Master of Science in Professional Writing and Technical Communication

MSPWTC Degree Coordinator
Jennings, A., PhD
S-1045
(713) 221-8453
mspwtc@uhd.edu

Welcome: How This MS Program Can Benefit Your Career

The Master of Science (MS) in Professional Writing and Technical Communication is established on the firm foundation of our well-established undergraduate program in Professional Writing.

This MS program provides graduates with communication, design, and management skills based on the principles of rhetoric. Students gain publication and production skills, attain project management expertise, acquire an understanding of the ethical and global implications of professional communication, participate in research, conduct audience analyses and usability tests, and create websites and online help documents which address readers' needs. This MS program can be individually tailored via the selection of electives so that it is valuable for a range of candidates:

• Professional writers seeking promotions to managerial positions or those interested in teaching technical writing in high schools or community colleges
• Medical professionals seeking skills relevant to writing, editing, and delivering publishable research manuscripts, public health educational materials, ethical standards declarations, manuals, procedures, policies, and professional correspondence
• Professionals in engineering, science, and technology who need to master the skills of managing multiple projects and writing results-oriented documents such as proposals, technical manuals, customer information materials, public relations announcements, corporate policies, procedures, training materials, and business-to-business communications
• Public relations and corporate training professionals with the goal of expanding their employment options
• Undergraduates interested in an applied master's level degree, either to increase their employability or to pursue a doctoral degree in technical communication

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MSPWTC Student Guide

Graduate Student Guide

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Our Faculty

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Program Objectives

Students graduating with an MS in Professional Writing and Technical Communication will demonstrate professional-level skills and comprehensive knowledge in the following areas:

• Document production and project management: writing, editing, and delivering documents in the various print and electronic genres of professional communication, including the coordination of efforts and resources with Web developers, graphic artists, and print shops as well as collaborations with subject matter experts. Students will demonstrate the skills of needs analysis, project design, and production of professionally polished, targeted, and useful documents.
• Rhetorical analysis:identifying, assessing, and articulating the theoretical principles that underlie rhetorical choices in professional writing. Students will be able to understand the needs of target audiences and achieve their communication goals.
• Ethical and global awareness:analyzing the ethical and global implications of professional communication and the responsibilities and potential liabilities of writers of publicly available documents. Students will be prepared to effectively engage in local and global communication efforts while maintaining the highest levels of credibility for themselves and their employers.
• Research methodologies:conducting research in technical and professional communication, including audience analysis and usability testing. Students will attain expertise with data collection, interpretation, and presentation so that they can viably contribute to the body of knowledge within their chosen fields.

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Degree Requirements

The Master of Science in Professional Writing and Technical Communication requires a minimum of thirty-six semester hours that include a choice of thesis or capstone project. All students must successfully complete a graduation portfolio and an oral defense of the portfolio.

Required Core Courses: 12 Hours (Syllabi Available)

• ENG 5304: Proseminar in Professional & Technical Communication
• ENG 5317: Rhetorical Theory & Criticism
• ENG 5330: Visual Design Theory
• ENG 5340: Project Management

Elective Courses: 18 Hours
Recommended for Careers in Marketing, Public Relations, Law, and Business:

• ENG 6303: Public Relations & Media Management
• ENG 6310: Intercultural & World Communication
• ENG 6312: Ethical and Legal Dimensions of Communication
• ENG 6322: Instructional Design
• ENG 6324: Writing in the Professions
• ENG 6328: Hypermedia Theory & Design
• ENG 6330: Usability Research

Recommended for Careers in Medical, Scientific, Engineering, and Computer Fields:

• ENG 6324: Writing in the Professions
• ENG 6318: Stylistics & Editing
• ENG 6322: Instructional Design
• ENG 6323: Communications and Technology
• ENG 6328: Hypermedia Theory & Design
• ENG 6330: Usability Research
• ENG 6360: Special Topics in Technical and Professional Communication (e.g., Medical Writing, Proposal Writing)

Additional Discretionary Electives from outside of the program may be accepted as counting towards the degree at the discretion of the Graduate Coordinator mspwtc@uhd.edu.
Possible options include:

• ENG 6301: Composition Pedagogy
• ENG 6319: Language Development and Variation: Implications for Educators
• CJ 6320: Research Design and Methods
• CJ 6321: Quantitative Analysis in Criminal Justice
• Math 5305: Advanced Business Statistics

Thesis or Capstone Project: 6 Hours
Students choose either a Thesis or Capstone Project option based on their personal and professional goals.

Writing a thesis enables a student to refine research and writing skills while exploring a topic of individual interest. It also results in the production of a document which can support an application to a Ph.D. program and may have the potential for publication.

A capstone project enables a student to improve targeted employment-oriented skills. It may also result in the production of a document which can provide a significant contribution to an employment portfolio or a document which can support an application to a Ph.D. program.

Thesis option: Candidates opting to write a thesis must complete 3 hours of a directed research practicum and 3 hours of thesis credit as well as oral defenses of the thesis and of a graduation portfolio. This option allows a student to delve into a research project of his/her choosing so as to provide realistic experience with academic investigations. A thesis typically introduces the purpose, scope, and significance of a chosen topic; it situates the topic within the context of the available literature in the field; it explains the research method employed and the rationale for the research; it examines the results of the research; and it summarizes the importance of the project.

