Departments & Centers
Technology Leadership & Communication (TLC)
Technical Communication
Associate Professor: W. Worley (Director)
Associate Professor: M. Hovde
Visiting Assistant Professor: C. Renguette
The Technical Communication Program offers specialized courses for students in engineering and technology programs that help them prepare for the writing and speaking tasks they will perform as part of their professional work. These courses build on students' previous experiences in written and oral communication and help them learn to present technical information effectively to audiences in organizational settings. In addition, the program works with other schools and local industry to prepare students for careers as technical communicators.
Certificate in Technical Communication
The undergraduate Technical Communication Certificate is offered by the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology. Any student formally admitted to the university may be a candidate for the certificate.
Students who earn the certificate will have demonstrated they have the core competencies necessary for entry-level positions as technical communicators: the ability to gather and transform technical information for a variety of audiences and the ability to design, develop, and edit effective products using rhetorical principles and current technology.
Technical or Scientific Specialty
A technical or scientific major or minor or technical interest demonstrated by 6 credit hours of courses, including CIT 10600 or CIT 11200 or an equivalent introductory computer course.
Required Courses: 13 credits
One course selected from each of these five areas:
- Introduction to Technical Communication (choose one) - 3 credits
- TCM 22000 Technical Report Writing (online sections available)
- TCM 23000 Principles and Practices of Technical Communication (under development)
- TCM 32000 Written Communication in Science and Industry (online sections available)
- TCM 38000 Technical Communication in the Healthcare Professions (online only)
- Visual Technical Communication - 3 credits
- TCM 35000 Visual Elements of Technical Documents
- Editing - 3 credits
- ENG-W 365 Theories and Practices of Editing
- Advanced Applications of Technical Communication (choose one) - 3 credits
- TCM 39500 Independent Study
- TCM 42000 Field Experience
- TCM 42500 Managing Document Quality (offered fall semester)
- TCM 45000 Research Approaches for Technical & Professional Communication (offered spring semester)
- ENG-W 315 Writing for the Web (online only)
- Career Development (choose one) - 1 credit
- TCM 25000 Internship and Career Planning
- TCM 43500 Portfolio Preparation
Professional Preparation
Near the end of their coursework, students may complete a professional portfolio, suitable for job hunting, which includes three to five deliverables that demonstrate a range of skills and competencies. Practicing technical communicators will review the portfolio and provide responses. As an alternative, students may take TCM 25000 Career Planning in Engineering and Technology, a course that prepares them for professional employment.
Supplemental Course
- ENG-W 412 Technology and Literacy
- IET 36400 Total Quality Control
- INFO-I 270 Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction Principles and Practices
- INFO-I 275 Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction Theory
- INFO-I 300 Human-Computer Interaction
- JOUR-J 390 Corporate Publications
- JOUR-J 463/563 Desktop Publishing
- OLS 27400 Supervisory Management
- OLS 37500 Training Methods
- OLS 38500 Leadership for Quality & Productivity
- TCM 37000 Oral Practicum for Technical Managers
- TCM 49900 Selected Topics in TCM