Graduate Certificate in Professional Communication English and Technical Communication

About the Certificate

This graduate certificate program provides focused area of study in technical editing, advanced proposal writing, usability studies and web-based communication. Credit earned may be applied toward the master's degree in technical communication at Missouri S&T.

Please note that live participation (synchronous meetings) may be required for some of the technical communication courses.

The following courses are required*:

TCH COM 5510: Technical Editing
TCH COM 5550: Proposal Writing
TCH COM 5530: Usability Studies
TCH COM 5560: Web-Based Communication

One transfer course may be accepted toward the certificate, if reviewed and approved by the director of technical communication and the department chair.

These four courses are also required for the master of science in technical communication and could be counted toward that degree if the certificate student later decided to go on for their master's degree.

*Course substitutions may be permitted. Check with the academic department for details.

Admission requirements

This certificate program is open to all persons holding a bachelor's, master's, or doctorate degree in a relevant humanities, social science, science, or engineering field.

The certificate program consists of four courses. In order to receive a graduate certificate, you must earn a cumulative GPA ≥ 3.0 in the four certificate courses taken.

Students admitted to the certificate program will have non-degree graduate status, but will earn graduate credit for the courses they complete.

Once admitted to the certificate program, you will have three years to complete the certificate, as long as you maintain a B average in the courses taken.

Distance application requirements

Students applying for a graduate certificate must submit the following:

Completed Application
Statement of Purpose
Transcripts

Online Application

When you start a new application, select "Graduate Online/Distance" and then select the certificate program.
Don't forget to list your current employer and company location on the application.
Statement of purpose should be 2-3 paragraphs explaining why you are applying for this program.
Statement is to be submitted electronically on the online application; you'll copy and paste it into the provided text box.

Unofficial transcripts are sufficient for an admit decision.

Upload your transcripts on the online application under your "Institutional Data." If you previously attended S&T, you must upload your transcript. An unofficial transcript can be requested through Joe’SS. How to Request Unofficial Transcripts (pdf)
PDF scans are preferred.
The university requires official transcripts from all schools attended before a student may register for a second semester.
In order for a transcript to be counted as official it must be sent directly from the school to S&T, it cannot come from a student.

Official transcripts should be mailed to Global Learning:

Missouri University of Science and Technology
Office of Global Learning
G8 Norwood Hall, 320 West 12th Street
Rolla, MO 65409

Pathway to a Master's Degree

Are you a working professional who wants to earn your master's degree, but you don’t have time to take the GRE/GMAT? Then start in a graduate certificate program. Graduate certificates were designed as a pathway to a master's degree.* The admission requirements are more relaxed and credit earned will count toward your degree. Once you successfully earn your graduate certificate, you can continue with the corresponding master's degree without having to take the GRE/GMAT.

Related Degrees

This graduate certificate may act as a pathway to the following master’s programs:

Technical Communication (MS)

*Completion of a graduate certificate program does not automatically guarantee admission into a corresponding graduate degree program. To continue in a master’s degree program, you must apply.

Questions?

Missouri S&T Online Education

Sylvia Skouby, Associate Director for Online Admissions

Phone: 573-341-6903
Email: stgrad@mst.edu

English & Technical Communication

Dr. Edward Malone
222 Humanities-Social Sciences
Missouri University of
Science and Technology
Rolla, MO 65409-0560
phone: (573) 341-4311
email: malonee@mst.edu
Web: english.mst.edu

Online Education