Missouri S&T’s Department of English and Technical Communication 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 any of our peer programs in English or 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. The ETC program 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.

English

The discipline of English includes literary studies, composition and rhetoric, creative writing, and English education. A degree in English is ideal for students who want to pursue a professional career in management and administration, sales and marketing, writing and editing, research and investigation, human resources and public relations. A degree in English Education is ideal for those who want to pursue a career in teaching middle and high school students.

Programs

Technical Communication

The discipline of technical communication focuses on the study of visual, written, and spoken communication in a wide variety of professions. It enables people to use technology effectively, to understand technology, and to make effective decisions about real-world problems. A degree in technical communication is ideal for students interested in web design and usability, technical writing and editing, online help development, content development, managing documentation, and information architecture.

Programs

Speech and Media Studies

Speech and media studies are the academic disciplines that seek to understand the processes by which human beings agree to cooperate in their endeavors. These processes are as old as human nature itself and are rooted in the original human condition of orality, but they continue to be modified as new media wax and old media wane. Understanding these processes is the basis for most of the coursework offered by this program, however, each course also seeks to develop the student’s proficiency in the particular styles of communication engendered by media as they evolve.

Programs

Department News

Dr. Sarah Hercula: "The notion that there is a proper way to speak adds to racist views in modern society. Sarah Hercula, a professor of linguistics at Missouri University of Science and Technology, has written a book on that topic. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jonathan Ahl sat down with her to talk about her ideas to fix the problem." Listen to the interview below or visit the story at KBIA in St. Louis.