If you major in technical writing, you will learn to communicate technical, and often complex, information to various audiences. Because the audience will have varying degrees of familiarity with the content, the writing must be adapted so that the information is clear, concise and usable to the audience. Therefore, technical writing is a process of synthesizing technical information into information easily understood by a given audience.
Technical writing is a new field and a common misconception is that it applies only to engineering or to the hard sciences. Technical writing applies to every discipline and every industry that wishes to communicate information.
For additional information about the program, faculty, scheduling, and advising, please visit the PTW site.
Degree Requirements
Credit hours required: 39, 36 of which must be upper division courses (3000-4000 level classes). The number listed in parentheses after each course is the number of credit hours.
All of the following (21 credit hours)
- ENGL 3080 Critical Approaches to Literature (3) (early in major) Prereq ENGL 2010
- ENGL 3100 Professional & Technical Writing (3) Prereq ENGL 2010
- ENGL 3140 Professional & Technical Editing (3) Coreq ENGL 3100
- ENGL 3190 Document Design (3) Prerq ENGL 3100
- ENGL 4100 Issues in Professional & Technical Writing (3) Prereq ENGL 3100
- ENGL 4110 Content Management Prereq ENGL 2010
- ENGL 4120 Seminar & Practicum in Professional & Technical Writing (3) Prereq ENGL 3100
Language—one of the following (3 credit hours) Prereq ENGL 2010
- ENGL SI3010 Introduction to Linguistics (3)
- ENGL 3030 Structure of English (3)
- ENGL 3040 History of the English Language (3)
- ENGL 3050 Grammar, Style, & Usage for Advanced Writing (3)
American Literature—one of the following (3 credit hours) Prereq ENGL 3080
- ENGL 4520 American Literature: Early & Romantic (3)
- ENGL 4530 American Literature: Realism & Naturalism (3)
American Literature—one of the following (3 credit hours) Prereq ENGL 3080
- ENGL 4540 American Literature: Modern (3)
- ENGL 4550 American Literature: Contemporary (3)
British Literature—one of the following (3 credit hours) Prereq ENGL 3080
- ENGL 4610 British Literature: Medieval (3)
- ENGL 4620 British Literature: Renaissance (3)
- ENGL 4630 British Literature: Neoclassical & Romantic (3)
British Literature—one of the following (3 credit hours) Prereq ENGL 3080
- ENGL 4640 British Literature: Victorian (3)
- ENGL 4650 British Literature: Modern (3)
- ENGL 4660 British Literature: Contemporary (3)
World Literature—one of the following (3 credit hours)
- ENGL HU/DV3510 World Literature (3) Prereq ENGL 2010
- ENGL HU/DV3730 Literature of Cultures and Places (3) Prereq ENGL 2010
- ENGL 3880 Philosophy & Literature (3) Prereq ENGL 2010
- ENGL 4750 Classical Literature (3) Prereq ENGL 3080