Dr. Alice I. Philbin, Director and Graduate Coordinator
For information, call (540) 568-8018
Web site: http://www.jmu.edu/tsc/
Professors
M. Hawthorne, A. Philbin
Associate Professor
E. Pass
Instructor
S. Eagle
Admission
Mission
Degree Requirements
Master of Arts Degree Requirements
Master of Science Degree
Requirements
Admission to Candidacy
Course Offerings
Admission
In addition to satisfying all admission requirements of the
JMU College of Graduate and Professional Programs, applicants must submit to
the director of the TSC institute an application dossier that includes the
following documents.
§ A background and goals statement that
explains how the Master of Arts or Master of Science program relates to the
applicant’s prior experience and how it fits into his or her long-range
professional goals.
§ Three letters of recommendation from people
who can comment on the applicant’s academic preparation and professional
experience.
§ 20 to 30 pages of writing samples from
academia or the professions.
Nonnative speakers of English
must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language and receive a score of at
least 550. Applicants may use the letters of recommendation and writing samples
to support an application for financial aid.
Admission may begin in either
the fall or spring semester. To receive full consideration for admission into
the programs as well as for financial aid, students should submit their
application packages to the College of Graduate and Professional Programs by
May 31 for fall semester and August 31 for spring semester.
Application forms for
admission and assistantships are available online from the College of Graduate
and Professional Programs at http://www.jmu.edu/cgop/gradforms.shtml.
Mission
The Institute of Technical and Scientific Communication
offers programs that combine training and education to prepare students for
information management.
The central mission of the TSC programs is to enable
graduates to grow as professionals and, ultimately, to contribute to the
developing field of technical and scientific communication.
Through a blend of course offerings and internship programs,
the Master of Arts and Master of Science programs in technical and scientific
communication seek to provide students with communication skills and training
that will enable them to build productive careers in industry or academia. They
also introduce students to the most current communication technologies used to
produce documents of professional quality not only during their studies at
James Madison University but also throughout their careers. Finally, students
learn the kinds of communication, analytical and reasoning skills that will
allow them to become leaders in their fields.
The specific goals of the Master of Arts and Master of
Science degrees are to help students to
§ define what effective communication means
in technical and scientific environments.
§ enhance their understanding of how and why
communication works.
§ learn how to identify and eliminate
barriers to effective communication.
§ improve the efficiency and effectiveness of
their communication management.
§ develop research skills.
§ create for themselves a cognate area of
study within the scientific or technical field in which they intend to work as
professional technical communicators.
To achieve these goals, the programs combine work in theory,
writing, text design, and analysis of communication systems and contexts to
help students to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to begin careers in
technical or scientific communication. The programs emphasize scholarly, humanistic
and social scientific perspectives on the function and application of technical
and scientific communication.
Consequently, the programs provide students with not only the
knowledge and skills required for careers in industry, business or government but
also the research skills and communication theory that will prepare them for
doctoral study in communication and rhetoric. The long-range goal of the Master
of Arts and Master of Science degrees, then, is to enable program graduates to
grow as professionals and, ultimately, to contribute to the developing field of
technical and scientific communication.
While studies in both programs provide students with a sound
foundation in writing, editing and document production, the Master of Arts
degree typically attracts students with undergraduate work centered in the
humanities. Although these students often supplement their TSC degree plan with
courses in the sciences, they are primarily interested in gaining extensive
knowledge and practice in writing and editing skills that are not tied to a
single technical or scientific field but, rather, are applicable to multiple
technical or scientific areas.
Conversely, the Master of Science degree plan of study
typically proves attractive to students who want to complement their
undergraduate degrees in the sciences with advanced training in communication
within their fields. Such complementary training in technical and scientific
communication enables Master of Science graduates not only to perform more
effectively as technicians or scientists but also to move laterally into
writing, editing or production positions or vertically into management
positions.
Degree candidates must successfully complete a minimum of 36
credit hours of graduate course work, which includes a minimum of two semesters
of course work completed at JMU. Students work with department advisers to
design a program that fits their unique educational needs and career
aspirations. Depending on their backgrounds and options they might choose to
pursue while in the degree program, students may decide to take course work
beyond the required 36 hours to obtain additional knowledge or skills in
specialized areas. For example, students may choose to take extra course work
to enhance their skills in communication technologies or to deepen their
academic training in the technical or scientific content areas in which they
intend to work as professional writers or editors.
Language Requirement
The Master of Arts and Master of Science programs require
that the candidate demonstrate graduate-level proficiency in foreign language,
statistics or computer programming in one of following ways.
