College of Liberal Arts

180 Wesbrook Hall
77 Pleasant St SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: 612-624-3445
Fax: 612-624-3617
E-mail: writ@umn.edu

Requirements

A minimum of 33 credits are required as follows:

Core Course Area (18 credits)

  • WRIT 5001--Introduction to Graduate Studies in Scientific & Technical Communication
  • WRIT 4501--Usability and Human Factors in Technical Communication
  • WRIT 4561--Editing and Style for Technical Communicators
  • WRIT 5111--Information Design: Theory and Practice I OR WRIT 5112--Information Design: Theory and Practice II
  • WRIT 5511--Research in Scientific and Technical Communication
  • WRIT 5671--Visual Rhetoric

Competency Area (12 credits): Possible areas of study include

  • Health Sciences
  • International Technical Communication
  • Food Science and Nutrition
  • Technical Communication and Software Engineering
  • Technical Communication and Environmental Science
  • Technical Communication and Law
  • Graduate-level Minors. Students can seek a graduate-level minor from the list below to fulfill the competency are requirement, upon Advisor and Director of Graduate Study for MSSTC approval. See the graduate catalog for more information on these graduate-level minors.
    • Bioethics
    • Bioinformatics
    • Cognitive Science
    • Conflict Management
    • Human Factors / Ergonomics
    • Human Genetics
    • Human Rights
    • International Education
    • Museum Studies
    • Program Evaluation
    • Public Health
    • Science and Technology Studies
    • Sustainable Agricultural Systems
  • Self-designed Competency Area (in consultation with advisor)
  • WRIT 5196--Internship in Scientific and Technical Communication can substitute for one competency area course

Capstone Course (3 credits)

  • WRIT 8505 - Design Project is the final course to complete the degree requirements

Satisfactory Progress Towards Degree

The MSSTC student should meet once a term with his or her advisor in order to monitor progress and assure timely degree completion. The MSSTC student needs to make satisfactory progress by meeting grade and progress standards. For progress standards, in extreme circumstances, the student may write a letter to the DGS Advisory Committee explaining the need for an exception. The committee will then determine if an exception will be granted. The standards of performance required to continue in the MSSTC program are available in the Graduate Student Handbook.