Department of English
TTU Home Department of English Technical Communication and Rhetoric

MATC Course Requirements

Degree Requirements

The MATC requires 36 hours of courses. Up to 9 hours of these courses may be in a minor. In addition, you will submit a portfolio of your work to the faculty in your final semester. Texas Tech will normally accept 6 hours of approved graduate courses from another accredited university to apply to a degree.

The MATC emphasizes breadth of coursework. Students will prepare broadly in the kinds of responsibilities that careers in technical communication require. It is a good choice for students with undergraduate majors other than technical communication or who wish to pursue a minor field of study along with technical communication.

Courses

All students will complete graduate courses in the following four categories, for a total of 12 courses or 36 hours. Students will complete 10 courses from categories A, B, and C plus the two required courses in category D.

Category A: Application

At least 4 of these courses

 ENGL 5372 Technical Reports
ENGL 5373 Technical Manuals
ENGL 5374 Technical Editing
ENGL 5375 Document Design
ENGL 5376 Online Publishing
ENGL 5387 Publications Management
ENGL 5377 Theoretical Approaches to Technical Communication (when the topic emphasizes application)
Category B: Theory and Research 

At least 3 of these courses so that courses from A and B total a minimum of 7

 ENGL 5369 Discourse and Technology
ENGL 5384 Rhetoric of Scientific Communication
ENGL 5385 Ethics in Technical Communication
ENGL 5386 Written Discourse and Social Issues
ENGL 5388 Usability Testing
ENGL 5389 Field Methods of Research 
ENGL 5377 Theoretical Approaches to Technical Communication (when the topic is theoretical)
Category C: Tailoring your Degree Program

Courses to total 10 courses when added to the selections from categories A and B. Options include the following:
  • ENGL 5378 Internship
  • Additional courses from categories A and B or new technical communication courses that may be introduced and approved in the future
  • Other language and communication-related courses that the department may offer by distance in the future (for example, ENGL 5363, Research Methods, ENGL 5364, History of Rhetoric, or ENGL 5365, Studies in Composition)
  • Communication courses that other departments may offer by distance in the future
  • Courses in fields closely related to technical communication such a management, human factors, educational technology, or psychology.
Category D: Required Courses

 

Note: 5371 is required of all MATC students, but 5390 is required ONLY for students in the online MATC program

ENGL 5371 Foundations of Technical Communication. Introduction to the field and its theories, publications, genres, and current topics.

ENGL 5390, Writing for Publication. After completing at least 24 hours from the organized courses listed above, students will enroll in ENGL 5390. The paper from this course should be suitable for publication in a journal such as Technical Communication.

Minor

Two or three courses (6-9 hours) may constitute a minor in a field other than technical communication. The minor should enhance your ability to understand and apply research related to communication or to complete job responsibilities. The minor courses may be taken in one department or may consist of a cluster of courses on related topics from different departments. The minor may be completed in the English Department in a field such as linguistics, rhetoric, or literature. The choice of a minor must be approved by the faculty advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies as well as by the minor department. The minor department establishes its own policies about what courses constitute a minor and about examinations in the minor field.

MATC Portfolio

After completing 18 hours and in your final semester of the MATC, you will develop and present to the TCR faculty a portfolio demonstrating what you have learned in the program.