MA in Technical Communication
Technical communication has been taught at Texas Tech University since 1927, the year after the university was founded. An undergraduate specialization was established within the English major in the 1970s and updated in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1993, Texas Tech began offering two graduate degrees in technical communication: the Master of Arts in Technical Communication and the Ph.D. in Technical Communication and Rhetoric. The English Department has been active in computer-assisted pedagogy since 1982 and uses the knowledge from onsite computer classrooms in designing the distance courses. [click for most recent brochure]
The online version of the master’s degree parallels the onsite version and is approved for distance delivery by the state Coordinating Board as well as by the university’s accrediting body. It represents innovative course delivery and pedagogy to meet the needs of working professionals at sites distant from Texas Tech.
Purpose
The M.A. in Technical Communication qualifies people for writing, editing, and supervisory positions in industry and for teaching in community colleges or for further graduate study. Specific aims of study include knowledge of the history, theory, research, genres, principles, techniques, and practices of technical communication. The program emphasizes five broad areas of scholarship in its scholarship, coursework, and initiatives: a) Rhetoric, Composition, and Technology, b) Technical Communication, c) Rhetorics of Science and Healthcare, d) Technology, Culture, and Rhetoric, and e) Visual Rhetoric, New Media, and User-Centered Design.
Strengths of Our Program
Texas Tech offers
- A well-established degree program and faculty in technical communication
- A classification as the representative M.A. program nationwide in Education in Scientific and Technical Communication: Academic Programs That Work, ed. Michael L. Keene (Society for Technical Communication, 1997). Chapter 3.
- National leadership in computers and writing pedagogy
- A record of student achievement and job placement
- A program "culture" that emphasizes personal attention
- An award-winning chapter of the Society for Technical Communication
Definition of Distance Learning and Program Goals
In distance learning graduate courses, students "meet" via the Internet rather than in classrooms at the university. Graduate distance learning courses are taught as organized courses on the semester schedule. Students are expected to meet course deadlines assigned by the instructor and to participate in a synchronous class discussions on one designated weekday during the semester. A graduate level course requires a commitment of approximately ten hours per week for participating in group online activities, for reading, and for working on course projects.
The online version of the master's degree in technical communication provides professional development for people working in technical communication. It also provides the qualifications for entering the career for people in other career fields. The specific goals of graduate study are:
- Knowledge of history, theory, research, genres, and practice of technical communication
- Knowledge of principles and techniques in the field
- Development of effectiveness in technical communication
Outcomes
Upon completing the MATC curriculum successfully, students should be able to do the following:
- Create effective technical documents justified with relevant theory.
- Analyze and respond appropriately to rhetorical situations and key issues in the field, including the differing goals and agendas of audiences, organizations, and societies.
- Employ and justify user-centered approaches to technical communication.
- Demonstrate sensitivity to the ethical, professional, and cultural issues that face technical communicators.
- Use communication technologies and media appropriate to users and situations.
- Write clear, correct, and stylistically effective prose.
Assessment
Students’ success in meeting the outcomes stated above will be measured through the following means:
- A semester review by the Director of Graduate Studies in Technical Communication and Rhetoric
- A portfolio of work, presented to a committee of faculty for evaluation after the completion of 18 hours and in the last semester of MATC coursework.