Earn a Master's Degree in Technical Communication

With the rapid changes in technology, there is an immediate and growing need for highly trained technical communicators to design information. Employers are looking for communicators with sophisticated skills in integrating visual and digital communication with written and spoken communication. ETC offers a master’s degree in technical communication for any student with a strong background in writing and technology!

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Degree Information

We offer a variety of technical communication courses designed to improve your skills in technical writing, usability, UX/UI, visual design, proposal writing, web-based communication, and research methods.

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This MS degree has a thesis option consisting of at least 33-credit hours.

Core requirements: students must complete TCH COM 6600 Foundations of Technical Communication (3 credit hours), TCH COM 5099 (6 credit hours), and seven more courses (24 credit hours) from the list below. A minimum of 6 credit hours must be courses at the 6000-level. The student must also write and defend a thesis as part of the work for TCH COM 5099.

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This MS degree has a non-thesis option consisting of at least 30-credit hours.

Core requirements: students must complete TCH COM 6600 Foundations of Technical Communication (3 credit hours) and nine more courses (27 credit hours) from the list below. A minimum of 9 credit hours must be courses at the 6000-level.

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Undergraduates in ETC 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 Technical Communication 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 the Missouri S&T bachelor’s degree to the MS in Technical Communication 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.

ETC offers a graduate certificate in professional communication to current Missouri S&T graduate students in any discipline; those who have undergraduate or graduate degrees and are seeking to add value to their degrees; and current industry employees who need to hone their communication skills to remain competitive in the market and better serve their employers

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Your Career in Technical Communication

Career Paths

  • Technical Writer
  • Editor
  • Usability Research Analyst
  • UX/UI Design
  • Information Design
  • Social Media Management and Public Relations
  • Interpreter and translator
  • Content Strategist

usablity research book

Information for Future Students