Technical Communication and Emergent Media

BS Degree - Code #0699

Travis Matteson, PhD, English & Humanities Department Chair
Email Address: MattesTW@alfredstate.edu

The technical communication and emergent media (BS) program will address the growing demand by industry for strong writing and communication skills in technical areas. Job opportunities in technical communication and emergent media are expanding and expected to grow over the next several years. As skilled professionals trained to clearly communicate technical information and to mediate between expert and non-expert audiences, technical writers typically find employment in a wide variety of sectors including engineering and manufacturing, insurance and financial services, computer technology, and more.

Advantages

The technical communication and emergent media BS will offer experiential technical education in:

Composing, managing, analyzing, and delivering technical information to specific audiences in a variety of forms, media, and contexts.
Creating and analyzing communication in emergent media environments and communities.
Entering the global marketplace as skilled intercultural communicators, technical practitioners, and scholars.

Additionally the program will prepare students to be technical practitioners and scholars who can communicate about specialized information with technology and project management skills. Students will be equipped to pursue opportunities in a variety of industries by selecting competencies in several potential areas to enhance employability for graduates of the program.

Job Outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Employment of technical writers is projected to grow 7 percent from 2022 to 2032, faster than the average for all occupations.

About 5,400 openings for technical writers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Employment Statistics

As product innovation continues, technical writers will be needed to convert complex information into a format that nontechnical users of these products understand. The continuing expansion of scientific and technical products and growth in digital product support needs will drive employment demand for these writers.

Occupational Title	SOC Code	Employment 2022	Projected Employment 2031	Change 2022-2032 Percent/Numeric	Median Pay 2022
Technical Writers	27-3042	53,300	58,400	6%/3,700	$79,960

Comparable careers: Editors ($73,080), Public Relations Specialists ($67,440), Writers & Authors ($73,150).

This information is taken from the following source, and there is additional data on this site for Employment by Industry:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Technical Writers, at https://www.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/technical-writers.htm (visited October 05, 2022).

Related Programs

The TCEM BS works in conjunction with current programs at Alfred State College:

Designed Integration: Our program was built with the purpose of students choosing a second major or minor(s), so students in various disciplines will find strengthened career readiness by interdisciplinary preparation for their careers. We intentionally placed multiple open electives and chose required courses that generate about 30 open credits within the TCEM BS.
"Stay for 4!": To work with the "Stay for 4!" program, our TCEM BS works in conjunction with the many associate degree programs at Alfred State College.
Transfer-Ready: Because of the 30 open credits and SUNY Seamless Transfer, prepared students can transfer into Alfred State College at the start of their 3rd year and potentially (depending on course availability) be on-track to graduate the following year.

Entrance Requirements/recommendations

Required: Algebra

Recommended: Geometry and Biology

Office of Accessibility Services

Students who believe they need a reasonable accommodation to properly participate in this program may contact Melanie Ryan in the Office of Accessibility Services (OAS). This office may be contacted by email at oas@alfredstate.edu or by phone at 607-587-4506. Please keep in mind that some accommodations may take time to implement, so students seeking accommodations are encouraged to contact OAS as early as possible.

Technical Communication and Emergent Media - BS Degree

TYPICAL EIGHT-SEMESTER PROGRAM

First

COMP	1503	Writing Studies	3
FNAT	xxx3	Fine Arts Gen. Ed. Elective	3
MATH	1113 OR 1123 OR 2124	Statistical Concepts Statistics I Statistical Math & Analysis	3
ANTH/ECON/PLSC/PSYC/SOCI	xxx3	Social Science Gen. Ed. Elective	3
HIST OR PLSC	1113 OR XXX3	Western Civ. American History Gen. Ed. Elective	3
HPED	xxx1	Phys Ed Elective	1
			16

Second

LITR	xxx3
SPCH or equivalent	1083 or xxx3	Effective Speaking or equivalent	3
COMP	2703	Intro. to Technical Communication and Emergent Media	3
COMP	2903	English in a Global Context	3
GLST	2113	Global & Diverse Perspectives	3
			15

Third

XXXX	xxx3	Open Elective	3
COMP	3603	Writing for Emergent Media	3
SPAN/JAPN/ITAL	xxx3	Foreign Language Gen. Ed. Requirement or equivalent	3
AGPS/BIOL/CHEM	xxx4	Gen Ed - Nat Sci Elective	4
COMP/LITR/SPCH	xxx3	Major Elective	3
			16

Fourth

SPCH	4003	Intercultural Communication	3
COMP/LITR/SPCH	xxx3	Major Elective	3
XXXX	xxx3	Open Elective	3
XXXX	xxx3	Open Elective	3
XXXX	xxx3	Open Elective	3
			15

Fifth

SPCH	5003	Mediated Argumentation in Public Spheres	3
COMP	5703	Technical Writing II	3
COMP/LITR/SPCH	xxx3	Major Elective - Upper	3
XXXX	xxx3	Open Elective	3
XXXX	xxx3	Open Elective	3
			15

Sixth

PHIL	6003	Professional Ethics	3
COMP	6003	Technical Editing and Content Management	3
COMP/LITR/SPCH	xxx3	Major Elective - Upper	3
XXXX	xxx3	Open Elective	3
XXXX	xxx3	Open Elective	3
			15

Seventh

COMP	7603	Writing for Emergent Media II	3
COMP	7013	Designing and Editing for Usability and Accessibility	3
COMP/LITR/SPCH	xxx3	Major Elective - Upper	3
XXXX	xxx3	Open Elective-Upper	3
XXXX	xxx3	Open Elective	3
			15

Eighth

COMP	8003	Capstone Seminar	3
COMP	8103	Internship	3
COMP/LITR/SPCH	xxx3	Major Elective - Upper	3
XXXX	xxx3	Open Elective - Upper	3
XXXX	xxx3	Open Elective - Upper	3
			15

Program Total Summary

Total Credits	SUNY GER Areas	SUNY GER Credits	Liberal Arts & Sciences Credits	Major Credits	Elective and Other Credits	Upper Division Credits	Upper Division Major Credits
122	9	58	67	45	30	45	36

Capstone Seminar

In this course, students will focus on professionalization within a targeted career field. Students will identify opportunities for membership in professional organizations and analyze the requirements of prospective employers and graduate schools. Students will create an original capstone project within their area of concentration. Students will reflect on their academic experiences and career readiness through the completion of their degree ePortfolio requirements will be a detailed part of this class.

Internship

The goal of the internship is to assist students in developing an area of concentration and navigating the transition from academic to professional life. The internship will provide students with practical field experience and the opportunity to refine and reflect on academic and career goals. Students will complete supervised and documented field work in a relevant industry, government, or educational setting. Written and oral reports, journaling, and the creation of other relevant artifacts for the completion of a professional ePortfolio will be required.