certificate, we need at least one senior faculty member dedicated to TC and at least three dedicated GTAs or Lecturers. In order to offer an expanded program, we need at least two senior faculty members and at least four dedicated GTAs or Lecturers.

Duties of Senior Certificate Program Staff Training and supporting part-time staff. Teaching and revising newly designed courses. Teaching and revising advanced courses. Occasionally teaching and revising the introductory course to stay in

touch with students and their needs. Dialogue with other KU Departments and Schools. Dialogue with area and national businesses and technical, scientific,

medical, architectural, and design organizations. Actively promoting the program to draw students and encourage

corporate donations. Managing program internships and collaborating with existing

internship programs. Developing new courses as needed and refining existing courses. Assessing courses and the overall program as described below.

Program AssessmentInitially, while in development, the curriculum for this program should be assessed every semester to ensure that each course is achieving its goals—teaching students what they need to learn from those courses. This assessment will be based on student feedback, internship success, and performance in advanced courses: Did the preceding course sufficiently prepare the student for the more-advanced work? The staff teaching the various courses should meet at least once per semester to discuss successes and failures, as well as provide peer-reviews and share information and experience. Courses should continually undergo pedagogical improvement. We should also ensure our program remains competitive with peer schools’ programs.

Also, the Certificate Program as a whole should be assessed each time a Certificate is granted. We should track the graduates’ success in their

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search for new or better jobs as well as request follow-up surveys years after granting the Certificate.

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Appendixes

Appendix A: “Technical Communication” Defined“Technical communication” is the process of gathering technical information and presenting it to a targeted audience in a clear, useful, accurate, comprehensive, grammatically correct, and easily understandable form (to name a few measures). The term “technical” includes scientific, mechanical, chemical, legal, economic, medical, procedural, or other specialized information. A few examples of technical communication are Dad’s Own Cookbook, Windows 2000 Server Deployment Planning Guide , and The Chicago Manual of Style.

A technical communicator is anyone who creates technical documents. They are engineers, scientists, doctors, lawyers, or anyone else with a special knowledge of a certain field of study… and of course technical communicators are also full-time writers and editors who are not, themselves, technical experts but are instead experts in creating technical documents. Examples of technical communicators include an astronomer documenting the discovery of a new comet, a chemist writing an abstract for a presentation, a mechanical engineer reporting on a crash test, a social worker preparing a brief for a court case, or a science-magazine reporter documenting discoveries she knows nothing about before starting work.

“Technical communication” encompasses the work done by individuals with many different job titles, such as writer, editor, illustrator, or Web designer, because they work in different media as the situation dictates.

Technical communicators study their audience and determine the best way to present the information. Should it be a table or a chart? An online help file or a Web site? A book or a brochure? An illustration or a spreadsheet? A proposal or a specification? Technical communicators gather knowledge from experts and customers by conducting interviews, testing their topics, and studying existing information. The technical communicator reshapes this information so that the correct audience can access, understand, and use it.

MIT describes one aspect of technical communication very nicely: “Science writers may, or may not, hold academic credentials in science or engineering. But they are always humanists, one foot in the sciences, the other in the arts, as apt to be seduced by a shapely sentence as by an elegant scientific idea.” Our Technical Communications program, as part of the English Department, should strive to encourage this attitude.

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Appendix B: Sampling of Technical Communications ProgramsThis table describes some TC programs at other schools.

Table 3 Offerings at Other SchoolsTechnical Communications

ProgramCourses

Kansas State UniversityGraduate Certificate in Technical Writing and Professional Communication

This is a complete breakdown of all offerings from which Certificate students can select. They must choose four courses (12 credits) from the offerings listed, with Engl 759 required.

Note the wide variety of offerings from which students can select coursework to complete their customized Certificate. We could offer more alternatives from outside English (such as Journalism, Business, and technical courses) to add this custom touch without needing additional English staff to teach those courses.

Technical Communication (Engl 759)Introduction to Professional Writing (Engl 510) Agriscience Communication (Agcom 810)Rhetorical Theory (Engl 755) Seminar in Persuasion (Spch 726) Argumentation Theory (Spch 525) Rhetorical Criticism (Spch 733) Communication Theory (MC 765)Graphic Design for Digital Environments (Art 575) Graphic Design/VisualCommunication (Art 820) Advanced Typography (Art 576) Instructional Design (Edetc 763) Topics/Multimedia (Edetc 786) Interactive System Design (Edetc 863) Hypermedia (Edetc 886) Visual Communication (Edetc 756) Writing Literary Non- Fiction (Engl 502) Expository WritingWorkshop (Engl 604) Independent Study (Engl 799) Organizational Behavior (Mangt 520) Behavioral Management Theory (Mangt 820) Multimedia Techniques (MC 575) Advertising Techniques (MC 555) Magazine Writing (MC 615) Public Relations Techniques (MC 636) Political and Corporate Speechwriting (Spch 630) Small Group Communication (Spch 716) Leadership Communication (Spch 735) Persuasion (Spch 526)

