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If I Ruled the Universe (or at least the University):
The Ideal Undergraduate Program in Technical Writing
By Lorie Ann Wright 

I.

     Educators at the university level has many responsibilities to the students they teach.  They should offer the students the opportunity to learn in a craft, profession, or skill that will lead to success in the future.   The University should provide courses and programs that are useful both to the gingival student and the community.  In order to do this Educators need to adapt their curriculum to the needs of the job market thus supply graduates the degree and skills they need to find gainful employment.

     At the start of the new millennium the job market demands skilled technical writers to bridge the communication gap between the jargon of various technical industries and the languages of the rest of the world.  The field of Technical Writing has grown in the last thirty years.  It has become a full-fledged profession with huge growth and income potentials.  A student with even a certificate in technical writing has a distinct advantage over others in the job market.  Sharing information and good communication is a main concern with many business and professions at this time.  It is this demand for clear and concise writing that fuels the university’s need to offer programs and degrees in this field.

     Several Universities and Colleges have already seen and responded to the growth in this field.  Technical Writing programs are being created at many schools.  For the purposes of this paper I examined various programs and courses related to Technical and Professional Writing.  Through university websites I was able to see the different approaches used in creating these new programs.  Using this information I designed an undergraduate program that offers the best education possible for the field.  I combined aspects from several different programs that stood out from the rest.  Though the number of programs is growing daily, I chose to illustrate five programs that offer unique approaches to the field.  With each evaluation I include the web site address for the university that offers the program.  From these evaluations I create my own program and hopefully my choices will be obvious and justified.

                                                                               II.

     The following programs each offer at least the minim degree necessary to get started as a profesionalwriter.  Please look at the websites given for more details about the requirements for the degree. 

      UNT offers A Bachelor of Arts, Masters of Arts, and a Ph. D. in Technical and Professional Writing through the department of English.  For an undergraduate the departments offers a degree in English with a concentration in Composition, which includes a significant, amount of course work in Tech writing.  They also offer an endorsement in Tech writing for those wishing to combine the writings skill with other degrees.

     The Masters program is also through the department of English and focuses on a concentration in Technical writing.  Grad students are required to take a majority of Tech writing courses and are also required to do work in rhetoric and composition.  A Practicum can also be arranged in this Program.

     The Ph. D. program allows the student the opportunity to write a dissertation in Persuasive and Technical Writing.  Students split their course work between Tech writing and Rhetoric studies and includes oral exams.

     I like this program because it is practical and well designed.  It offers degrees on several levels through an already existing department.  Thus saving the university expense and complications while still meeting the demands of the students and the job market.  I also like the wide variety of classes offer that relate to this field just in the English department.  The program has 28 courses for the student to choose from.

For more information see   http://www.engl.unt.edu/writing/technical.htm

     JMU offers both a Bachelor of Arts and Science as part of their Technical and Scientific Communication program.  The degree requires 39 credit hours with 9 hours in required tech writing courses.  Another 18 hours must come from tech writing electives that create a concentration within the field.  Seniors are required to present an exit portfolio.  Majors are also encouraged to complete a tech writing internship before graduation.  The university believes in a broad education in this field and encourages students to take classes in a large selection of disciplines.

     I like the variety and discipline required for this program.  The school warns that seeking a degree in the field may require students to take beyond the required number of classes needed for graduation.  The program also works with more than 10 other departments and students may choose some of their electives from a field that interest them.  This interdisplinary approach can only help the student in finding a successful position in the future.  The program also offers small classes and promises to respond to the individual needs of students who seek this degree.

For more information see  http://www.jmu.edu/techscicom/IEversion/babs1.html

      Clemson offers a comprehensive Masters of Arts program in Professional Communication. The program requires 30 credit hours of work, reading knowledge of a foreign language, oral exit exams, and an optional thesis.  Of the 30 needed hours, 15 hours are required core classes.  The program requires the student to check in with their advisor on a regular basis in order to review the individual’s progress in the program. 

    I included this program, even though it is a MA degree, because of the required second language and the strict advisement policy.  In the ever shrinking world of instant communication a second language is no longer a luxury but a requirement.  A knowledge of foreign language can also give students and

 edge in the job market and lead too more exciting, challenging careers.  The regular meetings with advisors allow the student to seek advice and qualified opinions about their course work and their future.  With such a strict policy no student will get left behind or find themselves “short” a class before graduation.

For more information see  http://hubcap.clemson.edu/aah/engl/mapc/

      CMU offers a Bachelor of Science in Technical Writing.  CMU has the distinct advantage of being the oldest undergrad program in Tech writing in the country.  The program is designed with the student’s future career in mind.  The program is highly structured and works with the University’s Education Program as well as other disciplines.  Students are required to take courses in other disciplines in the mathematical or scientific arenas.  Students also have the advantage of working with collages within the Carnegie Melon family to expand their learning experience.  Students can also participate in internships with several large well-known corporations in a variety of fields.  This wonderful internship program leads to successful placement after graduation.

