Technical Communication is a rapidly growing profession. Development of new technologies has increased the demand for professionals who can clearly explain policies, products and services to clients and customers. Technical communicators are valuable to a variety of employers, ranging from computer software companies nationwide to medical device companies in the Twin Cities. They are at work as editors, writers and webmasters, creating training presentations at 3M, medical software documentation at Marshfield Clinic, and informational brochures and maps at Disney World.
Interested?
The program integrates communication theory with coursework in a chosen applied field. Examples of applied fields include art and design, biomedical engineering, business and management, hospitality and tourism, international studies, manufacturing engineering, packaging, quality management, telecommunications, and training and development. Graduates of this program will have the skills to research, visualize, design, develop and oversee publication of both print and electronic documents.
In addition to working with instructors from a broad range of fields, students gain significant hands-on experience creating documents for an array of real-world clients. This emphasis on flexibility is important for technical communicators who spend more than half their time collecting information from different sources.
Preparing for UW-Stout
Prepare now for a career in technical communication. High school students should take English and communication courses, including foreign language, as well as basic computer, art and other college preparatory courses. Desktop publishing courses are also recommended, as are extracurricular activities like working on the student newspaper or yearbook staffs.
Starting Out
Coursework in the first semesters is a combination of general education and introductory courses. General education courses include English composition courses and speech. Introduction to technical communication, elements of style, computer science and foreign language round out the first year’s introductory courses.
The program director helps you choose courses and consider the several applied fields. Help is also available through the Advisement and Career Center, the Counseling Center and Career Services.
As You Progress
As a technical communicator, you will have your pick from a wide array of career choices. UW-Stout’s program prepares you for these choices. The program uses courses from different departments to give you a background in writing, communications, art and design, printing and production, and computer science. Presentation, business, logic and ethics courses are also fundamental in UW-Stout’s approach to technical communication.
Editing, multimedia and hypertext writing and critical, technical and journalism writing courses prepare you to write clearly for a specific audience. You will also achieve a solid background to handle documents for an international audience from an intercultural and informational communication course and foreign language courses. Courses in usability design and testing, content management, and consulting prepare you to become a director of user experiences.
In addition, courses in an applied field of your choice supply the strong technical background crucial to communicating complex ideas to different audiences. Elective courses give you the chance to explore other areas, such as photography, creative writing and literature.
A number of field experiences are offered. All students must participate in a co-op, internship or practicum after the junior year.
As part of your educational experience, you’ll be encouraged to join the UW-Stout student chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC). The society is the professional organization of technical communicators. Headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area, its membership numbers more than 20,000. The society’s Stout chapter brings in guest speakers from the technical communication field; puts on training sessions, such as how to compile and display a professional portfolio; sponsors social and networking events; and frequently participates in conferences and competitions hosted by the nearby Twin Cities chapter, one of the nation’s largest and most active.
Rewarding Careers
Technical communication is a recognized field that applies to a variety of industries ranging from computer documentation companies to nonprofit organizations. Graduates of the program have the skills to research, develop, visualize, design and oversee publication of both print and electronic documents.