Technical Writing and Communication
Clarity of word and presentation
Certificate Description
Transform jargon into clear communication.
In addition to sharpening your grammar and writing style, our Technical Writing and Communication students learn to translate complex ideas into readable materials such as technical manuals, medical papers and business communications. You will focus on five areas: Technical Communication Fundamentals; Advanced Topics in Communication; Project Leadership; Tools and Technologies; and Engineering Communication. This certificate program offers the latest approaches to information architecture, business communications, and web content management.
Technical Writing and Communication certificate program objectives
- Apply technical writing strategies to various types of technical information
- Write test cases and work collaboratively on iterative development
- Develop information and project plans for technical documentation
- Understand human factors and the psychology of users
- Decode information architecture and design
Cost: $6,575 | International Tuition Cost
Required Credits: Total Required: 10 courses/14.5–18.0 units: Take 7 core courses (12 units) and 3 elective credit courses (2.5–6 units). End with certificate of completion review.
Duration: A full-time student can complete the certificate in 6–12 months.
Courses
| Course | Units | Fall | Winter | Spring | Summer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Technical Communications Fundamentals | |||||
| Developing Technical Information from Plan to Completion | 2.0 | Winter Online | Summer Online | ||
| Grammar and Style for Technical Communicators | 3.0 | Winter Online | Summer Online | ||
| Technical Communication: An Introduction to the Profession | 1.5 | Fall Online | Spring Online | ||
| Technical Writers' Workshop | 1.0 | Spring Online | |||
| Writing Successful Instructions, Procedures and Policies | 1.5 | Summer Online | |||
| 2. Advanced Topics in Communications | |||||
| Final Project: Preparing Your Job Search | 1.5 | Fall Online | Spring Online | ||
| Information Architecture and Design Basics | 1.5 | Winter Online | Summer Online | ||
| 3. Elective Courses (choose three) | |||||
| Human Factors for Technical Communicators | 2.0 | Winter Online | |||
| Minimalist Design for Documentation | 0.5 | Fall Online | |||
| Usability Testing Documentation | 1.5 | Fall Online | |||
| 4. Required Certificate Review | |||||
| Technical Writing Certificate Completion Fee | None | Fall Online | Winter Online | Spring Online | Summer Online |
Recommended Course Sequence
Please follow this sequence
Start with Technical Communication: An Introduction to the Profession. You must end with Final Project: Preparing Your Job Search.
Substitutions
To receive your certificate
Program Chair
ANDREA L. AMES, M.S., a senior technical staff member and information experience strategist and architect at IBM, specializes in user-centered information usability, strategy, architecture, and design. Her specialty is architecting and designing information for software user interfaces, such as labels, embedded instructional text, and hover help, as well as driving the interfaces using her information to be as easy to explain as possible before developing traditional documentation. She is a fellow and past president (2004-05) of the Society for Technical Communication and a distinguished engineer of the Association for Computing Machinery. She teaches at the university level, has taught at UCSC Extension since 1998, and is in demand as a conference speaker internationally.
Enroll in Program
You are invited to declare candidacy in your certificate program as soon as possible so you can lock in the curriculum requirements and not be impacted by any subsequent program changes. Once you’ve declared candidacy, you have five years to complete the program.
