Students must complete a minimum of 120 credit hours for a Bachelor of Science in English & Technical Communication, and obtain a grade point average of 2.0. These requirements for the B.S. are in addition to credit received for basic ROTC.

Students must take the following 9 credit hours of courses:

• ENGLISH 1120 Exposition and Argumentation (3)
• ENGLISH 2002 Critical Approaches to Literature (3)
• One communication intensive course (3) OR two communication emphasized courses (6)

Math and Sciences.  Students must take 18 credit hours of math and science courses, including at least one in biological science and one in the physical sciences and at least one math course at the level of college algebra or higher. In addition to these requirements, students may count STAT 1115, up to 3 credit hours from psychology classes, and up to 3 credit hours from history of science and technology classes (HISTORY 2510, HISTORY 3510, or HISTORY 3530), but may not use them to satisfy another requirement. 

Students must complete 9 credit hours in humanities with at least one course from each of the following: literature, philosophy, and fine arts (Art, Music, or Theater Appreciation). 

Social Sciences. Students must complete 12 credit hours in social science courses. Students must take at least one course in two of these four areas: economics, history, political science, and psychology. 

One of the following courses must be taken to satisfy the requirement of the state of Missouri (the Williams Law); this course may count toward fulfilling a social sciences requirement.

1. HISTORY 1200 Modern Western Civilization (3)
2. HISTORY 1300 American History to 1877 (3)
3. HISTORY 1310 American History since 1877 (3)
4. POL SCI 1200 American Government (3)

English and Technical Communication. The students must complete 33 credit hours of courses in ENGLISH and/or TCH COM and earn a grade of C or better in these courses.

All students must complete a COMMON CORE of 9 credit hours for the major:

1. ENGLISH 2410 Theory of Written Communication (3)
2. TCH COM 4410 Theory and Practice of Technical Communication (3)
3. TCH COM 5620 Research Methods in Technical Communication (3)

Each student chooses at least one of the following CORE MODULES, which helps define each student's focus for the degree and provides foundational skills within that focus:

Technical Communication (12 credit hours):

1. TCH COM 1600 Introduction to Technical Communication (3)
2. TCH COM 2540 Layout and Design (3)
3. TCH COM 5510 Technical Editing (3)
4. One of the following:
   1. TCH COM 3550 Writing in the Sciences (3)
   2. TCH COM 3580 Business Communication (3)
   3. TCH COM 3570 Writing in the Sciences (3)
   4. TCH COM 5560 Web-Based Communication (3)

Literature (12 credit hours):

1. One 1000 or 2000 level literature class
2. One 2000 or 3000 level literature class with a “media” or “genre” designation
3. One 3000 level literature class with a geographical designation
4. One 3000 level literature class with a historical or cultural designation

Linguistics (12 credit hours):

1. ENGLISH 3301 A Linguistic Study of Modern English (3)
2. ENGLISH 3302 History and Structure of the English Language (3)
3. ENGLISH 3303 The Grammatical Structure of English (3)
4. ENGLISH 3304 Language in Society (3)

Students should choose the remaining required credit hours in ETC in consultation with their advisor to complete specialized modules and certificates that correspond with their interests and future goals. Specialized modules are generally sets of 3-4 courses that allow students to pursue specialized areas of our degree program. Please refer to ETC website and/or consult your advisor for a full list of current modules/minors and certificates. Some of these include: Creative Writing, Professional Writing, Game Studies, English Education, Digital Presence Management.

Electives Credits. Each student will elect sufficient additional courses to complete a minimum of 120 credit hours, at the discretion of the major advisor. Electives housed in other departments can and should be used to fulfill requirements for interdisciplinary specialized modules and certificates. At least 9 credit hours of these electives must be at the 3000 or above level, although substitutions may be permitted at the discretion of the major advisor. All electives must accumulate to at least a 2.0 grade point average.

All undergraduate students in the English and technical communication program must complete the experiential learning requirement.

Secondary Education Certification

If you plan to become a secondary school teacher of English/language arts, the department offers an emphasis area in secondary education. This program is approved by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.  License reciprocity determinations outside of Missouri can be found at https://teaching.missouri.edu/student/state-authorization/mst/licensure

Graduate Track Pathway to MS in Technical Communication:

An undergraduate in the Department of English and Technical Communication at Missouri S&T, and select undergraduates in other departments, may opt to apply for the Graduate Track Pathway in Technical Communication (TC). This program allows a student to complete a bachelor’s degree and then the MS in Tech Com in less time than if pursuing each degree consecutively. In this program, 9 credit hours of TC MS coursework may apply to both the BS and MS requirements. The credit hours transferred from their Missouri S&T bachelor’s degree to their Technical Communication master’s degree may be taken at the lower undergraduate tuition rate.

To be eligible for the GTP, an undergraduate must be one year from completion of their bachelor’s degree (excluding the semester in which they are currently enrolled). They must have completed 9 credit hours of any combination of English and TC courses selected from 1160, 1600, 2002, 2410, 2540, 2560, and any 3000 or 4000 level English or TC course at Missouri S&T with at least a 3.50 GPA in those courses and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

To be admitted, the student must complete the GTP Admission and Course Approval Form and must have the recommendation of a TC faculty member. Once admitted to the GTP, the student may transfer nine credit hours from their Missouri S&T bachelor’s degree to their Technical Communication master’s degree. Depending on the bachelor’s program, some or all of those credit hours might also fulfill elective undergraduate categories. These nine hours of shared credit will be charged at the undergraduate tuition rate. The nine hours of shared-credit coursework must be approved by the academic advisor and must be courses approved to be part of the MS curriculum. Taking additional courses for graduate credit beyond these nine hours will require formal application and acceptance to the MS program. Acceptance to the MS program from the GTP is assured so long as the student maintains a 3.0 GPA or higher in TC coursework.

ETC majors are encouraged to consult with their academic advisor during their sophomore or junior year about preparing for GTP admission.