BA in Technical Writing and User Experience
Admission to this program is temporarily suspended, pending review.
This program prepares students to work as technical writers and user experience analysts. These are both growing fields in the 2020s. More specifically, this versatile and practical degree draws on disciplinary knowledge from Rhetoric and Writing Studies (RWS) to prepare students for careers in technical writing, user-experience research, professional writing, content strategy, information design and development, and web authoring. The degree also prepares students for other careers with intensive writing demands. Graduates will be qualified to take positions in industry, government, education, and the military, as well as in a variety of non-profit settings. The degree may further prepare students for graduate work in rhetoric and writing, technical writing, the teaching of writing law, and other areas.
Marketable Skills
Students will develop the following skills:
- Communication: Reach mutual understanding through effective exchange of information, ideas, and feelings
- Organization: Use resources effectively and efficiently in order to stay focused on different tasks
- Writing: Communicate using text in a clear and concise manner
Students learn to analyze digital communication strategies to make sure that they are user-friendly, and they learn to compose and organize technical documents.
The Bachelor of Arts in Technical Writing and User Experience prepares students to communicate effectively and ethically in todays technologically and culturally diverse environments. Students with this degree will be able to navigate complex writing situations and to design technical information and digital experiences for multiple audiences and purposes.
Degree Plan
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Minor required | 18 | |
| This program requires the selection of a minor. | ||
| University Core Curriculum | ||
| Complete the University Core Curriculum requirements. | 42 | |
| Technical Writing & User Experience Major | 15 | |
| Required Courses: | ||
| Intro to Tec Wrt and User Exp | ||
| Methods for Inquiry & Design | ||
| Foundations of User Exp | ||
| Senior Writing Practicum | ||
| Web Authoring | ||
| Prescribed Electives: | 15 | |
| Select five from the following | ||
| Editing | ||
| Workplace Writing | ||
| Issues in Tech & Rhetoric | ||
| Special Topics in Writing | ||
| Technical Writing | ||
| Adv Composition:Rhet Theory | ||
| Advanced Composition: Argument | ||
| Free Electives: | 6 | |
| Select any two upper-division courses from the following | ||
RWS - Any Upper Division RWS course | ||
| Intro. to Trans. & Interpret. | ||
| Legal Translation | ||
| Translation in Business | ||
| Translation in Healthcare | ||
| Basic Multimedia Writing | ||
| Intermediate Multimedia Writng | ||
| Writing for PR & Corp Comm | ||
| Open Electives | ||
| Select additional hours to complete a total of one hundred twenty hours | ||
| Foreign Language | ||
| Select six credit of Foreign Language. All six credits must be in the same language sequence. 11 | 6 | |
| Block Electives | ||
| Complete twelve upper-division hours from the blocks below, with three to six hours each | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
University Core Curriculum (A program may recommend specific courses. All courses require a C or better.)
I. Communication (six hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses in this category focus on developing ideas and expressing them clearly, considering the effect of the message, fostering understanding, and building the skills needed to communicate persuasively. Courses involve the command of oral, aural, written, and visual literacy skills that enable people to exchange messages appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience. Course objectives for this component are: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility. | ||
| Select six hours of the following: | 6 | |
| For students whose secondary education was in English: | ||
| Written and Oral Communication | ||
| Writing About Literature | ||
| Rhetoric & Composition I | ||
| Rhetoric & Composition 2 | ||
| Rhetoric, Composition & Comm | ||
| For students whose secondary education was not in English: | ||
| Expos Engl Compos-Spkr Esl | ||
| Res & Crit Writng Spkr Esl | ||
| TOTAL HOURS | 6 | |
II. American History (six hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses in this category focus on the consideration of past events and ideas relative to the United States, with the option of including Texas History for a portion of this component area. Courses involve the interaction among individuals, communities, states, the nation, and the world, considering how these interactions have contributed to the development of the United States and its global role. Course objectives for this component are: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Social Responsibility, and Personal Responsibility. | ||