     I like this program because it keeps the student’s future in mind.  It first teaches the skills needed to be a successful tech writer and then gives the student hands-on experience that cannot be learned in the classroom.  Students participating in the internship learn the workings and protocol of major organizations while making useful contacts for the future.  The program forgets lofty ideals and simple prepares the student for a bright future in the field.

 For more information see  http://english. cmu.edu/programs/bs/tw/

     Radford offers a minor or a concentration in tech writing through the department of English.  The concentration consists of 4 required courses in various aspects of tech writing.  The minor includes the same required courses plus nine hours of other English work.  The program seems to focus on the practical application of learning in order to find a successful career.

     I like this program because it offers the student the opportunity to major in another discipline and incorporate the tech writing skills with that major.  It offers all the advantages of a BA in tech writing with a little less work and it still meets the demands of the job market.   It has the flexibility to let the student work in a major that they enjoy and have the practicality of a tech writing minor to fall back on.  It is the English major’s dream!

For more information see  http://www.runet.edu/~engl_web

                                                                          III.

      A huge part of creating a tech writing program involves the selection of courses to be included in the degree or concentration.  The program must provide the skills needed to write well on a variety of subjects using a variety of computer programs.  It is difficult to mix the two traditionally very separate fields of composition and computers.  A tech-writing program has to combine the two fields well in order to make the students education varied and flexible enough to gain employment in any number of organizations.

     Most of the syllabi readily available via the Internet are divided into three categories:  courses that are taught on-line only, courses that are taught in a computer lab, and courses in thru normal classroom setting.  These three approaches each offer advantages to the student depending on the particular course being taught. 

     Online courses seem to be the wave of the future.  As more and more people around the world receive Internet services it offers the unique opportunity to take courses with students from various backgrounds and with perspectives.  It offers the chance to have writing critiqued by people from another background who might offer suggestions that can improve the clarity and universality of the work. 

     The main incentive to classes online is the time and location advantage it offers to both the instructor and the student.  Class is not limited to three days a week at some unearthly hour in the morning.  Students can go over their lessons at their leisure and when it is convenient to them.  Instructors have the same advantages.

     The down side to online courses is the obvious lack on personal, face to face, communication and perhaps the rigors of the unavoidable technical problems that can occur (can’t get on the server, server’s down, ect.).  Because of the computer savvy needed for online classes it is common to see prerequisites involving core computer classes on the online syllabus.  Hopefully that would save some of the difficulties associated with this method.

      The computer lab is another common setting for tech writing courses.  It offers the student the chance to practice both writing and tech skills at the same time.  It is common to see new software taught in the lab as part of the over goal of the course.  Many Syllabi mention software programs such as FrontPage and JavaScript, as well as basic HTML.   Most of these courses require website construction of some kind.  They also offer the students a chance to talk and ask questions about computer programs / skills with the instructor in the classroom. 

     Lab classes seem to have few disadvantages in the field of tech writing.  They seem to offer the right combination for teaching the skills needed in this area of study.                                                                    

      This method is not very common in tech writing classes because of the obvious limitations.  Most classes taught in this manor still involve the computer lab in some way.  Either teaches split the class time between the two locations or require work with certain software in the lab outside of class time.

     I see very little use for this setting in a tech writing class.  Perhaps a theory class would be suited for this environment but that is all.

                                                                                  IV.

     The following section includes the guidelines and requirements for a technical and Professional Writing degree of my own design.

 University of Lorie Ann Wright Bachelors of Arts in Technical and Professional Writing

 Description of Program

     This University offers a BA degree in technical and professional writing through interdisplinary cooperation between several disciplines.  The Department of English leads the program and the faculty of the department teaches the core requirements for the degree.    Students may also choose to minor in this field through the same pathways.

 Requirements for Major:

 Requirements for Minor:

 Core Courses

*  Engl TW 490 – Intern in Tech Writing

                                                                         V.

      With the economic opportunities offered to students who chose act career in technical and Professional Writing, it is easy to see the reason for the increase of programs involving this field of study.  Institutes of Higher learning must allow their curriculum to expand and make room for this new field of study.  By examining existing programs, and deciding what methods work best in this area of study, colleges and universities can create a tech writing program with little expensive and paperwork.  A program in Technical and Professional Writing can be a benefit to both the student and the school.

Lorie Ann Wright is a graduate student in the Department of English.  She spends her days desperately trying to keep up with her class work and her toddler.  She wants to be a best selling novelist and eventually pay back her student loans.

                                                                    Works Cited

Academics. MAPC degree at Clemson University.  20 April 2001 <http://hubcap.clemson.edu/aah/engl/mapc/acdr.htm>.

Bachelor of Science in Technical Writing.  20 April 2001 <http://english.cmu.edu/programs/bs/tw/>.

James Madison University Technical and Scientific Communication.  20 April, 2001 <http://www.jmu.edu/ techscicom/Ieversion/babs1.html>.

Radford University Dept. of English. 20 April, 2001 < http://www.runet.edu/~enge.web>.

Technical Writing. 20 April, 2001 http://www.engl.unt.edu/writing/technical. htm>.