Graduate Certificate in Teaching Technical Communication Apply Now

The Graduate Certificate in Teaching Technical Communication helps students seeking to build their credentials as teachers of technical communication. In particular, it is designed to serve students wishing to retool their English degrees to develop teaching expertise in technical communication and to support international institutions needing to provide faculty and students with instruction in how to teach technical communication.

Texas Tech's Technical Communication and Rhetoric program offers

a well-established degree program and faculty in technical communication and rhetoric;
national leadership in computers and writing pedagogy;
a record of student achievement and job placement; and
a program "culture" that emphasizes personal attention.

Requirements

The certificate requires a minimum of 15 hours of either online or onsite courses, including two courses in the theoretical foundations of technical communication and rhetoric and a third course on teaching technical and professional communication. Students choose two elective courses in the Technical Communication and Rhetoric program to complete the certificate—one from the advanced theory courses and the other from advanced practice courses.

Below is a list of required and elective courses the program offers:

Courses and Titles	Frequency of Course Offering
ENGL 5371: Foundations of Technical Communication: Theory and practice of technical communication.	Annually/fall
ENGL 5366: Teaching Technical and Professional Writing: The theory and teaching of technical and professional writing with special attention to developing course objectives, syllabi, and teaching techniques.	Annually/spring
Choose one from rhetoric courses: ENGL 5361: Introduction to Rhetorical Theory. Classical and modern theories of rhetoric and rhetorical activity. ENGL 5364: History of Rhetoric. Survey of history and theories of rhetoric with an emphasis on applications to written communication.	Annually
Choose one from advanced theory courses: ENGL 5365: Studies in Composition. Consideration of classical and modern theories and research in written composition. ENGL 5368: Studies in Written Argumentation. History and theories of written argumentation ENGL 5369: Discourse and Technology. Study of the effects of computer networks and digitally mediated knowledge management on theoretical, practical, and pedagogical notions of discourse and discourse communities. ENGL 5377: Theoretical Approaches to Technical Communication. Intensive analysis and application of one or more theories of technical communication. ENGL 5382: Theory and Research in the Written Discourses of Health and Medicine. Current theory and research in the written discourses of health and medicine, focusing on the roles of technical and professional communicators. ENGL 5384: Rhetoric of Scientific Literature. Study of the role of rhetoric in the texts of scientific inquiry ENGL 5385: Ethics in Technical Communication. Definitions, philosophies, and applicability of ethics to technical communication problems and solutions. ENGL 5386: Written Discourse and Social Issues. Study of uses of written discourse in problem solving on social issues involving science or technology. ENGL 5381: Global Technical Communication. Introduction to theories and practices in global technical communication.	At least one course every semester
Choose one from advanced practice courses: ENGL 5373: Instructional Design for Technical Communicators. Theory and practice of instructional document development and design. ENGL 5374: Technical Editing. Substantive editing and design of technical documents. ENGL 5375: Document Design. Theory and practice of creating comprehensible, usable, and persuasive texts. ENGL 5376: Online Publishing. Design and testing of online documents to support instruction and information retrieval. ENGL 5378: Graduate Internship in Technical Communication. Substantial writing and editing experience combined with research. ENGL 5387: Publications Management. Strategies of managing processes and knowledge that support publication. ENGL 5388: User Experience Research. Methods of planning, conducting, and analyzing user experience research and tests. ENGL 5391: Grants and Proposals for Nonprofits. Strategies and techniques for researching, writing, and editing grant proposals for nonprofit organizations. ENGL 5393: Grants and Proposals for the Academy and Industry. Strategies and techniques for researching, writing, and editing grant proposals and business plans for the academy and industry.	At least one course every semester

Building from the Certificate to the MA in Technical Communication

All of the courses in the certificate also apply to the MA in Technical Communication, so students wishing to develop their credentials even further can apply to continue their studies and enter the MATC program. Texas Tech is proud to offer its MA in Technical Communication both onsite and online. The online degree is identical to the one we offer on site.

For more information about the Certificate in Grants & Proposals, you may contact the Certificate Coordinator, Dr. Beau Pihlaja.

How to Apply

Complete the Texas Tech graduate school application process. A nonrefundable application fee is required.
Completed Graduate Application for Admission form
Current resume/vitae
Three letters of reference
Distance Learning Agreement (if you're applying to an online program)
A 500-700 word essay indicating the following:
- Your interest in teaching technical communication
- Any previous experience with teaching technical writing
- How the certificate fits in with your career goals and objectives, specifically how it will advance your career
- If applicable: if you are currently enrolled in a graduate degree program, how completing the course in the graduate certificate complements your degree plan

Deadlines for Application

Applications are reviewed twice a year.

Submit by October 15 to begin your program in the spring semester of the next year.
Submit by March 15 to begin your program in the summer or fall of that year.

Distance Learning Agreement (all online applicants)

All online program applicants need to sign and return our Distance Learning Agreement, which indicates that you understand our requirements for technology, time, and honor.

General Note About Application Review

All applicant packages are evaluated holistically, which is to say that every piece of the application package contributes to the applicant's overall desirability. Specifically, we are looking for no specific test scores, GPAs, or resume experiences, but are instead looking for applications that contain synergistic arguments for the applicant's good fit with the program and its objectives.