Capstone project option: Candidates opting for the capstone project must complete 3 hours of a directed research practicum or an internship and 3 hours of capstone project credit as well as oral defenses of the capstone project and of a graduation portfolio. This option allows a student to gain practical experience with the design, management, and completion of a professional writing project such as the production of a useful manual, public relations materials, a website, a usability assessment, or other document for a workplace. A rationale report must accompany the document; this report explains how the document applies and reflects the scholarly principles which underlie or support the production of the deliverable for the workplace.

Minimum Grade Point Average
Students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0. Grades of C or lower do not count toward graduation, and two course grades of C or lower are cause for dismissal from the program.

Transfer
Students may transfer no more than six semester hours of graduate work; transferred coursework must be at B level or above.

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Admission Requirements

Note: All documents must be submitted to the Graduate Admissions Department by the assigned deadlines.

Admission is competitive and selective. Applicants must demonstrate that they possess the abilities, interests, and qualities necessary to successfully complete the program and the potential to contribute new insights to the field of technical communication or quality professional writing to their chosen career arenas. Applicants seeking admission will provide the following application materials for review by the Graduate Curriculum Committee: Complete graduate application for admissions from the Graduate Admissions Department.

Official transcripts that 1) reflect at least the last sixty semester credit hours of course work and evidence of degree awarded and 2) show the GPA (as admission to the degree program is competitive, candidates with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher will be preferred). Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores [Please note:No matter what GRE website (GRE.org) may say, it takes up to FOUR (4) WEEKS for UHD to receive official scores. That means that students need to have taken the GRE by late February to make the March 15th deadline (or mid-October to make mid-November application review for spring admission). You need only take the standard GRE (which includes quantitative, verbal, and analytic writing sections), no subject tests. While we look at all the scores, we rely on only the writing score. We understand this is a timed writing test, but it gives committee another perspective on students' writing ability.]

• Personal application statement describing your abilities and interests in Professional Writing and Technical Communication and your goals for your graduate studies
• Resume detailing your work experience and education and demonstrating your document design and organizational skills. Please, do not use Microsoft templates or "Objectives" statements that target jobs rather than graduate studies.
• Academic or professional writing sample (1-3 documents totaling 2500 words or more), such as business reports, memos, feature stories, scientific or medical writing, newsletters, proposals, brochures, software documentation, grant proposals, legal briefs, or research studies on technical or business topics. Do not submit creative writing, such as short stories or poetry.
• Three letters of recommendation and recommendation forms from individuals acquainted with your work and academic potential, for example, work supervisors and professors.
• Test of English as a Foreign Language scores, if you are a graduate of a university in which English is not the native language (the MSPWTC Graduate Advisory Committee will consider all TOEFL scores on a case-by-case basis, but preferred TOEFL scores are: an internet-based score of 86, a computer-based score of 250, or paper-based score of 600)

The Graduate Curriculum Committee will not begin reviewing a candidate's application until the file contains all of the items listed above.

If you want to take courses on the graduate level without pursuing a graduate degree at UHD, you will need to apply as a post-baccalaureate student on the undergraduate level.

UHD considers you a post-baccalaureate student if:

• You are seeking a master's degree at another university and come to UHD to take courses that will transfer to that institution.
• You want to take courses and do not want to pursue a degree at another institution, nor pursue a graduate degree at UHD.

Required admission materials:

• Application form : use undergraduate application which includes post-baccalaureate admission
• Application fee : same as for undergraduate post-baccalaureate admission
• Official transcript : from the institution where your bachelor's degree or equivalent was awarded.

For more information please visit the following link to Post-Baccalaureate Information

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Application Deadline for Fall Term: March 15

Note: All documents must be submitted to the Graduate Admissions Department by the assigned deadlines.

Applicants must submit all application materials by March 15th for fall semester admission. Applications completed after the March deadline will be considered on a space-available basis. Please contact the Graduate Coordinator mspwtc@uhd.edu for information about the admissions process or supporting documentation at mspwtc@uhd.edu. For more information on the graduate application, please visit the Graduate Admissions Department.

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Application Deadline for Spring Term: November 15

Note: All documents must be submitted to the Graduate Admissions Department by the assigned deadlines.

Applications will be accepted for the spring semester; however, since core course sequences begin in the fall semester, please contact the Graduate Coordinator mspwtc@uhd.edu for more information about degree plan options. Applicants must submit all application materials by the end of November as the committee will review applications in early December. Late review of applications occurs the week before classes start in January, but course selection may be limited at that point.

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Admission Process

1. The Graduate Curriculum Committee will evaluate applications using a matrix based on GPA, GRE score, relevant course work or experience, recommendations, and other written materials in the applicant's file.
2. The Graduate Coordinator mspwtc@uhd.edu will notify students, in writing, of the committee's decision.

We look forward to receiving your application materials and welcoming you into our MS program in Professional Writing and Technical Communication

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Last updated or reviewed on 6/14/10