The Minor in Professional Writing and Technical Communication supplements ˿Ƶ Tech technical degrees and provides advanced training and experience in communication skills.
The minor offers specialized communication courses in such varied areas as proposal and grant writing, documentation development, and technical editing.
Students who have performed above-average work in their lower-division communication courses are encouraged to enroll in the program. For further information on enrollment, contact any Communication Department faculty member.
Career Opportunities
The Professional Writing and Technical Communication Minor will enhance students’ flexibility as their careers develop. Employers in private industry, governmental agencies, and research facilities seek a unique combination of skills. First, employers know that the major coursework at ˿Ƶ Tech prepares students well. Second, the Professional Writing and Technical Communication Minor courses build skills in project development, manual writing and editing, computer-aided writing and publishing, oral presentations, and interviewing skills that complement technical education. Even if students choose not to work as technical writers or editors, the Professional Writing and Technical Communication Minor may increase job opportunities and professional advancement.
Requirements
Students take one required core course, an upper-division WRI course from an approved list, and four electives. Students must earn a “C” or better in all courses to complete the minor.
| Required Courses | ||
| WRI 227 | Technical Report Writing | 4 |
| AND | ||
| WRI 327 | Advanced Technical Writing | 3 |
| OR | ||
| WRI 328 | Style | 3 |
| OR | ||
| WRI 345 | Science Writing | 3 |
| OR | ||
| WRI 350 | Documentation Development | 3 |
| OR | ||
| WRI 410 | Proposal and Grant Writing | 3 |
Students take four electives from the following list. At least two must be upper division.
| Elective Courses | ||
| COM 301 | Rhetorical Theory and Application | 3 |
| COM 305 | Contemporary Rhetorical Theory | 3 |
| COM 365 | Electronic Communication and Society | 3 |
| COM 415 | Developing Effective Multimedia-based Presentations | 3 |
| JOUR 211 | Publications/Student Newspaper | 3 |
| PWR 101 | Introduction to Professional Writing | 3 |
| PWR 102 | Introduction to Web Authoring | 3 |
| PWR 206 | Social Media | 3 |
| PWR 215 | Writing in the Public Interest | 3 |
| PWR 220 | Writing for Interactive Media | 3 |
| PWR 306 | Writing for the Health Professions | 3 |
| PWR 310 | Professional Writing for International Audiences | 3 |
| PWR 315 | Advanced Web Authoring | 3 |
| PWR 330 | User Research | 3 |
| PWR 355 | Project Management for Writers | 3 |
| WRI 328 | Style | 3 |
| WRI 345 | Science Writing | 3 |
| WRI 410 | Proposal and Grant Writing | 3 |
| WRI 415 | Technical Editing | 3 |
| WRI 420 | Document Design | 3 |