M.S. in Technical Communication and Information Design (TCID)
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The M.S. in Technical Communication and Information Design provides an understanding of communication practices, familiarity with information and communication technologies, and an awareness of the importance of collaboration in enhancing the flow of information throughout an organization. Applicants to the master's program come from a variety of backgrounds. Some students enter with strong writing or design ability and learn to apply those skills in technical and scientific areas, while other students enter with a technical or scientific background and learn to enhance their communication skills. The program's goal is to help students build upon existing strengths and develop new areas of expertise.
Requirements (effective for students entering spring 2011)
- 33 credit hours
- Project or Thesis
- Oral comprehensive exam (project review or thesis review)
Students preparing for careers as technical communicators are advised to take the project option, while students preparing for a Ph.D. in a relevant field may wish to take the thesis option. The exam committee for each option requires a minimum of two Category 1 faculty members from the Humanities department, at least one of them from the technical communication program.
- COM 525 User Experience Research and Evaluation
- COM 528 Document Design
- COM 529 Technical Editing
- COM 530 Standards-Based Web Design
- COM 543 Publication Management
Required project/thesis hours: 3-6 hours (COM 594 or COM 591)
Electives: 12-15 hours
- COM 428 Verbal and Visual Communication
- COM 430 Introduction to Web Design and Management
- COM 431 Intermediate Web Design and Management
- COM 432 Advanced Web Design and Management
- COM 435 Intercultural Communication
- COM 501 Introduction to Linguistics
- COM 506 World Englishes
- COM 508 Structure of Modern English
- COM 509 History of the English Language
- COM 515 Discourse Analysis
- COM 532 Rhetoric of Technology
- COM 535 Instructional Design
- COM 536 Proposal and Grant Writing
- COM 538 Entrepreneurship in Technical Communication
- COM 541 Information Structure and Retrieval
- COM 542 Knowledge Management
- COM 545 Writing for Academic Publication
- COM 553 Globalization and Localization
- COM 561 Teaching Technical Communication
- COM 571 Persuasion
- COM 577 Communication Law and Ethics
- COM 580 Topics in Communication
- COM 585 Internship
- COM 601 Research Methods and Resources
Other courses as approved by the student's advisor and one of the co-directors of graduate studies. No more than 9 hours of 400-level courses may be counted toward the degree.
Requirements (effective for students entering summer 2010)
- 30 credit hours (thesis option) or 33 credit hours (project option), including required courses listed above
- Project or Thesis
- Oral comprehensive exam (project review or thesis review)
Applicants to the master's program come from a variety of backgrounds. Some students enter with strong writing or design ability and learn to apply those skills in technical and scientific areas, while other students enter with a technical or scientific background and learn to enhance their communication skills. The program's goal is to help students build upon existing strengths and develop new areas of expertise.
Applicants must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year institution with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0.
In addition to an application form, each applicant must submit the following:
- Professional statement discussing the applicant's professional and academic preparation and goals.
- Two letters of recommendation from faculty or supervisors who can evaluate the applicant's potential for graduate-level work.
- Official transcripts, or certified copies thereof, of all academic work at the college level or above.
- Required test scores.
All applicants are required to submit Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores with a minimum combined score of 1000 quantitative + verbal (with a minimum score of 500 in each area) and 3.0 (analytical writing).
International students must submit TOEFL scores unless they are exempt as specified in the "International Applicant Requirements" of the Graduate Bulletin. The minimum TOEFL score is 95, with minimum section scores of 20 each in the Listening, Reading, and Writing sections.
Note: Enrolling in courses does not guarantee later acceptance into a degree program, nor does meeting the minimum admission requirements. Students who enter as non-degree or certificate students should first discuss their plans with one of the co-directors of graduate studies.
Applications to the masters program in technical communication and information design are administered by Graduate Admission, which encourages an online application. Additional information is available at the Graduate Admission website. Application deadlines are listed at www.iit.edu/graduate_admission/prospective_students/deadlines.shtml
If you have questions about the TCID degree, about a career in technical communication, or about your readiness for the program, please contact:
Prof. Matt Bauer or Prof. Karl Stolley
Co-Directors, Graduate Studies
Email: gradhuminfo@iit.edu