Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication, M.S.
Effective August 2017, Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication, M.S. is suspending admissions, which means that this program of study is not currently accepting new applicants.
Degree Requirements
Students in the program must successfully complete three required courses (nine credit hours), two courses of thesis or internship hours (six credit hours), and six courses of WRTC electives (18 credit hours). For students wanting to focus their studies on emerging educational technologies, the school offers an M.S. degree. Students complete the degree by taking a nine credit-hour cognate in educational technology in place of nine credit hours of WRTC electives.
At least 18 of the students' credit hours must come from course work at the 600 level or above. Up to six of those hours may be WRTC 700 or WRTC 701.
The WRTC graduate program encourages applicants with diverse academic and professional backgrounds, including (but certainly not limited to) biology, business, computer science, education, English, geography, mathematics, philosophy, political science, psychology, rhetoric and composition, or writing.
Capstone
Degree candidates have two options for satisfying the capstone requirement for the master's degree:
- Complete a research-based master's thesis on a relevant topic.
- Complete a 300-hour internship with an external client on a relevant topic.
It is important that the student understand that they are solely responsible for the success of the thesis/internship. The student needs to be in charge of completing all paperwork for the school, The Graduate School, registrar, etc., and for meeting all deadlines to matriculate successfully. The student will need to contact these offices well ahead of the semester in which they are to graduate to ensure that all deadlines can and will be met.
Comprehensive Exam
All students must pass a comprehensive exam in the form of a defense of their capstone project.
Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| WRTC 500 | Critical Questions and Conversations | 3 |
| WRTC 504 | Professional Editing | 3 |
| WRTC 508 | Research Methods | 3 |
| Subtotal | 9 | |
| Thesis or Internship | ||
| WRTC 700 | Thesis Research | 6 |
| or WRTC 701 | Internship | |
| Subtotal | 6 | |
| Educational Technologies Cognates | ||
| LDT 570 | Design and Development of Digital Media | 3 |
| LDT 610 | Principles of Instructional Design | 3 |
| LDT 622 | Professional Development in Educational Technology | 3 |
| Subtotal | 9 | |
| WRTC or Other Approved Electives | ||
| Choose at least three WRTC or other approved electives: | 9 | |
| Organizational Communication | ||
| Special Topics in Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication | ||
| Ethics in Communication | ||
| Intercultural Literacies | ||
| Publication Management | ||
| Teaching Writing | ||
| Public Work of Rhetoric | ||
| Genre in Action | ||
| Legal Writing | ||
| Issues in Rhetorical Theory | ||
| Proposal and Grant Writing | ||
| Health and Medical Rhetorics | ||
| Rhetoric of Science and Technology | ||
| Communicating Science | ||
| Electronic Graphic Design | ||
| Content Management | ||
| Writers Who Design | ||
| Readings and Projects in Technical Communication | ||
| Subtotal | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 33 | |