Program Overview

Combined Professional and Technical Communication Degrees

Program Overview

The Department of Technical Communication offers a five-year Grad Track Pathway to a combined B.A. or B.S. with an M.A. in Professional and Technical Communication for highly motivated students. This program enables students to earn their undergraduate degree while simultaneously earning graduate-level credit that can be applied to the M.A. degree.

Program Details

• Program Type: B.A. or B.S. and M.A.
• Format: On Campus
• Estimated Time to Complete: 5 years
• Credit Hours: 150

Marketable Skills

• Content strategy
• Usability/user experience testing
• Proposal and grant writing
• Content creation and management
• Web and mobile app development
• Web/social media content strategies
• User experience research
• Advanced technical writing
• Pedagogical practices
• XML programming

Program Highlights

• Pursue the B.A. by completing the college's standard foreign language requirement, or opt for the B.S. by substituting the foreign language courses with courses in computer science, business computing, data analysis, or information science.
• The Technical Communication Lab is equipped with the technology and software needed to complete coursework, and Lab staff will help students learn the software skills required for technical and business documents.
• Faculty members are outstanding teachers with diverse backgrounds and years of experience as writers, editors, creative directors, and consultants for various companies and organizations.
• The program has a 15-plus year reputation of excellence and holds an impressive job placement record.
• Students have leadership opportunities through teaching assistant positions, lab tutor positions in the TECM Lab, and involvement in the student organization (ETC).
• The curriculum also prepares students to enter a doctoral technical communication program. Recent graduates have earned fellowships at some of the nation's premiere programs.

Career Opportunities

• Our graduates work for AT&T, Apple, Microsoft, Sabre Airline Solutions, Hewlett Packard, and GE Healthcare. Recent graduates have generally started their careers with a $50-$55,000 annual salary.
• Key job sectors include:
  • Aerospace
  • Information technology
  • Defense
  • Manufacturing
  • Engineering
  • Pharmaceuticals
• Graduates of our M.A. program have a 100% job placement rate.

Sample Courses

• Content Strategy in Technical Communication (3 hrs)
• Usability and User Experience in Technical Communication (3 hrs)
• Digital Literacies for Professional Communicators (3 hrs)
• Digital Content Strategies for Communication Professionals (3 hrs)
• Measuring Usability and User Experience for Professional and Technical Communication (3 hrs)
• The Profession of Technical Communication (3 hrs)