Technical and Professional Communication
 
TCOM 6000 Document Design  3-0-3
Study of the chief elements of technical and professional documents. Topics include analysis of design and research in the theory of document design as a basis for correcting weaknesses. Requirements include (1) a report proposing a redesign, with sample selected parts of a redesigned document, and (2) a report that is based on current document design theory. Course must be taken first semester of enrollment in the master's program.
 
TCOM 6010 Editing 3-0-3 
Course designed to give students practice in applying editing principles and techniques to technical subject matter. The following main areas of interest are addressed: copy editing, working with authors and editors, and related issues.
 
TCOM 6020 Research in Technical and Professional Communication 3-0-3 
Study of research methodology in technical communication. Provides experience in collecting material, weighing evidence, reaching conclusions, and writing research reports. Course includes study of the theory necessary to understand the research.
 
TCOM 6030 Foundations of Graphic Communication 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.
 
TCOM 6040 Applied Graphic Communication 3-0-3 
Prerequisite: TCOM 6030
Course examines the role of graphics in technical and professional communication. Students complete practical projects that use typography, photographs, illustration, engineering drawings, data graphics, video, and multimedia. 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 6050 Applications of Multimedia  3-0-3
Prerequisite: TCOM 6030
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, readable manuals.
 
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.
 
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, with the focus on documentation. 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 writing technical documentation or have taken Online Communication or Manuals.
 
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.
 
TCOM 6140 Instructional Design 3-0-3 
Course introduces students to principles of how adults learn and develops 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.
 
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.
 
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 7701-7703 Master's Project variable credit-1 to 3 hours
Prerequisites: Completion of 27 hours of TCOM coursework or consent of the department head, approval of project proposal
Written project that student completes as part of, or on the basis of, work done in a company or another organization. Sample projects include case study, project report, feasibility study, training package, or manual. The project will be closely monitored by the student's advisor and will require a literature review. (Total of 3 hours of Master's Project 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 quarter for thesis credit, with exceptions at the discretion of the department head. (Total of 6 hours of Master's Thesis required.)