Bulletin--Technical & Professional Writing Program

Technical and Professional Writing


College of Humanities
Dean: Nancy McDermid

Technical and Professional Writing Program
HUM 414
415-338-7025
Director and Undergraduate Adviser: Bridget Burke

Programs
B.A. in Technical and Professional Writing

Minor in Technical and Professional Writing

Certificate in Technical and Professional Writing


Program Scope
The Technical and Professional Writing Program prepares students to become professional writers, editors, or publishers in one or more of a variety of fields, such as science, business, government, education, or the arts. The program is an excellent choice for students with humanistic interests who wish to use their writing skills in professional settings. It is also an excellent choice for students with interest in science or business who do not wish to be researchers or primary practitioners, but instead to be translators or communicators in those fields.

The major (45 units) offers core courses in writing, editing, graphics, and desktop publishing; electives in subject-matter backgrounds and in specialty areas of writing and editing; and an internship corresponding to the student's professional aims.

The minor (24 units) offers a preparation similar to the major, though in less depth. The minor provides an excellent adjunct to any major, assuring excellence in writing and editing in any profession or field which the student enters. This 24-unit program is also available as a certificate to (1) any undergraduate with at least 56 college units who does not wish to pursue a B.A. degree; or (2) any post-baccalaureate student who then enters as an unclassified graduate student.

Students wishing to pursue either the major or the minor should see the program coordinator for advising before they begin their course work.

Career Outlook
Depending on the student's choice of subject-matter focus, s/he would be prepared upon graduation for an entry level job as technical writer or editor, report or proposal writer, instructional writer, media scriptwriter, grantwriter, science writer, advertising writer, copy editor, to name just a few.

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN TECHNICAL AND PROFESSIONAL WRITING

Courses for this program are listed in alphabetical sequence (see Technical and Professional Writing discipline in the Announcement of Courses section).

Many of the following courses have prerequisites. Please consult the "Announcement of Courses" section of this Bulletin for course descriptions and prerequisites.

Core Courses					Units
TPW 400	Fundamentals of Technical and 
	Professional Writing			 3
DAI 423	Applied Graphics Design			 3
TPW 402	Advanced Professional Editing		 3
TPW 500	Desktop Publishing for Professional 
	Writers					 3
TPW 600	Individual and Team Writing Projects	 3
TPW 695	Internship in Technical and Professional 
	Writing					 3
Subject Matter Focus
Choose one area of focus in a given discipline 
or subject matter, or design an interdisci-
plinary focus in consultation with the program 
coordinator.					18
Skills Electives
Units selected from among the courses listed 
(see below) in consultation with the program 
coordinator.					 9
		Total for major			45
Skills Electives
All courses listed here are three units unless 
otherwise noted:
BECA 370	Radio and Television Writing
BECA 470	Television Dramatic Writing
BECA 560	Radio and Television News 
		Production
BECA 660	Television Center News I
BUS 360		Business Communication
CINE 355	Film Writing I
CIS 560		Science Writing
CLAR 497	Writing for Museums, Galleries, 
		and Other Institutions
DAI 323		Industrial Visuals
DAI 324		Industrial Communication
DAI 326		Graphic Reproduction Technology I
DAI 523		Advertising Design and Graphics 
		Industry (2)
DAI 626		Microcomputer Applications in 
		Graphic Communication Technology
EDT 619		Computer Graphics for Instruc-
		tional Media
EDT 641		Design of Computer Assisted 
		Instruction
ENG 416		Junior Composition
ENG 418		Advanced Composition
ENG 419		Advanced Composition for 
		Teachers
ENG 612		Critical Reviewing
ENG 620		Literary Magazine
ENG 657		Grammar and Rhetoric of the 
		Sentence
JOUR 221	Newswriting
JOUR 300	Reporting
JOUR 321	Feature Writing
JOUR 430	Advanced Editing
JOUR 485	Magazine Laboratory I
MKTG 431	Marketing
MKTG 432	Public Relations
MKTG 434	Advertising Theory and Practice
MKTG 630	Advertising Campaigns
SPCH 354	Scientific Discourse (4)
TPW 460		Grantwriting
TPW 510		Introduction to Writing for Computers
TPW 530		Software Documentation

MINOR/CERTIFICATE IN TECHNICAL AND PROFESSIONAL WRITING

The minor and certificate requirements are the same. For minors: no more than six units of course work in the minor may also be counted toward completion of the student's major. For certificates: to be admitted to the certificate program, students should have completed at least 56 units of transferable college work including ENG 214 or its equivalent. For both: a minimum of sixteen units must be taken at the upper division level. A maximum of twelve units may be transferred from other institutions.

Courses for this program are listed in alphabetical sequence (see Technical and Professional Writing discipline in the Announcement of Courses section).

Core Courses					Units
TPW 400	Fundamentals of Technical and 
	Professional Writing			 3
DAI 423	Applied Graphics Design			 3
TPW 402	Advanced Professional Editing		 3
TPW 698	Culminating Minor/Certificate Project in 
	Technical and Professional Writing or
	TPW 600	Individual and Team Writing 
		Projects			 3
		Total units for core		12
Skills Electives
Twelve units selected in consultation with the 
program coordinator from the elective courses 
listed under the B.A. program. TPW 500 and 600 
may also be chosen as electives. Students may 
choose up to six units of computer courses or 
other subject-area courses upon approval of the 
program coordinator.				12
		Total for minor/certificate	24

Bulletin 1994-96 Table of Contents, SFSU Home Page

last modified July 26, 1995