Technical Communication
Prepare for a career that bridges the relationships between people and technical systems.
The M.S. in Technical Communication is a 33-hour program that empowers students for careers in web design, UX, software documentation, medical communication, usability and more.
Led by our nationally-recognized faculty in the heart of North Carolina’s growing tech region, our program will help you hone your expertise as a user advocate and information developer.
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Admission Info
Our program is small, so we can focus on you. We admit 10 to 20 students each year, many of whom already work as technical communicators and industry professionals. Our students have undergraduate degrees in the humanities as well as the technical, natural and social sciences. We also offer fully-funded graduate teaching assistantships to top applicants.
Application Deadlines
- Feb. 1 to be considered for teaching assistantships
- June 15 for admission only.
Degree Requirements
We’ve designed our 33-hour program to meet your needs. Core courses (15 hours) will give you a critical understanding of the role of communication in science and technology, as well as practical competence in communication techniques. Electives (18 hours) allow you to customize your studies to pursue your specific interests.
Since many of our students work full-time, we offer core courses at night. And you can access NC State’s inter-institutional relationship with area schools such as Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill to take electives that count toward your degree.
Alumni Testimonials
Jade Joyner '17
"MSTC comprises so much more than technical writing. You're provided with such a diverse, enriching curriculum that not only includes technical documentation, but UX/UI design, instructional design, web/software design/development, rhetoric, linguistics, ergonomics, behavioral psychology, social psychology, gestalt psychology, graphic design, digital media."
Alex Heath '14
"Being a part of this program really propelled me into the career I now have and am extremely passionate about. It's crazy to think how much came from that initial connection to IBM through the pathfinder program, eventual evolution to Google, and now Editor-in-Chief of digital experiences at Bank of America HQ. I am so very thankful for the relationships, experience and skills I developed from the MSTC program."
Arthur Berger '17
"I really appreciated the MSTC curriculum's flexibility, which gave me a strong foundation in rhetoric and practical experience in technical communication, as well as affording me the ability to get a certificate in Digital Humanities. In particular, I think that we have a really great, supportive faculty comprised of industry-leading researchers who are also effective instructors and just great people."
Program Outcomes
An M.S. in Technical Communication degree can help launch or grow your career in the rapidly-changing high-tech world we live in. It can position you to advance into a management role. Or it can prepare you for doctoral education such as NC State’s interdisciplinary Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media program.
Job titles for recent alumni include:
- Instructional Designer
- Senior Vice President, Experience Design
- Technical Writer
- Contract Negotiator
- Vice President for Sales and Marketing
- Information Developer
- Data Analyst
- Senior Content Editor
- Testing Technician
- Marketing Writer
- Lecturer