The electronic Graduate Certificate Program in Technical Writing and Communication requires at least nine hours of course work in 500-level technical writing courses and three hours of course work in 400/500-level technical writing courses.
560: Seminar in Technical Writing. 0-3-3 (6). Preq. ENGL 303 or equivalent or permission of the instructor. Selected reading and research topics in technical writing theory and practice, repeatable once for credit with different instructor and/or course content.
561/461:
Technical Writing for Publication. 0-3-3. Preq. ENGL
303. Writing articles for scientific and
technical journals, with emphasis on audience analysis and appropriate
style. (G)
562/462:
Technical Editing.
0-3-3. Preq. ENGL 303. The work of an editor, including editing a text,
planning projects, and working with authors, illustrators, and
production workers. (G)
564/464: Occupational Technical Writing. 0-3-3. Preq., ENGL 303. Preparing the technical writer to plan and conduct training sessions within the organization and to supervise others engaged in writing tasks. (G)
565/465: Specification, Bid, Grant, and Proposal Writing. 0-3-3. Preq. ENGL 303. Writing specifications, bids, grants, and proposals; emphasis on audience analysis, organization, and writing style. (G)
568/468:
569/469:
Graphics in Technical Writing.
0-3-3. Preq. ENGL 303. Theory and practice of illustrating texts, with
emphasis on electronic media to integrate nonverbal and written
materials. (G)
To complete the 15 hours required by the certificate, a student has several options.
* A student must successfully complete five of the above listed courses for a total of 15 hours.
* Or, a student may substitute one other graduate-level course – such as art, architecture, composition, or linguistics – for one of the courses. Only specific courses in these areas would be accepted and would have to be approved by the Director; the courses would be those which would benefit the technical writer, such as computer-aided design, graphic design, advanced composition, or industrial behavioral analysis. The rationale for so wide a range of choice is to tailor the certificate to suit the needs of those persons enrolled in the program. For example, someone working in the architectural area might take Art 574: Directed Projects in Design and Digital Imaging; someone working in the field of education might benefit from Educational Computer Technology 502: Development and Design of Multimedia Instructional Units; an electrical engineer might take Electrical Engineering 537: Advanced Microfabrication with Computer-Aided Design.
* Or, a three-credit-hour capstone course or internship course may be used for three of the credit hours.
Substitutions require consultation with and approval of the Coordinator of Technical Writing.
