Technical Communication Certificate
(Student Consumer Information About this Program - PDF)
About the Certificate
- The undergraduate Certificate in Technical Communication is offered by the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI in cooperation with the Department of English, the Department of Communication Studies, and the Society for Technical Communication. The program follows the School’s guidelines for a Class C certificate. A certificate will be presented to those who successfully complete the program of course work.
- Students who earn the Certificate in Technical Communication will demonstrate that they have the core knowledge, skills, and professional practices necessary for entry-level technical communicators. They will demonstrate their ability to gather and transform technical knowledge for a variety of audiences. They will design, develop, and edit effective, usable publications using rhetorical principles and current technology.
- Any student formally admitted to the University may be a candidate for the certificate. To receive the certificate, students must have a technical specialty (major, minor, or nine hours of course work), successfully complete 13 credit hours of required courses, and prepare for professional employment. Courses taken at other universities may be recognized as the equivalent of the required and can substitute for 50% of the IUPUI courses. The TCM Coordinator or Director must approve the candidate’s selection of courses.
Certificate Requirements (PDF)
Curriculum
Technical Specialty: 6 credits
Students will complete six hours of technical or scientific courses, including CIT 10600 or 11200 or an equivalent introductory computer course.
Required Courses: 13 credits
Students will select one course in each of these five areas.
Professional Preparation
Near the end of their coursework, students may complete a professional portfolio, suitable for the job search, which includes three to five documents of various types that demonstrate a range of skills and competencies. Practicing technical communicators will review the portfolio and provide responses. As an alternative, students may take TCM 25000 Internship and Career Planning, a course that prepares them for professional employment.
Supplemental Courses
The following courses are not required, but are good supplements to the Certificate.
- TCM 37000 Oral Practicum for Technical Managers
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- TCM 49900 Selected Topics in TCM
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- Eng-W 412 Technology and Literacy
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- IET 36400 Total Quality Control
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- Jour J390 Corporate Publications
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- Jour J463/J563 Desktop Publishing
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- OLS 38500 Leadership for Quality & Productivity
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- OLS 27400 Supervisory Management
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- Info I275 Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction Theory
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- INFO I270 Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction Principles and Practices
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- OLS 37500 Training Methods
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- INFO I300 Human-Computer Interaction
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- Info N 260 Script Writing
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