§ Completing the second year of a college
course in a modern foreign language with a grade of “C” or above, or completion
of the foreign language placement exam administered by the Department of
Foreign Languages and literatures with a placement into the junior level of the
language.
§ Completing an approved graduate statistics
or computer programming course (or equivalent) with a grade of “B” or better.
§ Receiving a waiver from the department of
its foreign language examination or the required statistics or computing course
work based on the student’s extensive language background in one of those
areas.
A student should state in his or her plan of study the means
by which he or she has already satisfied or plans to satisfy the language
requirement. A degree candidate must complete the language requirement before
taking the comprehensive exams.
Degree Requirements
Students in the Master of Arts or Master of Science
program must successfully complete three core courses (nine credit hours), a
technical communication internship (three credit hours) and six credit hours of
thesis hours.
Students seeking a Master of Arts degree must also
complete 18 credit hours of TSC elective courses.
Students seeking a Master of Science degree must also
complete 9 credit hours in an approved technical or scientific cognate
discipline and 9 credit hours of TSC elective courses.
At least half of the student’s elective credit hours must
come from course work at the 600 level. Up to six of those hours may be TSC
700, Thesis. Students may take courses at the 700 level to satisfy the
remainder of their electives requirement. Students who have obtained
substantial work-world experience in designing, writing or producing
documentation in technical or scientific fields may request credit for and
waiver of course work, the internship or thesis.
Cognate Disciplines
To be competitive in many of today’s scientific or technical
disciplines, technical communicators must possess substantial knowledge of the
scientific or technical field in which they are working. Through the TSC Master
of Science program, students have the opportunity to gain that scientific or
technical background while refining their skills as technical communicators.
Master of Science candidates must successfully complete at least
9 credit hours of course work at the graduate level in an approved technical or
scientific cognate discipline: biology, chemistry, communication sciences and
disorders, computer science, dietetics, geography, geology, health sciences,
integrated science and technology, kinesiology, mathematics, medical
technology, nursing, physics, or psychology. Master of Arts candidates are also
encouraged to gain competence in a technical or scientific area before entering
the professions. The advanced proficiency gained by the student in the selected
cognate area will complement the student’s education in TSC course work.
For approval to begin study in a chosen cognate discipline,
Master of Science students should already possess a Bachelor of Science or
comparable work-world experience in the proposed technical or scientific field
and seek approval to enroll in cognate course work from the cognate discipline
department and the director of the TSC Institute. Students who want to take
course work in a cognate discipline that does not currently offer graduate
studies may do so through independent studies with graduate faculty in the
chosen field, distance learning with graduate programs at other accredited
colleges or universities or graduate courses available through the College of
Integrated Science and Technology. Independent studies with faculty in a
cognate discipline department must be approved by the head of that department
and by the TSC director. When transferring credit from other universities or
receiving studies through distance learning, students should remember that the
College of Graduate and Professional Programs allows up to nine credit hours of
transferred course work to count toward a student’s graduate degree at JMU.
Thesis
Degree candidates have two options for satisfying the thesis
requirement for the Master of Arts or Master of Science degree.
§ Complete a traditional research-based
master’s thesis on a technical communication topic.
§ Complete a practicum that results in a
work-world document (e.g., an online or bound computer tutorial, a user manual
or a procedures manual).
Apart from directing the candidate in his or her planning,
writing and producing the thesis, the thesis committee is responsible for
ensuring that the candidate fully understands the departmental and university
requirements of theses before he or she can become eligible for graduation.
Master
of Arts Degree Requirements
|
Course Requirements
|
Credit
Hours
|
|
Choose one of the following:
|
3
|
|
TSC 510.
Seminar in Technical and Scientific Communication
|
|
|
TSC 520.
Technical and Scientific Communication for
|
|
|
Nonnative
Speakers of English
|
|
|
TSC 530. Research Methods in Technical and Scientific Communication
|
3
|
|
TSC 540. Technical and Scientific
Editing
|
3
|
|
TSC 695. Internship in Technical and
Scientific Communication
|
3
|
|
Thesis or Practicum
|
6
|
|
TSC 700. Thesis
|
|
|
Choose at least six of the following:
|
18
|
|
TSC 545.
Ethical and Legal Issues in Technical and Scientific Communication
|
|
|
TSC 550.
Organizational Communication
|
|
|
TSC 555.
Managerial Communication
|
|
|
TSC 560.
Scientific Rhetoric
|
|
|
TSC 570.
Rhetorical Theory: Classical Through Renaissance
|
|
|
TSC 580.
Rhetorical Theory: Enlightenment through Contemporary
|
|
|
TSC 590.
