Overview
The graduate certificate offers students an interdisciplinary program that focuses on communication in non-academic professions, particularly business, government, high technology industries, and the non-profit sector. It centers on the competencies necessary for successful technical communication (writing, rhetorical analysis, editing, and document design) as well as on the key print and digital genres of the workplace (reports, project proposals, grant proposals, feasibility studies, web sites, presentations, correspondence and manuals). The certificate serves not only students who wish to be technical writers but also those from a range of disciplines who wish to add value to their graduate degrees by acquiring a supplementary credential.

Certificate Requirements
The certificate recognizes the multiple demands of written, oral, and digital communication in the workplace, as well as the interdisciplinary character of writing and communication studies in the academy. Thus, while centered on writing, the certificate also includes course options in rhetoric, communication, design, digital media, speech, and group dynamics. It emphasizes the rich theoretical and rhetorical principles that govern effective communication across a range of contexts as well as the pragmatic skills needed in the workplace.

• The certificate requires four courses (12 credits) in three categories: one in writing, one in theory, and two electives A minimum of one course must be taken from outside the student’s home discipline.

• Students map out a coherent plan of study with the certificate coordinator for submission to the Graduate School. The structure of the certificate is flexible enough so that most students, with advance planning, can pursue it without impeding regular degree progress.

• To complete the certificate, students must submit sample work from their courses to be evaluated by graduate faculty in the area of Technical Communication.

Courses
The certificate requires four courses (12 credits). See course descriptions.

Most of these courses are offered on a rotating basis rather than every semester. To find out which courses are offered in the current and coming semesters, see Course Schedules (http://courses.ksu.edu/).

Getting Started

• Fill out a completion form at: http://www.k-state.edu/grad/gscurrent/guideforms/index.htm. Scroll down to “General Forms” and open the “Certificate Completion Form.”

• For help devising a plan of study, contact the Program Director, Gregory Eiselein (See contact information below).

Certificate Completion Forms

• Certificate Completion Form
• Certificate Checklist

Contact
Gregory Eiselein, Program Director at:

English Department
108C English/Counseling Services Building
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS 66506-6501
785.532.0386
eiselei@ksu.edu

Links to Participating Departments

• Department of English
• Department of Communication Studies, Theatre and Dance
• A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communication
• Department of Art
• College of Education

[2009] © Yuri Arcurs. All images from BigStockPhoto.com. 

Graduate Links

Children's Literature

Creative Writing

Cultural Studies

Composition and Rhetoric

Literature

Technical Writing and
Professional Communication

Department of English
108 E/CS Building
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas
66506-6501
english@ksu.edu
Phone (785) 532-6716
FAX (785) 532-2192