| HIST 1301 | History of U.S. to 1865 | 3 |
| HIST 1302 | History of U.S. Since 1865 | 3 |
| TOTAL HOURS | 6 | |
III. Language, Philosophy & Culture (three hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses in this category focus on how ideas, values, beliefs, and other aspects of culture express and affect human experience. Courses involve the exploration of ideas that foster aesthetic and intellectual creation in order to understand the human condition across cultures. Course objectives for this component are: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Social Responsibility, and Personal Responsibility. | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Intro-African Amer Studies | ||
| Latina/o Presence in the U.S. | ||
| English Literature | ||
| English Literature | ||
| Intro to American Fiction | ||
| Intro to American Drama | ||
| Intro to American Poetry | ||
| Making of the "Other" Americas | ||
| World History to 1500 | ||
| World History Since 1500 | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Ethics | ||
| Introduct to Religious Studies | ||
| Seeing & Naming: Conversations | ||
| Introduction to Womens Studies | ||
| Global Feminisms | ||
| TOTAL HOURS | 3 | |
IV. Mathematics (three hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses in this category focus on quantitative literacy in logic, patterns, and relationships. Courses involve the understanding of key mathematical concepts and the application of appropriate quantitative tools to everyday experience. Course objectives for this component are: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, and Empirical & Quantitative Skills. | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| College Algebra | ||
| Trigonometry and Conics | ||
| Math in the Modern World | ||
| Math for Social Sciences I | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| Precalculus | ||
| Math for Social Sciences II | ||
| Statistical Literacy | ||
| Elementary Statistical Methods | ||
| TOTAL HOURS | 3 | |
V. Life & Physical Sciences (six hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses in this category focus on describing, explaining, and predicting natural phenomena using the scientific method. Courses involve the understanding of interactions among natural phenomena and the implications of scientific principles on the physical world and on experiences. Course objectives for this component are: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Empirical & Quantitative Skills, and Teamwork. | ||
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Astronomy Lab I | ||
| Elem Astronomy-Solar System | ||
| Elem Astr Stars & Galaxies | ||
| Introductory Biology Lab | ||
| Human Biology Laboratory | ||
| Topics in Study of Life I | ||
| Organismal Biology Laboratory | ||
| Introductory Biology | ||
| Human Biology | ||
| General Biology | ||
| Organismal Biology | ||
| Human Anat/Physio Lab I | ||
| Human Anat/Physio Lab II | ||
| Human Anat/Physiology I | ||
| Human Anat/Physiology II | ||
| Laboratory for CHEM 1305 | ||
| Laboratory for CHEM 1306 | ||
| Intro General Chemistry Lab | ||
| Intro Organic & Biochem Lab | ||
| General Chemistry | ||
| General Chemistry | ||
| Intro to General Chemistry | ||
| Intro Organic & Biochemistry | ||
| Environmental Sci. Lab | ||
| Non-major Lab for ESCI 1301 | ||
| Intro to Environmental Sci | ||
| Laboratory for GEOG 1306 | ||
| Physical Geography | ||
| Lab for GEOL 1313 | ||
| Lab for GEOL 1314 | ||
| Principles of Earth Sci - Lab | ||
| Laboratory for Geology 1212 | ||
| Principles of Earth Sciences | ||
| Principles of Earth Science | ||
| The Blue Planet | ||
| Natural Hazards | ||
| Intro to Physical Geology | ||
| Intro to Historical Geol | ||
| Fundamentals of Nutrition | ||
| Wellness Dynamics | ||
| Microorganisms and Disease | ||
| General Physics I | ||
| General Physics II | ||
| Laboratory for PHYS 2320 | ||
| Laboratory for PHYS 2321 | ||
| Introductory Mechanics | ||
| Introductory Electromagnetism | ||
| TOTAL HOURS | 6 | |
VI. Political Science (six hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses in this category focus on consideration of the Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of the states, with special emphasis on that of Texas. Courses involve the analysis of governmental institutions, political behavior, civic engagement, and their political and philosophical foundations. Course objectives for this component are: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Social Responsibility and Personal Responsibility. | ||
| Required Courses: | ||
| POLS 2310 | Introduction to Politics | 3 |
| POLS 2311 | American Gover & Politics | 3 |
| TOTAL HOURS | 6 | |