Iowa State University Engl 302 Business Communication Engl 309 Report and Proposal Writing

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Undergrad Major in Technical Communication

M.A. in Rhetorical Studies (professional writing focus)

Engl 313 Writing for the WorldWideWeb Engl 314 Technical Communication Engl 410x Multimedia Design in Professional Communication Engl 411x Technology, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication Engl 412x Rhetoric in Organizational Culture Engl 413x Writing Computer Documentation and Other Instructional Materials Engl 415 Business and Technical Editing Engl 416 Graphic Communication in Business and Technical Writing Engl 417x Production Processes for Technical Documents Engl 487 Internship in Business, Technical, and Professional Writing Sp Cm 305 Semantics Sp Cm 312 Business and Professional Speaking Sp Cm 322 Argumentation, Debate, and Critical Thinking Sp Cm 327 Persuasion Sp Cm 416 American Public Address Sp Cm 417 Campaign Rhetoric (Same as Pol S 417) Sp Cm 497 Capstone Seminar

University of IowaB.A. in Professional and Technical WritingB.A. Minor in Writing

M.A. in Professional and Technical Writing

Many, many courses offered through the Department of Rhetoric and Writing, a part of the Journalism Department.

East Carolina UniversityCertificate in Business, Technical, and Professional Writing

ENGL 3880 Writing for Business and Industry

Plus 12 or more credits from the following:SPCH 2520. Business and Professional Communication ENGL 2710. English Grammar or ENGL 2730. Functional Grammar ENGL 3810. Advanced Composition ENGL 3820. Scientific Writing

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ENGL 3860. Introduction to Nonfiction Writing ENGL 3870. Introduction to Editing and Abstracting ENGL 3885. Writing and Publications Development/Process ENGL 3895. Topics in Technical and Professional Writing ENGL 4890. Practicum: Careers in Writing ENGL 4891. Practicum: Careers in Writing ENGL 5740. Modern Prose Literature ENGL 5770. Advanced Editing ENGL 5780. Advanced Writing for Business and Industry ENGL 5860. Advanced Nonfiction Writing

University of Nebraska(Technical Communication Certificate under development)

3980 Technical Writing Across the Disciplines 4810/8816 Digital Literacies for Technical Communicators 4830/8836 Technical Communication 4850/8856 Information Design for Technical Communicators 4870/8866 Technical Editing 4890/8896 Technical Communication Capstone Course

Oklahoma State University B.A. with Technical Writing

Option M.A. with Technical Writing

Option or Emphasis

(Oklahoma State University, cont’d)

B.A.Critical Thinking in Technical Writing Technical Writing Internship Advanced Technical Writing Document Design Technical Editing

M.A.Internship in Technical Writing Management Course Thesis

Oregon StateEnglish-Technical Writing Minor or Concentration for B.A. and M.A.

B.A.Wr 327: Technical WritingWr 420: Studies in Writing: Computers in Writing

M.A.Wr 519 Teaching Practicum: Technical Writing

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Wr 520 Studies in WritingWr 527 Advanced Technical Writing

University of Colorado at Colorado SpringsEnglish M.A. with emphasis in Professional Writing

Engl 301-3 Advanced CompositionEngl 307-3 Administrative and Business WritingEngl 309-3 Technical Writing and PresentationEngl 311-3 Advanced GrammarEngl 312-3 Technical Editing and StyleEngl 313-3 Designing Documents for Business and IndustryEngl 314-3 Managing Writing Projects for Business and IndustryEngl 315-(1-3) Professional Writing InternshipEngl 316-3 Tools for Technical Writers

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Major in English – Scientific

and Technical Writing Minor in Scientific and

Technical Writing

Engl 305 Scientific and Technical Communication Engl 306 Document Design and Visual Rhetoric Engl 455 Seminar in Scientific and Technical Communication Engl 307 EditingEngl 309 Writing Electronic TextsEngl 409 Grant Proposal WritingEngl 498 Internship in Writing

Pennsylvania State University

Technical Communication Certificate

CoursesAll courses can be taken on a credit or noncredit basis.

ENGL 418: Technical Writing--3 creditsTWRIT 5001--noncredit

This course tackles the field of technical communication as a whole. It builds the necessary language and organizational and research skills and perspectives that an effective technical communicator requires. These skills and perspectives are applied across a large variety of communication vehicles. The course goes over the varying roles of the technical communicator and how to prepare yourself to compete successfully for a technical communication position.

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ENGL 417: Technical Editing--3 creditsTWRIT 5002--noncredit

Technical editing is a complex task. It requires the ability to understand and manage a wide variety of tasks not only in the production process but also in the writing process itself. As a result, editing relies on a variety of technical and interpersonal skills. In this course, students will learn about the role of the editor within an organization and the strategies for effective editing.

