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Technical Writing and Communication
Clarity of word and presentation
Certificate Description
Certificate to be retired in 2022
The Technical Writing and Communication certificate will be retired March 31, 2022. We are not accepting new enrollments into the program.
If you have already earned a TW&C certificate, congratulations! No action is necessary. You can find the link to your digital badge today.
Your next steps
We encourage all students who have taken courses or established candidacy in this program to reach out to Student Services before Nov. 30, 2021 for help in adjusting your academic plan.
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
Program Overview
Estimated Cost: $6,575 (You pay only for courses you enroll in.) | International Tuition Cost
Program Requirements: 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.
Minimum Hours of Instruction:
Estimated Duration: This certificate is not open to new applicants at this time.
Courses
1. Required Course(s): Technical Communications Fundamentals
2. Core Course(s): Advanced Topics in Communications
3. Electives: Choose Three
4. Completion Review:
Certificate Inquiry Form
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
Advisory Board
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.
Grade Requirements
Please note that only letter grades of C or higher may be applied to a certificate, and in some programs, students may have more stringent requirements. Students in most employer- and government-sponsored payment programs, such as workforce development, as well as international students on F-1 visas, need to maintain a B average to meet their requirements. Personal Financial Planning students have additional grade requirements for individual courses to attain a certificate.
See Grading and Credits Policy for further information.