History of Technical Communication at Texas Tech

1927

Texas Tech has offered courses in technical writing since 1927, the year after the university was founded. The first courses were undergraduate writing courses for engineering and agriculture students.

1976

The Department of English developed a specialization in technical writing for English majors who plan careers in the field. In the 1980s the specialization was developed to include additional advanced courses and requirements in oral and visual communication. The department continues to develop the undergraduate program with new courses that reflect the expanding definition of technical communication in the workplace.

1985

The Texas Tech student chapter of the Society for Technical Communication was founded.

1993

The program began offering graduate courses and two advanced degrees: the MA in Technical Communication (MATC) and the PhD in Technical Communication and Rhetoric (PhD-TCR).

1994

The program graduated its first student in the onsite MATC program.

1997

The program taught its first online graduate course and graduated its first onsite doctoral students.

1998

The program was approved to offer the MATC online.

2003

The program graduated its first online MATC student.

2004

The department became the first in the world to offer its PhD in Technical Communication and Rhetoric via distance education.

2008

The program graduated its first online doctoral students with the PhD-TCR degree.