The nonthesis option requires 36 hours of courses. Up to 9 hours of these courses may be in a minor. In addition, the nonthesis option requires you to submit a portfolio of your work to the faculty in your final semester. Texas Tech will normally accept 6 hours of approved graduate courses from another accredited university to apply to a degree.
The nonthesis option emphasizes breadth of coursework. Students will prepare broadly in the kinds of responsibilities that careers in technical communication require. It is a good choice for students with undergraduate majors other than technical communication or who wish to pursue a minor field of study along with technical communication.
Non-thesis option students will complete courses in the following four categories, for a total of 12 courses or 36 hours. Students will complete 11 courses from categories A, B, and C plus the required course in category D.
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Category A: Application
At least 4 of these courses |
ENGL 5372 Technical Reports ENGL 5373 Technical Manuals ENGL 5374 Technical Editing ENGL 5375 Document Design ENGL 5376 Online Publishing ENGL 5387 Publications Management ENGL 5377 Theoretical Approaches to Technical Communication (when the topic emphasizes application) |
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Category B: Theory and Research
At least 3 of these courses so that courses from A and B total a minimum of 7 |
ENGL 5361 Theories of Invention ENGL 5362 Rhetorical Analysis of Text ENGL 5369 Discourse and Technology ENGL 5377 Theoretical Approaches to Technical Communication (when the topic is theoretical) ENGL 5384 Rhetoric of Scientific Communication ENGL 5385 Ethics in Technical Communication ENGL 5386 Written Discourse and Social Issues ENGL 5388 Usability Testing ENGL 5389 Field Methods of Research |
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Category C: Tailoring your Degree Program
Courses to total 11 courses when added to the selections from categories A and B. Options include: |
ENGL 5378 Internship Additional courses from categories A and B or new technical communication courses that may be introduced and approved in the future Other language and communication-related courses that the department may offer by distance in the future (for example, ENGL 5363, Research Methods, ENGL 5364, History of Rhetoric, or ENGL 5365, Studies in Composition) Communication courses that other departments may offer in the future Courses in fields closely related to technical communication such a management, human factors, educational technology, or psychology. |
| Category D: Required Course | ENGL 5371 Foundations of Technical Communication. Introduction to the field and its theories, publications, genres, and current topics. |
Two or three courses (6-9 hours) may constitute a minor in a field other than technical communication. The minor should enhance your ability to understand and apply research related to communication or to complete job responsibilities. The minor courses may be taken in one department or may consist of a cluster of courses on related topics from different departments. The minor may be completed in the English Department in a field such as linguistics, rhetoric, or literature. The choice of a minor must be approved by the faculty advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies as well as by the minor department. The minor department establishes its own policies about what courses constitute a minor and about examinations in the minor field.
In your final semester of the MATC, you will develop and present to the TCR faculty a porftolio demonstrating what you have learned in the program.
Last Updated by Joyce Locke Carter, April 21, 2008