Master of Technical Communication Course Descriptions
Section A: Core Requirements (9 credits required)
TCR 6100: Foundations of Technical Communication
| 3 credits; offered every fall semester
Introduces students to the tensions, histories, and major theories of technical writing and communication. Students explore the scope of the field, mapping key trends and topics. Not repeatable for credit.
TCR 6120: Rhetorical Theory
| 3 credits; offered spring semester in odd years
Covers intellectual traditions of rhetoric from classical times to the present: major theories and controversies in the field. Not repeatable for credit.
TCR 6130: Professional Editing
| 3 credits; offered spring semester in even years
Examines complex roles editors assume in creating technical and non-technical documents. Principal components include working with the substance of documents, mediating the writer-reader relationship, and exemplifying the application of rhetorical theory in editing. Not repeatable for credit.
Section B: Issues in Professional Communication (12-24 credits required)
TCR 6210: Cultural Research Methods
| 3 credits; usually offered fall semester in even years
Survey of cultural research methods that apply to contemporary practices in technical communication and rhetoric. These methods may include feminism, queer theory, postcolonial theory, critical race theory, and disability studies. This class is repeatable for credit once, if taught by a different instructor.
TCR 6220: User Experience Design
| 3 credits; offered fall semester in odd years
Students are introduced to academic and industry research on user experience design. Students also learn how to plan, conduct, and report on data collected from user experience research, applying theories of inclusive design to solve complex communication/design problems.
TCR 6230: Instructional Design for Technical Communicators
| 3 credits; offered spring semester in odd years
Students read and reflect upon pedagogical theories and research, analyze others' teaching/training materials in a variety of contexts, and craft pedagogical products that can be used in either academic or industry contexts to be determined by the student. Not repeatable for credit.
TCR 6240 Communication Design
| 3 credits; offered fall semester in odd years
This course covers design principles, color theory, typography, and graphics. Students learn to analyze and improve the design of existing documents as well as design new documents to meet stakeholders' needs. Not repeatable for credit.
TCR 6250 Digital Rhetorics
| 3 credits; offered fall semester in even years
Students learn to critically analyze digital texts, design persuasive digital content, and consider the rhetorical and ethical implications of online communications. Not repeatable for credit.
TCR 6260: Accessibility Rhetorics and Disability Studies
| 3 credits; offered spring semester in even years
Students learn disabilities theory, including being able to make a strong case for accessible design, improving their closed captioning and web design skills, and understanding how to approach multiple technologies and rhetorical situations with accessibility in mind. Not repeatable for credit.
TCR 6270: Writing Technologies
| 3 credits; offered fall semester in odd years
This course is about learning how to learn technologies. Students gain experience with three core software programs and develop a sense of adventure, tenacity, and confidence in learning technologies relevant to technical communication. Not repeatable for credit.
TCR 6490: Special Topics in Technical Communication and Rhetoric
| 3 credits
Students study topics designed to enrich their understanding of Technical Communication and Rhetoric. Topics have included crisis communication, ethics and technology, marketing and public relations, and user experience design and testing. This class is repeatable for credit, if taught by a different instructor.
TCR 6900: Graduate Internship/Cooperative Experience
| 1-3 credits
Students can earn credit for professional internships and cooperative work experiences that are not already part of their current job.
TCR 7110: Empirical Research Methods
| 3 credits; offered spring semester in even years
Survey of empirical research methods for conducting professional communication research in academic and nonacademic settings. Not repeatable for credit.