ENGL 497: Information Design--3 creditsTWRIT 5003--noncredit

This course concentrates on the visual elements that combine with the content to form an entire document or piece. The course covers all elements from the high-level design of the document (such as the size of the page displayed and the fonts) to the functional elements used to convey ideas (such as tables, 2-D and 3-D graphics, and lists). The uses of paper and electronic media are covered for all elements.

ENGL 497: Usability--3 creditsTWRIT 5004--noncredit

This course introduces students to usability principles and methodology. It covers design heuristics that support ease of learning and ease of use, particularly those most relevant to writing and information design. It also describes the general phases that make up the usability engineering life cycle. Students will learn how usability practices can be incorporated most effectively within organizations and within product development cycles. They will learn how to plan, facilitate, and report findings from a contextual task analysis. They will

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gain hands-on experience with three of the most widely used usability methods: task analysis, usability inspection, and usability testing.

ENGL 497: Project Management for Technical Communicators--3 creditsTWRIT 5005--noncredit

This course provides practical information about technical publication project management that is useful for both technical writers/editors and technical publication managers. It is designed to build the skills required to manage documentation projects. Students will develop skills in information planning, estimating project time and costs, establishing a project schedule, selecting tools, building a team, implementing a project, and evaluating a project's success. This course features case studies and both individual and team projects.

University of WashingtonWidely considered to have the nation's leading technical communications program (1500 students/year). Master of Science in Technical

Communication Master of Communication in

Digital Media Certificate in User-Centered

Design Certificate in Graphic

Production for Print and Web Certificate in Multimedia Developing nation’s first Ph.D.

in Technical Communications.

(Only Technical Communications courses used for the Certificates are listed. UW’s program requires a wide variety of technical and specialized coursework.)

TC 231 Introduction to Technical WritingTC 400 Scientific and Technical Communication TC 401 Style in Scientific and Technical Writing TC 310 The Computer in Technical Communication TC 402 Scientific and Technical Editing TC 407 Computer Documentation TC 415 Production Editing

MIT Undergrad Writing &

Humanistic Studies program Master's Program in Science

Writing

UndergradExpository WritingWriting and ExperienceIntroduction to Technical CommunicationM.S. Advanced Science Writing Seminar (24

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units)Elective (12 units)Thesis (12 units)Advanced Science Writing Seminar (24 units)Elective (12 units)Thesis (12 units)Internship

Rutgers University Technical Writing Certificate

(18 credits) Professional Writing Certificate

(16-18 Credits)

Many of Rutgers’ TC offerings are an excellent model for our program’s seminar courses.

Engl 202 Technical Writing Essentials Engl 203 Business Writing Essentials Engl 302 Scientific & Technical Writing Engl 303 Writing for Business & Professions Engl 312 Writing for Biology Engl 315 Writing Grant Proposals Engl 322 Writing for Engineers Engl 342 Science Writing Engl 352 Writing as a Naturalist Engl 365 Technical Editing Engl 375 Collaborative Writing Practices Engl 395/396 Internship Engl 351/399/400 CASE Internships Engl 415 Information Design Engl 425 Web Authoring

Bowling Green State University Undergraduate Major in

Scientific & Technical Communication

M.A. English-Technical Communications concentration

Undergrad MajorENG 388 Introduction to Technical Writing ENG 389 Professional Editing ENG 486 Writing Process for Online Documentation ENG 487 Rhetoric & Writing for Science ENG 488 Advanced Technical Writing

ENG 489 Internships in Technical Communication (3-9 hours) A&S 250 Great Ideas (9 hours) Computer Science/Technology(6 hours) Design and Graphics(6 hours) Project Management

M.A.TECH 633: Visual Communications for Business and IndustryENG 640: Technical WritingENG 641: Resources and Research in Technical Writing

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ENG 642: Technical EditingENG 689: Internship in Technical WritingENG 696: Technical Writing PracticumPracticum Portfolio

Table 4 lists a few other colleges offering comprehensive writing programs which include professional and technical writing.

Table 4 Other Writing ProgramsWriting Program Degrees and Certificates

Ithaca Undergrad English Writing Major and Minor

Ohio State Undergrad English Writing Focus AreaRockhurst 4-course Writing CertificateUMBC Undergrad English Writing Minor

UMKC One undergraduate course in technical writing.M.A. in English with a professional writing emphasis (one technical-writing course)

University of IowaB.A. in Professional and Technical WritingB.A. Minor in Writing

M.A. in Professional and Technical Writing

Many, many courses offered through the Department of Rhetoric and Writing, a part of the Journalism Department.

Iowa State UniversityUndergrad Major in Technical Communication

M.A. in Rhetorical Studies (professional writing focus)

Many, many courses offered through the Departments of English and Communications.

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