Technical and Professional Communication
 
TCOM 6001 Technical Writing and Editing 3-0-3
Overview of technical writing and editing. Emphasis on drafting and editing many documents that reflect the variety of writing done in the field of technical communication. Both experienced and inexperienced writers will benefit from this course, which must be taken the first semester of enrollment in the master's program.
 
TCOM 6002 Document Design and Research 3-0-3
Study of the main design elements in technical communication, with emphasis on theoretical underpinnings and research. Provides an introduction to research methodologies that flow largely from practical issues related to information design. Requirements include a report on document design that demonstrates solid application of theoretical principles. Should be taken as soon as possible after admission.
 
TCOM 6003 Advanced Editing 3-0-3
Prerequisite: TCOM 6001
Course examines the responsibilities of an editor, including the skills and talents necessary to become a successful editor. Focus is on developmental editing, copyediting, editing graphics, and editing electronic documents. Also covers (a) interpersonal skills relative to editing, (b) organizational aspects of editing, and (c) production issues such as selecting paper stock, bidding jobs, binding documents, and inspecting presses on site for major jobs.
 
TCOM 6004 Advanced Research 3-0-3
Prerequisite: TCOM 6002
Course prepares students to write a journal-quality article or a master's thesis. Introduces methods of quantitative and qualitative inquiry used in technical communication research, develops the skills for conducting a search and review of literature, teaches techniques of collecting and analyzing data, and covers the elements of a formal research report. Strongly encouraged for students who choose the thesis option.
 
TCOM 6030 Foundations of Graphics 3-0-3
An introduction to the fundamental elements and principles of graphic design and application of these concepts to page design and layout. Study of elementary color theory. Introduction to production techniques and current software applications. This course is double-listed for both undergraduate and graduate students. Graduate students will be required to complete additional work that emphasizes theory and research over application. Thus they must demonstrate a higher level of learning than undergraduates.
 
TCOM 6040 Applied Graphics 3-0-3
Prerequisite: TCOM 6030
Course examines the role of graphics in technical and professional communication. Students develop competency in desktop publishing, digital image editing, and vector-based graphics applications. Students complete practical projects that use typography, photographs, illustrations, engineering drawings, and data graphics. Projects focus on the role of graphics as both an independent communication and as support for text-based media used in business, industry, education, and training.
 
TCOM 6045 Foundations of Multimedia 3-0-3
Prerequisite: TCOM 6030
A study of the foundations of multimedia including theory, planning, scripting, storyboarding, and production. Students will submit research work on the theory of multimedia. This course is double-listed for both undergraduate and graduate students. Graduate students will be required to complete additional work that emphasizes theory and research over application. Thus they must demonstrate a higher level of learning than undergraduates.
 
TCOM 6050 Applied Multimedia 3-0-3
Prerequisite: TCOM 6045
Study of specific applications of multimedia in technical and professional communication, education, marketing, and training, including authoring for Web pages. Projects emphasize hypermedia, hyperlinks, and interactive design for use in technical manuals, proposals, informational kiosks, marketing presentations, resumes, and electronic information systems.
 
TCOM 6060 International Technical Communication 3-0-3
Survey of the major issues that affect technical communication from a global perspective. Topics may include cultural influences on communication, challenges associated with technical translation, differing uses of graphics, communicating within multinational organizations, and theoretical issues related to international communication.
 
TCOM 6070 Manuals 3-0-3
Introduction to the process and principles of writing manuals, with emphasis on user manuals. Students write and produce all or part of a manual. Course includes study of structured writing. Course also includes discussion of (1) production issues and (2) theory relevant to designing usable and readable manuals. This course is double-listed for both undergraduate and graduate students. Graduate students will be required to complete additional work that emphasizes theory and research over application. Thus they must demonstrate a higher level of learning than undergraduates.
 
TCOM 6080 Professional Oral Presentations 3-0-3
Course designed to enhance students' presentation skills in a technical and business environment. Students practice various speech types such as briefings, interviews, formal technical presentations, panels, and impromptu presentations. Course also includes an overview of communication theory as it applies to oral presentations.
 
TCOM 6090 Medical Communication 3-0-3
Course examines the scope of medical communication. Students produce, edit, or analyze samples of such documents as patient information brochures, medical advertisements, pharmaceutical package inserts, and medical research papers.
 
