Texas Tech University

Degree Requirements: BA in Writing, Design, and Technical Communication

About the Program

The Writing, Design, and Technical Communication program requires 120 semester credit hours consisting of the core curriculum, 33 hours in a major field, and a required minor.

Requirements

2000-Level

  • ENGL 2311 - Introduction to Technical Writing, 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • ENGL 2312 - Texts and Technologies that Change the World, 3 Semester Credit Hours

3000-Level

One of the following:

  • ENGL 3366 - Style in Technical Writing, 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • ENGL 3371 - How Language Works, 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • ENGL 3373 - How Syntax Works, 3 Semester Credit Hours

Four of the following:

  • ENGL 3360 - Issues in Composition, 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • ENGL 3362 - Rhetorical Criticism, 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • ENGL 3363 - Introduction to Scientific Rhetoric, 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • ENGL 3365 - Professional Report Writing, 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • ENGL 3366 - Style in Technical Writing, 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • ENGL 3367 - Usability Testing, 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • ENGL 3368 - Designing for the Web, 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • ENGL 3369 - Information Design, 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • (Note: ENGL 3366 may be used only once)

4000-Level

  • ENGL 4380 - Professional Issues in Technical Communication 3 Semester Credit Hours

Three of the following:

  • ENGL 4360 - Studies in Composition, 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • ENGL 4363 - Issues in Science Writing and Rhetoric, 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • ENGL 4365 - Special Topics in Technical Communication, 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • ENGL 4366 - Technical and Professional Editing, 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • ENGL 4367 - Designing Instructional Materials, 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • ENGL 4368 - Digital Content Management Strategy, 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • ENGL 4369 - Interaction Design, 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • ENGL 4378 - Internship in Technical Communication, 3 Semester Credit Hours

Communication Literacy

Students attending Texas Tech University for the first time in the Fall 2017 term or later will complete a Communication Literacy (CL) requirement in their program(s) of study.

Texas Tech University's transition from the Writing Intensive requirement to the Communication Literacy requirement signals the university's awareness that in addition to the fundamental role that writing plays in enabling students to explore, develop, focus, and organize a message, other types of communication must also be taught as appropriate for a student's discipline. Throughout each program of study, then, students must be given ample opportunity to develop their skills in forms of communication central to that program.

Students pursuing a degree in Writing, Design, and Technical Communication will engage with communication and literacy in a range of contexts. In order to complete the breadth of communication literacy contexts required for the profession, students will choose from course in five different communication literacy categories:

  • Workplace Literacy: (Choose One) ENGL 4380, ENGL 2311 or ENGL 3365
  • Rhetorical Literacy: ENGL 3362 
  • Technological Literacy: (Choose One) ENGL 3367, ENGL 3368, or ENGL 3369
  • Linguistic Literacy: (Choose One) ENGL 3366 or ENGL 4366
  • Cultural Literacy: ENGL 2312

Multicultural Requirement

To satisfy the 3-hour multicultural requirement, select from the university's multicultural list a course that also satisfies either the Language, Philosophy, and Culture, Creative Arts, or Social and Behavioral Sciences core requirement.

Foreign Language

A student must complete 6 hours at the sophomore level or above in a single language. The prerequisite for all sophomore language courses is credit for the freshman level. This credit can be determined through a credit by examination. The score attained on the exam will determine whether the student is placed in a second-year course, a 5-hour review course, or in some cases the first or second semester of a beginning (first-year) language course. See Arts and Sciences General Degree Requirements for further explanation.



Sample Four-Year Curriculum (120 Hours)

First Year

Fall (Total: 15 hours)

Spring (Total: 15 hours)

Second Year

Fall (Total: 16 hours)

Spring (Total: 14 hours)

Third Year

Fall (Total: 16 hours)

Spring (Total: 16 hours)

Fourth Year

Fall (Total: 15 hours)

Spring (Total: 13 hours)

 

* Select from the university's core curriculum.