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M.S. in Scientific and Technical Communication (M.S. in S&TC)

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The Technical Communications Field

Technical communicators must be able to work with complex material and in an environment where most information is digitized and produced using complex information management software. Technical communication is a profession requiring education and expertise in technical content development, information design and architecture, visual communication, research, and usability.

Demand for Technical Communicators

Approximate number of positions held by technical communicators: 50,000.*

Top technical communication industries:

• Computer systems design and manufacturing
• Software design and manufacturing
• Publishing
• Engineering
• Architecture
• Management
• Consulting
• Research and development service industries
• With many opportunities in legal, medical, and science professions

US News & World Report Money named Technical Writer as one of the best 50 careers for 2010, and predicted strong growth in the field over the next decade.

Dynamic Education, Focused Expertise

While employment of writers and editors generally is predicted to rise in line with the overall national employment average, opportunities are best for writers with training in specialized fields. That's why MS students complete 21 credits in technical communication and 12 credits of graduate work in a related field.

Demand for technical writers with expertise in fields such as engineering, computer science, journalism, law, medicine, or economics is based on the growth of scientific and technical information and the need to communicate it to others.

Our Nationally Recognized Degree and Acclaimed Faculty

Since 1977 the University of Minnesota has offered a master’s degree in technical communication. Ours is one of the oldest and most highly respected programs of its kind in the country. 

Much of our success is tied to the Department of Writing Studies’ nationally recognized research and leadership in technical communication:

• Editors of the journals Technical Communication Quarterly and Written Communication
• Authors of major textbooks, scholarly books and articles
• Local and national meeting leadership

Offered from the science and technology hub of the state and region, many Writing Studies courses are taught in the late afternoons or evenings to accommodate working students; other courses are available online.

More information about our faculty and research can be found at http://writingstudies.umn.edu/people/faculty.html.

We also offer a graduate certificate in technical communication, which can be earned by taking half the required credits of the M.S.

Download an overview of the M.S. and Certificate Programs [PDF].

For more information on our programs, e-mail writ@umn.edu or contact the graduate program administration.

 *Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment Statistics, "Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2009", Technical Writers. Web. http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes273042.htm (visited June 11, 2010).