VII. Social & Behavioral Sciences (three hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses in this category focus on the application of empirical and scientific methods that contribute to the understanding of what makes us human. Courses involve the exploration of behavior and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, and events, examining their impact on the individual, society, and culture. Course objectives for this component are: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Empirical & Quantitative Skills, and Social Responsibility. | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Intro-Phys Anth/Archeolog | ||
| Intro-Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Cultural Geography | ||
| Intro to Linguistics | ||
| Asian American Studies | ||
| Econ for Engrs & Scientists | ||
| Intro to Chicano Studies | ||
| Interpersonal Communication | ||
| Mass Media and Society | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics | ||
| Introduction to Ed Psychology | ||
| Action Research in Classrooms | ||
| Introduction to Linguistics | ||
| Cultural Geography | ||
| Leadership in Action | ||
| Introduction to Linguistics | ||
| Lang. Inside & Out: Sel Topics | ||
| Introduction to Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Cultural Geography | ||
| TOTAL HOURS | 3 | |
VIII. Creative Arts
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses in this category focus on the appreciation and analysis of creative artifacts and works of the human imagination. Courses involve the synthesis and interpretation of artistic expression and enable critical, creative, and innovative communication about works of art. Course objectives for this component are: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Teamwork, and Social Responsibility. | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Art Appreciation | ||
| History of Art I | ||
| History of Art II | ||
| Chicana/o Fine Arts Appreciat | ||
| Introduction to Dance | ||
| Intro-Art of Motion Pict. | ||
| Music Appreciation | ||
| Jazz to Rock | ||
| Music, Culture, and Society | ||
| Introduction to Theatre | ||
| TOTAL HOURS | 3 | |
IX. Component Area Option (six hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| a. A minimum of 3 SCH must meet the definition and corresponding Core Objectives specified in one of the foundational component areas. b. As an option for up to 3 semester credit hours of the Component Area Option, an institution may select course(s) that: (i) Meet(s) the definition specified for one or more of the foundational component areas; and (ii) Include(s) a minimum of three Core Objectives, including Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, and one of the remaining Core Objectives of the institution's choice. | ||
| Intro to Global Business | ||
| COMM 1301 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| Business/Profession Comm | ||
| Intro-Computational Thinking | ||
| Computer Programming Sci/Engr | ||
| Eng Innovation and Leadership | ||
| Engineering Design Experience | ||
| Applied Engineering Analysis | ||
| Introduction to Leadership | ||
| Inquiry in Math & Science | ||
| Comm. Var. Across the Lifespan | ||
| Seminar/Critical Inquiry | ||
| TOTAL HOURS | 6 | |
4-Year Sample Degree Plan
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BA in TECHNICAL WRITING & USER EXPERIENCE | ||
| FRESHMAN | ||
| Fall | ||
| RWS 1301 | Rhetoric & Composition I | 3 |
| Core-Mathematics | 3 | |
| Core-Natural Sciences + Lab | 4 | |
| Core-Language, Philosophy, & Culture | 3 | |
| Core-Mathematics | 3 | |
| Spring | ||
| HIST 1301 | History of U.S. to 1865 | 3 |
| RWS 1302 | Rhetoric & Composition 2 | 3 |
| POLS 2310 | Introduction to Politics | 3 |
| Core-Natural Sciences | 3 | |
| Core-Component Area Option | 3 | |
| SOPHOMORE | ||
| Fall | ||
| HIST 1302 | History of U.S. Since 1865 | 3 |
| POLS 2311 | American Gover & Politics | 3 |
| Core-Creative Arts | 3 | |
| Core-Social & Behavioral Sciences | 3 | |
| Foreign Language | 3 | |
| Spring | ||
| RWS 3305 | Intro to Tec Wrt and User Exp | 3 |
| RWS 3367 | Foundations of User Exp | 3 |
| Major-Core | 3 | |
| Minor-Elective | 3 | |
| Foreign Language | 3 | |
| JUNIOR | ||
| Fall | ||
| RWS 3354 | Methods for Inquiry & Design | 3 |
| Major-Prescribed Elective | 3 | |
| Major-Free Elective | 3 | |
| Block Elective | 3 | |
| Minor | 3 | |
| Spring | ||
| Major-Prescribed Elective | 3 | |
| Major-Prescribed Elective | 3 | |
| Block Elective | 3 | |
| Minor-Elective | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| SENIOR | ||
| Fall | ||
| Major- Prescribed Elective | 3 | |
| Major- Prescribed Elective | 3 | |
| Block Elective | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Minor-British Literature Since 1800 | 3 | |
| Spring | ||
| RWS 4300 | Senior Writing Practicum | 3 |
| RWS 4320 | Web Authoring | 3 |
| Minor-American Literature | 3 | |
| Minor-Elective | 3 | |
| Block Elective | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 121 | |