The Associate of Applied Science degree in Technical Communications provides preparation essential for careers in technical communications. Courses include developing print and online materials, online helps, web sites, and graphics; working within the documentation process as writers, editors, reviewers, designers, and coordinators; exploring industry developments involving single sourcing, content management, and document control; using software applications most in demand by employers to develop portfolio-quality documents; and, most importantly, practicing clear succinct direct writing that is carefully adapted to its intended audience.

Please note that there is a great deal of flexibility in this degree. While the composition, speech, math, humanities, and social and behavioral science courses are required, you can substitute any ETWR course for another that you prefer. You can also take any combination of computer and Visual Communication electives that you prefer—even to the exclusion of one or the other.

Semester 1		Hours
ENGL 1301	English Composition I	3xxxx
BCIS 1305 or COSC 1301 or COSC 1300 or +POFT 1329 or Semester II course	Business Computer Applications or Personal Computing or Introduction to Computing or Keyboarding and Document Formatting: Word I or Semester II course	3xxxx
	Oral Communication elective2	3xxxx
	Computer elective3	3-4xxxx
xx	Visual Communication elective4	3-4xxxx
xx		15-17xxxx

Semester 2		Hours
+ENGL 2311	Technical & Business Writing	3xxxx
ARTC 1402	Digital Imaging I	4xxxx
	Computer elective3	3-4xxxx
xx	Visual Communication elective4	3-4xxxx
xx	Math elective5	3xxxx
xx		16-18xxxx

Semester 3		Hours
+ETWR 2472 or +POFI 2431	Book-Length Documents with Adobe FrameMaker or Desktop Publishing for the Office: Book-Length Documents with MS Word	4xxxx
+ITSE 1405	Web Authoring and Publishing: Hypertext, Websites, and Online Helps	4xxxx
POFT 2359	Records and Information Management III: Indexing and Document Control	3xxxx
xx	Social and Behavioral Science6	3xxxx
xx	Visual Communication elective5	3-4xxxx
xx		17xxxx

Semester 4		Hours
+ITSE 1356 or +BMGT 1409	Introduction to XML or Information and Project Management: Documentation Process and Content Management	3-4xxxx
+POFT 1307	Proofreading and Editing: Business, Government, and Technical Publications	3xxxx
xx	Humanties7	3xxxx
xx	Business & Technical Communications Elective8	3xxxx
	Computer elective3 or Visual Communication elective4	3-4xxxx
+ETWR 1391xx	Special Topics in English Technical	3xxxx
xx	Capstone Portfolio Examination4	xxxx
xx		18-19xxxx

TOTAL

63-64xxxx

+ Prerequisites: See Course Descriptions.

# Capstone course

1. Students lacking computer skills should take COSC 1301 or BCIS 1305; students without experience with Microsoft Word should take POFT 1329. Students with skills in these areas should take a Semester II course such as ENGL 2311 or ARTC 1402.

2. Select from Oral Communications in the General Education Course List.

3. Students are encouraged to take related sequences of courses focusing on computer networks, databases, operating systems, or programming from the Computer Information Technology and the Computer Science departments.

4. Students are encouraged to take related sequences of courses focusing on web design, graphics, automated drafting, and multimedia from the Visual Communications or Engineering Design Graphics departments.

5. Select from the Mathematics in the General Education Course List.

6. Select from the Social and Behavioral Science in the General Education Course List.

7. Select from the Humanities and Fine Arts in the General Education Course List.

8. Select from Business & Technical Communications courses.

9. Fourth semester capstone requirement - Portfolio Examination.