Intercultural Technical Communication
|
|
|
TSC 610.
Publication Management
|
|
|
TSC 615.
Document Design
|
|
|
TSC 620.
Science Writing
|
|
|
TSC 625.
Government Writing
|
|
|
TSC 630.
Legal Writing
|
|
|
TSC 635.
Medical Writing
|
|
|
TSC 640.
Proposal and Grant Writing
|
|
|
TSC 645.
Documentation of Computer Technologies
|
|
|
TSC 650.
Electronic and Online Publication
|
|
|
TSC 655.
Electronic Graphic Design
|
|
|
TSC 670.
Teaching Technical and Scientific Communication
|
|
|
TSC 680.
Readings in Technical and Scientific Communication
|
|
|
TSC 690.
Special Issues in Technical and Scientific Communication
|
|
|
|
|
Master of Science Degree
Requirements
|
Course Requirements
|
Credit Hours
|
|
Choose one of the following:
|
3
|
|
TSC 510.
Seminar in Technical and Scientific Communication
|
|
|
TSC 520.
Technical and Scientific Communication for
|
|
|
Nonnative
Speakers of English
|
|
|
TSC 530. Research Methods in Technical and Scientific Professional
Communication
|
3
|
|
TSC 540. Technical and Scientific
Editing
|
3
|
|
TSC 695. Internship in Technical and Scientific Communication
|
3
|
|
Thesis or Practicum
|
6
|
|
TSC 700. Thesis
|
|
|
Cognate discipline courses 1
|
9
|
|
Choose at least three of the
following:
|
9
|
|
TSC 545.
Ethical and Legal Issues in Technical and Scientific Communication
|
|
|
TSC 550.
Organizational Communication
|
|
|
TSC 555.
Managerial Communication
|
|
|
TSC 560.
Scientific Rhetoric
|
|
|
TSC 570.
Rhetorical Theory: Classical Through Renaissance
|
|
|
TSC 580.
Rhetorical Theory: Enlightenment through Contemporary
|
|
|
TSC 590.
Intercultural Technical Communication
|
|
|
TSC 610.
Publication Management
|
|
|
TSC 615.
Document Design
|
|
|
TSC 620.
Science Writing
|
|
|
TSC 625.
Government Writing
|
|
|
TSC 630.
Legal Writing
|
|
|
TSC 635.
Medical Writing
|
|
|
TSC 640.
Proposal and Grant Writing
|
|
|
TSC 645.
Documentation of Computer Technologies
|
|
|
TSC 650.
Electronic and Online Publication
|
|
|
TSC 655.
Electronic Graphic Design
|
|
|
TSC 670.
Teaching Technical and Scientific Communication
|
|
|
TSC 680.
Readings in Technical and Scientific Communication
|
|
|
TSC 690.
Special Issues in Technical and Scientific
|
|
|
Communication
|
|
|
|
|
Admission to Candidacy
Before enrolling in second-semester courses, students must
submit to their graduate advisers a plan of study that identifies the focus of
their study and the specific courses that they intend to complete toward that
focus of study. When applying for admission to candidacy, Master of Arts and
Master of Science students must have
§ completed all formal course work toward the
degree, as required by the program and guided by the student’s plan of study.
§ formed a thesis (or practicum) committee.
§ received the thesis committee’s formal
approval of the thesis proposal.
§ satisfied the language requirement.
§ passed the comprehensive examination.
§ passed the oral defense of the thesis.
After having received candidacy approval, the student may
complete his or her thesis and then submit it to his or her thesis committee.
Course Offerings
TSC 510. Seminar in Technical and Scientific
Communication. 3 credits.
A foundations course.
The study of the theories and history of technical and scientific communication
and its major figures and issues. Introduces students to foundational texts in
the field.
TSC 520. Technical and Scientific Communication for
Nonnative Speakers of English. 3 credits.
Study of theory, history
and research in the field as well as extensive practice in designing, writing,
revising and producing documents central to technical communication, including
technical summaries, definitions, mechanism descriptions, process or procedure
descriptions, proposals, reports and manuals. Emphasizes common problems
confronted by technical communicators who are not native speakers of English,
including organization, style, paragraphing, grammar, usage, punctuation and
idiomatic language.
TSC 530. Research Methods in Technical and Scientific
Communication. 3 credits.
Advanced study of
research methodology used in technical and scientific communication, covering
techniques for collecting information or data through primary and secondary
research. Emphasizes extended bibliographic research through projects that
employ conventional bound texts as well as electronic texts, including CD-ROM
and the Internet.
TSC 540. Technical and Scientific Editing. 3 credits.