TCOM 6100 Small Group Communication 3-0-3
Study of the theory and practice of group interaction and teamwork as it applies to group process. Focuses on such topics as the function of roles in groups, conflict resolution, leadership in the small group, gender differences, listening and negotiation skills, and managing meetings. Workshop activities reinforce these principles. This course is double-listed for both undergraduate and graduate students. Graduate students will be required to complete additional work that emphasizes theory and research over application. Thus they must demonstrate a higher level of learning than undergraduates.
 
TCOM 6110 Project Management  3-0-3
Study of the variety of skills needed to manage projects in technical communication. Students practice in three key areas: planning, scheduling, and controlling. Related areas, such as delegating and decision making, are covered through outside readings. Strongly recommended: several years' experience in technical writing and some experience as senior writer, team leader, or supervisor.
 
TCOM 6120 Usability Testing 3-0-3
Study of the relevant research and practical application of usability testing as part of product development. Includes strategies for planning, conducting, and analyzing a test. Teams will perform tests and report results from an actual test in a usability lab. Recommended that students have experience in, or have taken, Online Communication or Foundations of Multimedia.
 
TCOM 6130 Online Communication 3-0-3
Study of the design and development of effective online materials such as help, online references, and web pages. Presents theories of human-computer interaction and principles of online communication. Students design and develop their own module of online information. Although the course presents principles of authoring, it does not teach tools for authoring online information. This course is double-listed for both undergraduate and graduate students. Graduate students will be required to complete additional work that emphasizes theory and research over application. Thus they must demonstrate a higher level of learning than undergraduates.
 
TCOM 6140 Instructional Design 3-0-3
Course introduces students to principles of how adults learn and develop the skills required to plan curricula, select media, plan instructional modes, produce materials, and deliver training about technical topics. Students develop a training curriculum based on an organizational needs assessment. Students also develop and deliver an in-class instructional unit on technical topics of their choosing. These topics can be work-related or from the field of technical writing.
 
TCOM 6150 Marketing Communication 3-0-3
Course examines those aspects of technical communication that include advertising, brochures, catalogs, press releases, and other means of marketing in both print and other media. Includes analysis of web pages and the uses of the world wide web for marketing purposes.
 
TCOM 6160 Rhetoric: History, Theory, and Practice 3-0-3
Course introduces rhetoric as the relationship between thought and expression. Explores connections between rhetoric and writing, between a public act and a personal thinking process, by examining classical and contemporary accounts of rhetorical history and theory. Students apply theory to their own writing as they explore the relationship between writers, readers, and subjects and the range of options available to communicators. This course is double-listed for both undergraduate and graduate students. Graduate students will be required to complete additional work that emphasizes theory and research over application. Thus they must demonstrate a higher level of learning than undergraduates.
 
TCOM 6170 Video Production 3-0-3
Introduction to the role and use of video production for technical and professional communication. Topics include scripts, storyboards, shot selection, continuity, lighting, sound, in-camera editing, and fundamental post-production techniques. Students complete at least two assigned videos as individual or team projects. This course is double-listed for both undergraduate and graduate students. Graduate students will be required to complete additional work that emphasizes theory and research over application. Thus they must demonstrate a higher level of learning than undergraduates.
 
TCOM 6901-6903 Special Topics 
variable credit-1 to 3 hours
Intensive study of a particular genre of technical writing, with course topics changing from semester to semester.
 
TCOM 7601-7603 Master's Internship
variable credit-1 to 3 hours
Prerequisites: Completion of 27 hours of TCOM coursework or consent of the department head, confirmation of approved internship
Course provides student with hands-on experience in technical communication in a professional environment. The internship involves work for a single sponsoring organization. Work should be typical of technical communicators. Work may be either an extended project or a variety of shorter assignments. (Total of 6 hours of Master's Internship required.)
 
TCOM 7801-7803 Master's Thesis
variable credit-1 to 3 hours
Prerequisites: Completion of 30 hours of TCOM coursework or consent of the department head, approval of thesis proposal
Intensive research project that results in a formal written thesis. Usually flows from an area of interest discovered by the student in early stages of the Technical and Professional Communication program or through work experience. Thesis work will be closely supervised by the student's advisor. Students may enroll for a maximum of 3 hours per term for thesis credit, with exceptions at the discretion of the department head. (Total of 6 hours of Master's Thesis required.)