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{Home > Graduate : M.S. in S&TC}

M.S. in Scientific and Technical Communication (M.S. in S&TC)

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The Technical Communications Field

More than ever, technical communication is a field on the rise, and the demand for trained communicators in this profession is strong and likely to increase. Personal computers and the need for clear instruction manuals began this trend in the 1980s, but the explosive growth of consumer electronics, the Internet, scientific policy and regulatory requirements, and medical and pharmaceutical specialties, has resulted in an increased demand for trained technical communicators.

Technical communicators must be able to work with highly complex material and in an environment where most information is digitized, produced using complex information management software, regulated by the FDA and other legal and policy guidelines, and produced by a team that spans the globe. No longer a job for the generalist who likes to write, technical communication is a profession where organizations require education and expertise, with both technical content and technical tools.

Demand for Technical Communicators

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook 2008-2009 edition, while employment of writers and editors generally is predicted to rise in line with the overall national employment average, opportunities should be best for writers with training in a specialized field. Demand for technical writers with expertise in areas such as law, medicine, or economics is expected to increase because of the continuing expansion of scientific and technical information and the need to communicate it to others. Legal, scientific, and technological developments and discoveries generate demand for people to interpret technical information for a more general audience. Rapid growth and change in the high-technology and electronics industries result in a greater need for people to write users' guides, instruction manuals, and training materials. This work requires people who not only are technically skilled as writers, but also are familiar with a subject area.

Our Nationally Recognized Degree

For twenty years, the University of Minnesota has offered an M.S. in scientific and technical communication, making it one of the oldest and most highly respected degrees of its kind in the country. Some of our success is tied to the fact that our department has a nationally recognized research base in the field. For many years, we housed and edited the journal Technical Communication Quarterly. Several faculty members are authors of major textbooks, and all faculty are published in books and articles. We are highly visible at local and national meetings. With the introduction of our research-based M.A. and Ph.D. in the early 1990s our M.S. is now strictly a professional degree, but it continues to benefit from our national research profile and, until recently, from being the only one in the state. It has also benefited from its location at the science and technology hub of the state and region. Many courses are available online; other courses are taught in the late afternoons or evenings to accommodate working students.

We also offer a graduate certificate in technical communication, which can be earned by taking half the required credits for the M.S.

For more information on our programs, e-mail writ@umn.edu.