ITSC Students Prepare For Numerous Fields

The B.A. and B.S. degree programs in technical and scientific communication offer students instruction in the study of communication in fields traditionally associated with technical or scientific content, such as biology, chemistry, computer science, geology, mathematics, nursing and physics. The degree programs also provide instruction in components of professional communication that are applicable to technical and scientific communication, such as document design and production, Web design, publications management, knowledge management, organizational and managerial communication, instructional design and training, rhetoric, and communication studies.

The range of courses in technical and scientific communication provides B.A. and B.S. students with advanced communication skills and training that enable them to build productive careers in business, industry, government or academia. The undergraduate programs also introduce students to current communication technologies such as desktop publishing and Web page construction that not only enable them to produce documents of professional quality during their studies but also train them in the technological tools that they will use throughout their careers. In addition, students learn the kinds of research, analytical and reasoning skills that will allow them to become leaders in technical and scientific communication. Finally, courses in international technical communication, including linguistic theory and application in technical and scientific communication, technical translation, international publication management and document internationalization, prepare TSC majors for the global market within the field.

The B.A. and B.S. programs emphasize scholarly, humanistic and social scientific perspectives on the function and application of technical and scientific communication. The central mission of both the B.A. and B.S. degrees, then, is to enable program graduates to grow as professionals and, ultimately, to contribute to the developing field of technical and scientific communication.

Finally, in addition to offering students the rhetorical tools with which to excel in the professions as technical communicators, the B.A. and B.S. programs also prepare graduates for academic studies at the master's level.

Goals

• develop into accomplished writers and editors in the field.
• learn how to solve communication problems, whether in written or graphic form.
• enhance their understanding of how and why communication works.
• develop criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of technical and scientific communication.
• apply communication technologies that enhance their ability to design and produce print and online documents of professional quality both in terms of writing and graphics.
• improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their communication management.
• develop advanced research and analytical skills.
• create for themselves a concentration or cognate area of study within the technical or scientific field in which they intend to work as professional technical communicators.

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