Missouri S&T’s Department of English and Technical Communication (ETC) is the only program in Missouri to blend the humanistic study of English with the principles and practices of technical communication in a single degree program. The STEM-focused environment of S&T sets us apart from our peer programs in English and technical communication–it allows us to leverage S&T’s existing strengths in STEM and to focus on adaptive thinking and ethical training that today’s job market demands and that global citizenship requires.
ETC provides students with innovative undergraduate research and coursework opportunities that do not exist in traditional departments, including the chance to complete several client-based classroom projects that allow students to collaborate professionally with customers and other colleagues. The ETC program teaches students to use technology in order to make complex topics understandable and to make information usable. As a result, our graduates are in high demand and find career opportunities in a wide range of professional domains, including engineering, health care, technology, education, publishing, government, natural sciences, and nonprofits. ETC majors at S&T can even earn a master’s degree in technical communication with only one additional year of study past graduation.
Career outlook is healthy for ETC graduates. Our graduates have found positions as technical writers, teachers, content developers, professional editors, publishing specialists, and user experience researchers. Many have gone on to earn graduate degrees and work in leadership positions and in academia!
Nationwide, media and communication occupations project 104,800 openings per year across roles like technical writers, content creators, and PR specialists​. Median salaries in these fields are strong, with technical writers averaging around $91,000 per year​.
According to Dr. Kate Drowne, Assistant Provost for Faculty Affairs and professor of English and Technical Communication, “There’s no real limit to what you can do with an English degree because it’s not directed career training. Rather, as an English major you learn the skills for all kinds of environments. You can succeed in any number of fields."