Our online master's degree in technical writing is specifically designed for working professional and technical communicators. Moving up in the company can often depend more on your credentials than your skills. Having an MBA or other master's degree from a major university may make the difference between becoming a Director of Communications or VP for Communications or remaining Lead Writer or Editor for your entire professional career.

This program is not just about providing professional credentials, however. Time and again we find that students who come into the program are carrying a cargo of opinions about the profession that are inaccurate and counter productive. Students who receive master's degrees from accredited universities become better writers. They learn how best to apply the professional conventions, but more importantly they learn WHY the conventions are applied in the first place.

Technical communication at USU has always been dynamic, changing rapidly as technologies and theories evolve.

Not only is the Master's program offered entirely over the Internet, it was the first such program in the country. The program leads to an advanced degree (Master of Science in English, with a specialization in Technical Writing) specifically designed for professionals who are not free to pursue a traditional, on-campus education. We often meet our students for the first time when they come to campus for the hooding ceremony.

Students who fit these profiles would pursue the degree in order to renew and update their professional skills and advance their careers. Of course, a few will get caught up in the excitement of research and will push on for a Ph.D. Students who leave this program with an MS typically get their choice of Ph.D. programs.

By the time they graduate from the program, you will learn

• A critical understanding of the core principles on which technical communication is grounded.
• An understanding of the nature of the profession and the dynamics that drive its evolution.
• To develop and defend communication policies and practices in their workplaces.
• To understand ethical considerations in their work and create appropriate policies.
• Follow the latest scholarly conversations and trends in technical communication research as they develop in the journals, professional organizations, conferences, and other scholarly forums of the field.