Technical and Professional Communication

Technical and Professional Communication

Course Descriptions for Technical and Professional Communication

The Master's program in Technical and Professional Communication was developed in response to a growing need for professionals in technical communication.

The basic objectives of the program are:

To educate those persons, with diverse academic and work backgrounds, who seek to begin their careers in the field of technical communication, and
To provide a useful credential for current technical communicators who need advanced training to move ahead in their careers, either as employees or managers of a company or as independent consultants.

The Technical and Professional Communication program offers students the choice of three program options - Plans A, B, and C - all of which require completion of thirty-six hours.

Plan A:	Students selecting this option must complete the six-hour Master's Internship. They must also finish classroom work totaling thirty hours (Internship option). Students must take TCOM 6001 and TCOM 6002.

Plan B:	Students selecting this option must complete the Master's Thesis (six-hour minimum). They must also finish thirty hours of classroom work that must include these courses: TCOM 6001 and TCOM 6002. Students in the thesis option are strongly encouraged to take TCOM 6004, Advanced Research.

Plan C:	Students selecting this option must complete thirty-six hours of classroom work. The courses must include TCOM 6001 and TCOM 6002.

All Technical and Professional Communication courses are listed below.

NOTE: TCOM 6001 must be taken the first semester of work in the Master's program, and TCOM 6002 must be taken as soon as possible after admission. Required Courses for Plan A

			Hours
TCOM	6001	Technical Writing and Editing	3
TCOM	6002	Document Design and Research	3
		Communication	3
TCOM	7601-7603*	Master's Internship	6

Required Courses for Plan B

TCOM	6001	Technical Writing and Editing	3
TCOM	6002	Document Design and Research	3
		Communication	3
TCOM	7801-7803*	Master's Thesis	6

Required Courses for Plan C

TCOM	6001	Technical Writing and Editing	3
TCOM	6002	Document Design and Research	3
		Communication	3

Elective Courses for Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C

TCOM	6003	Advanced Editing	3
TCOM	6004	Advanced Research	3
TCOM	6030	Foundations of Graphics	3
TCOM	6040	Applied Graphics	3
TCOM	6045	Foundations of Multimedia	3
TCOM	6050	Applied Multimedia	3
TCOM	6060	International Technical Communication	3
TCOM	6070	Manuals	3
TCOM	6080	Professional Oral Presentations	3
TCOM	6090	Medical Communication	3
TCOM	6100	Small Group Communication	3
TCOM	6110	Project Management	3
TCOM	6120	Usability Testing	3
TCOM	6130	Online Communication	3
TCOM	6140	Instructional Design	3
TCOM	6150	Marketing Communication	3
TCOM	6160	Rhetoric: History, Theory, and Practice	3
TCOM	6170	Video Production	3
TCOM	6901-6903	Special Topics	1-3

NOTE: A grade of "B" or better is required in all courses that are applied toward the 36 hours required for graduation (with the exception of the internship and thesis, which require an "S").

* When taking the internship, students may enroll in a maximum of 9 hours per semester (3 hours of internship plus two courses or 6 hours of internship plus one course). When taking the thesis, students may enroll in a maximum of 9 hours per semester--to include no more than 3 hours of thesis per semester. For exceptions, students should petition the department head.