Applying to the Certificate in Technical Communication

The application process includes several steps. All steps must be completed before the deadlines established for the certificate programs. To be eligible to apply, you must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited school, an appropriate academic record, and acceptable writing ability.

Application Procedure

• Complete an application for graduate admission to SPSU. You can download a printable application and mail it in along with the $20 non-refundable application fee. Or, you can set up an online account and apply over the internet.
• Request one official transcript to be sent from each college or university attended.
• Waive the Certificate of Immunization. Download this form and sign the waiver at the bottom.
• Three signed letters of recommendation written on letterhead
  The references should be from supervisors, clients, professors, or professional colleagues who can write about your work or academic record. Each letter should be in a sealed envelope with the writer's signature placed over the seal. You are to personally mail or deliver the envelope to our office or have the reference mail the letter.
  
• Application Essay
  An essay focusing on why the applicant has chosen an online learning environment for a graduate certificate in Technical Communication, and why this program is a good match for the applicant's career goals.
• Professional Resume
  This professional resume should show current and past work experience.

Once these materials have been received and processed, the IDC Program Assistant will contact you to complete the application process. This will include:

• Timed Essay
  Donna McPherson, the program assistant, will contact you to schedule a time to take this essay. It is on a topic that will be provided.
  

The Graduate Review Committee may, at its discretion, request additional information to help it review your application, including the possibility of an on-campus interview with a member of the committee.

You may also send additional information that you feel would be useful to the committee in evaluation your application, including, for example, your professional portfolio.

International Students

International students who do not possess a baccalaureate degree from a college in the United States must submit (1) an official English-translated transcript of college-level education, (2) the TOEFL scores, and (3) an affidavit indicating financial security.

Provisional Acceptance

Graduate students may be accepted provisionally when they have not fully met the criteria for admissions or in cases where the graduate admissions committee recommends additional course work to be fully prepared for program success.  Provisional status may require additional preparatory course work at the undergraduate or 5000-level, or a restriction on the number of courses a student can take. Provisional students are not guaranteed full graduate status.  Provisional status is generally awarded for one semester only.  Satisfactory completion of provisional requirements is determined by the graduate coordinator in consultation with the graduate faculty. 

Transfer Credit

Students may receive up to nine hours of credit for graduate work that is (1) equivalent to Southern Polytechnic information design courses, (2) taken in the last five years, and (3) completed with an "A" or "B" grade. Contact the department for more information.

For more information

For further information on admissions, contact Donna McPherson at 678-915-7202.

Submit GRE® - Graduate Record Examinations® scores OR a professional portfolio. If you choose the GRE option, view the GRE FAQs. If you choose the portfolio option, you must have 2 or more years of relevant work experience. Your portfolio should include appropriate descriptions and narrative justification of the relevancy of the work experience to the graduate program. For each work sample, explain the audience, purpose, and your role in creating it.