Master of Science in Technical Communication

NC State offers a Master of Science degree in Technical Communication (MSTC) through the Department of English. The first program of its kind in the Southeast, MSTC was established in 1988. Since then, the program has been dynamic–growing in enrollment, course offerings, and faculty. The program enjoys a national reputation, with its faculty recognized as one of the strongest in the field. In the Society for Technical Communication’s 50th anniversary journal, a listing of the “Essential Works on Technical Communication” included more publications from faculty at NC State than from any other institution.

The program enjoys the proximity of North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park and of the numerous institutions of higher learning in the area. Students often work part- or full-time, and have numerous co-op, internship opportunities at area business, government, and educational organizations. Students in the program can also take advantage of NCSU’s inter-institutional relationship with many area schools, including Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill, allowing a large variety of courses to be taken as electives for the M.S. in Technical Communication program.

Professionalization Opportunities

The program is designed to accommodate students who work full time; therefore, required core courses are offered at night. Five core courses provide students with a critical understanding of the role of communication in science and technology, as well as practical competence in communication techniques. Six electives allow students to customize the program to their own needs and interests. A semester of professional work experience as part of the degree requirements gives graduate students opportunities to integrate academic study and workplace experience.

Besides of the professionalization opportunities offered in school, students also have multiple chances to work with professional associations and companies that have established cooperation with the MSTC program.

Career Opportunities

My MSTC study was and remains priceless… Since the time I entered the program in 2011, my income has increased by nearly 400%! This is astounding, especially when considering the current economic conditions, and not taking into account my gender or race (female and Hispanic). The MSTC program changed the trajectory of my career path by folding me into a network of alumni and experts in the field who could nurture my transition from student to professional, which has been life changing for me and my family.

— Renee Haran

The Technical Communication program strives to prepare professional communicators for a variety of careers that involve the relationships between people and technical systems. Such careers include those in web design and development, software and hardware documentation, industrial training and development, medical communication, environmental and agricultural communication, technology transfer, organizational information management, and human-computer interface design.

In many areas, a Master of Science degree in Technical Communication helps qualify professionals to move into management positions. The advantageous location of NC State near the North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park and other institutions of higher learning enables MSTC students to enjoy the numerous working opportunities in this area. Popular employers of MSTC students include IBM, Lenovo, SAS, Redhat, RTI International, NetApp, Cisco, NCSU, Duke, UNC, etc.. The average annual salary of our alumni is about 70000 dollars, and the placement rate is usually 100% over the years.

Students wishing to continue their education can consider our Ph.D. program in Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media.