Advanced study of and
practice in the central editorial duties of managing a document through the
editorial process, including establishing the need, purpose and scope of a
document; developing levels of edit; copyediting; substantive editing;
determining document design; editing graphic aids; collaborating with authors;
and proofreading. Prerequisite: TSC 530 or permission of instructor.
TSC 545. Ethical and Legal Issues in Technical and
Scientific Communication. 3 credits.
Advanced study of the
ethical and legal issues confronted by technical communicators in a range of
fields. Examines the role of ethics in the field, the nexus of ethics and the
law, ethical theories and critical thinking in moral reasoning, falsification
of information or data in written or graphic form, ownership of information,
confidentiality, copyright and trademark laws, conflicts of interest, and
causes of unethical behavior. Prerequisite: TSC 530 or permission of
instructor.
TSC 550. Organizational Communication. 3 credits.
Advanced study of the
structure of communication in organizations by exploring formal and informal
communication systems in government, industry and business. Examines the role
of communication in the social construction of organizations with hierarchical
and nontraditional structures. Prerequisite: TSC 530 or permission of
instructor.
TSC 555. Managerial Communication. 3 credits.
Advanced study of how managers communicate in
organizations by examining the various forms, contexts and functions of
managerial written and verbal communication. Emphasizes the role of
communication in management and the rhetorical guidelines followed by effective
managers to design, write, revise and produce clear, concise and persuasive
documents. Prerequisite: TSC 530 or permission of instructor.
TSC 560. Scientific Rhetoric. 3 credits.
Study of how writers and editors in technical and
scientific communication structure language in communicating scientific
knowledge and in presenting and defending a position. Examines theoretical
approaches to the uses of language in science and technology within specialized
disciplines, industrial organizations, and social and cultural settings as well
as critical approaches to the works of figures such as Isaac Newton, Charles
Darwin, James D. Watson, Francis Crick and Stephen Jay Gould. Prerequisite:
TSC 530 or permission of instructor.
TSC 570. Rhetorical Theory: Classical through Renaissance.
3 credits.
Study of classical rhetoric with an emphasis on the
use of language as a means of winning the assent sympathy or cooperation of an
audience. Examines the rhetorical theories of figures such as Gorgias,
Isocrates, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian and Saint Augustine. Prerequisite:
TSC 530 or permission of instructor.
TSC 580. Rhetorical Theory: Enlightenment through
Contemporary. 3 credits.
Study of modern rhetoric with an emphasis on the use
of language as a means of generating knowledge and of understanding,
establishing and maintaining human communities. The course examines the
rhetorical theories of figures such as Francis Bacon, George Campbell, Richard
Whately, Kenneth Burke, C. Perelman, L. Olbrechts-Tyteca and Michel Foucault. Prerequisite:
TSC 530 or permission of instructor.
TSC 590. Intercultural Technical and Scientific
Communication. 3 credits.
Study of technical and scientific communication in a
variety of cultural and international settings and contexts. Emphasizes
strategies for understanding and developing analytical skills needed to
collaborate with or communicate to people with varied racial, ethnic or
cultural backgrounds in both domestic and international settings. Prerequisite:
TSC 530 or permission of instructor.
TSC 610. Publication Management. 3 credits.
Advanced study of the management and editorial
policy of academic and professional publications. Examines such managerial and
editorial responsibilities as defining editorial policy, choosing a management
hierarchy, defining management roles, reviewing and editing submissions for
publication, and collaborating with authors. Prerequisites: TSC 530 and TSC
540 or permission of instructor.
TSC 615. Document Design. 3
credits.
Advanced study of the document production process, including
such design and production processes as creating publication designs,
determining publication format and layout for a range of documents (e.g.,
brochures, newsletters, journals, and books), manipulating text and graphics
using desktop publishing software, proofreading galley and page proofs, and
submitting final drafts through electronic prepress to printer. Prerequisites:
TSC 530 and TSC 540 or permission of instructor.
TSC 620. Science Writing. 3
credits.
Advanced writing course that examines the writing,
editing and producing of scientific documents including manuals, research
reports, conference papers and journal articles. Emphasizes the process of
submitting manuscripts for publication to professional and academic science
journals, magazines and newspapers and also reviews methods for creating
finished, publishable articles about new research, theories, projects, trends
and personalities in science and technology. Prerequisites: TSC 530 and TSC
540 or permission of instructor.
TSC 625. Government Writing. 3 credits.
Advanced study of writing genres from a variety of
fields within government. Examines the purposes, audiences and formats unique
to government publications. Directs students in writing original and editing
existing government documents. Prerequisites: TSC 530 and TSC 540 or
permission of instructor.
TSC 630. Legal Writing. 3
credits.
Advanced study of central components of legal
writing such as legal analysis, representation of facts and evidence,
reasoning, logic, and argumentation. Addresses such key rhetorical elements of
legal documents as clarity and conciseness of style, level of diction, jargon,
passive voice and errors in person. Prerequisites: TSC 530 and TSC 540 or
permission of instructor.
TSC 635. Medical Writing. 3
credits.
Advanced study of the theory and practice of writing
in medical/health-related fields. Examines the kinds of documentation written
about medical practices for nontechnical audiences (patients and their
families). Emphasizes communication between medical professionals and patients.
Prerequisites: TSC 530 and TSC 540 or permission of instructor.
TSC 640. Proposal and Grant Writing. 3 credits.
Advanced study of the planning and writing of
proposals and grants with emphasis on research proposals and grants seeking
funding from industry and government. Covers key proposal components including
the executive summary, purpose and scope, problem definition, need,
methodology, project feasibility, facility requirements, personnel
qualifications, cost, and proposal presentation. Prerequisites: TSC 530 and
TSC 540 or permission of instructor.
TSC 645. Documentation of Computer Technologies. 3 credits.
Advanced study of theory and practice in designing,
writing and producing computer documentation for end users. Emphasizes
documentation design and production, online documentation, usability testing,
and writing of user’s guide for computer hardware and software. Prerequisites:
TSC 530 and TSC 540 or permission of instructor.
TSC 650. Electronic and Online Publication. 3 credits.
Advanced study of electronic and online
publications, including World Wide Web pages, electronic newsletters and
magazines, and online help. Emphasizes principles in designing, writing and
producing publications using such current authoring tools as the hypertext
mark-up language, HTML. Prerequisites: TSC 530 and TSC 540 or permission of
instructor.
TSC 655. Electronic Graphic Design. 3 credits.
Advanced study of the theoretical and practical use
of computer graphics as a form of visual communication in scientific or
technical documents. Examines topics such as visual perception, design theory,
formatted text and graphics, color and design concepts, animation, and video.
Emphasizes the development of technical skills in manipulating electronically generated
text and graphics. Prerequisites: TSC 530 and TSC 540 or permission of
instructor.
TSC 670. Teaching Technical and Scientific Communication. 3 credits.
Preparation of TSC teaching assistants in rhetorical
theory and teaching methodologies. Emphasizes pedagogical strategies central to
teaching effective written and oral communication in the field and provides
practice in course development and assessment under the guidance of a faculty
mentor in actual course situations. Required of all teaching assistants before
their first semester teaching. Prerequisites: TSC 530, TSC 540 and
permission of instructor.
TSC 680. Readings in Technical and Scientific
Communication. 3 credits.
Faculty-supervised reading, research and writing on
advanced technical and scientific communication projects not covered in
regularly scheduled courses. Prerequisites: TSC 530, TSC 540, permission of
instructor, and completion of 18 or more credit hours in the major. May be
repeated with different content and permission of director.
TSC 690. Special Issues in Technical and Scientific
Communication. 3 credits.
Advanced writing and research in a variety of
technical communication genres, including government writing, medical writing,
legal writing, and proposal and grant writing. Examines special and timely
issues currently being explored in technical and scientific communication not
addressed in sufficient depth in regularly scheduled TSC courses. Prerequisites:
TSC 530 and TSC 540. May be repeated with different course content and permission
of director.
TSC 695. Internship in Technical and Scientific
Communication. 3 credits.
Work-world experience within business, industry,
government or academia in technical and scientific communication. Designed to
allow students to incorporate field experience with TSC course work and to
observe communication processes and apply effective written, interpersonal and
public communication skills. Prerequisites: TSC 530, TSC 540 and permission
of internship coordinator. May not be repeated.
TSC 699. Thesis Continuance. 2 credits.
Individual reading, research and writing associated
with completion of major’s practicum portfolio. Directed by the chair of the
student’s thesis committee and required for graduation. Prerequisites: TSC
530, TSC 540 and permission of thesis committee director. Students who have
registered for six hours of thesis credit but have not finished the thesis must
be enrolled in this course each semester, including summers, until the thesis
is completed. This course is graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U)
basis.
TSC 700. Thesis. 6
credits.
Individual reading, research and writing associated
with completion of major’s practicum or thesis. Supervised by the director of
the student’s thesis committee. Student must complete six hours of thesis
research to graduate. Prerequisites: TSC 530, TSC 540 and permission of
thesis committee director. Credit hours may be taken over one or two
semesters.
