Faculty and Staff
Laura Palmer: Department Chair
Why You
Phone: (470) 578-7209
Email: lpalme32@kennesaw.edu Should Major in
Sarah Weldon: Student Community Engagement
Specialist
Technical
Phone: (470) 578-5533
Email: sweldon5@kennesaw.edu Communication
Donna McPherson: Academic/Professional Advisor
Phone: (470) 578-7728
Email: dmcphe12@kennesaw.edu
Contact Us
If you want to learn more about the Technical
Communication Program, please contact our
department.
Phone: 470-578-7202
Email: tcid@kennesaw.edu
Web: https://radow.kennesaw.edu/tcid/
Department Of Technical
DEPARTMENT OF TECHNICAL
communication and Interactive
Design COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTIVE DESIGN
1100 South Marietta Pkwy
Marietta, GA 30060
Table of Contents Department of Technical
Communication at KSU
Technical Communication Overview……………….1
What is Technical Communication?.........1
Why should I study it?................................1 Start your TCOM career here!
How do I know it’s right for me?...............1
Technical Communication at KSU…………………….2 Our Technical Communication program is the only program
What do TCOM Majors do?..........................2 of its kind in the Metro Atlanta area for nearly 24 years. We
What skills will TCOM majors learn?.........2 focus on teaching our students to combine the technical
KSU Technical Communication Courses…………….3 aspect of TCOM with humanities-based thinking to
What classes do TCOM Majors take?.........3
communicate their work effectively.
Technical Communication in the Real World…….4
What kind of jobs can I get?........................4 KSU Technical Communication graduates are given the
How much can I make?.................................4
necessary experience through our program to excel in a work
Do you help with job placement?................4
Department of Technical Communication at KSU...5 environment at top industry standards.
Start your TCOM career here!........................5
If you’re coming from high school or seeking new
opportunities, we provide the tools and resources to enable
you to become successful technical communicators.
5
Technical Communication in Technical Communication
the Real World Overview
The demand for technical communicators is growing in What is Technical Communication?
today’s workplace, which means there is a vast amount of job
opportunities available for technical communication Technical communication is used to convey specialized
graduates. information to a variety of audiences. Technical
communicators use a variety of different platforms to help
convey information, such as websites, paper documents,
What kind of jobs can I get? instructional videos, and social media. They then use those
platforms to help companies and organizations communicate
There is a multitude of job fields that need technical understandably with others.
communicators. We are not solely labeled as “technical
communicators”, we can also work as
• User-experience (UX) researchers/designers Why should I study it?
• Technical writers/illustrators/editors We see technical communication every day when we deal
• Data visualization specialists with complex processes, terminology, and products. When a
• Grant/proposal writers task or product is difficult to use or follow, we can all truly
• Content managers understand and appreciate the importance of good technical
communication. As technical communicators, we make
people’s lives easier when it comes to understanding new and
How much can I make? unfamiliar topics.
Though it can vary on experience, job type, and location, the
national average salary of a technical communicator is
$70,333-$86,917 and growing.
How do I know it’s right for me?
Many qualities and interests make up a great technical
communicator and you probably have more than you think!
Do you help with job placement?
Our program helps students in finding a job by hosting a • Do you like technology, science, and understanding how
things work?
Student Career Portal, which offers a list of positions that • Do enjoy writing? Are you good at it?
students can consider. Students also take a professional • Do you enjoy improving poor designs and instructions?
development class which helps them prepare for interviews
If you relate to these, then technical communication might be
and create job materials.
perfect for you!
4 1
Technical Communication Technical Communication
at KSU Courses at KSU
What do TCOM Majors do? What classes do TCOM Majors take?
At KSU, the Bachelor of Science in Technical Communication Here are some of the required courses that technical
prepares students to become effective communicators. In communication students must take to achieve their degree.
the technical communication program, you can expect to
learn how to convey new or complex information to • TCID 2002: Productivity Tools and Technologies
audiences effectively. Students learn the basics of the Microsoft productivity
tools, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
The common perception of a technical communicator Core tools of the Adobe Suite, including Acrobat,
involves a professional that develops manuals, instructions, or
InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator, are also covered.
other documents for their audience. However, the profession
has evolved to do so much more. Technical communicators • TCID 2170: Introduction to Digital Media and Culture
work with experts to employ both digital and print media to Students learn about the technical communication
help audiences understand science, technology, medicine, profession and its relationship to an information society,
and other subjects.
human-centered design, and design thinking.
• TCOM 3431: Information Design I
What skills will TCOM Majors learn? Students learn the principles and best practices of
effective technical information design for both print and
Technical Communication graduates will be equipped with
knowledge in these areas: electronic media.
Technical communication students may also customize
• Visual Design
their degree by choosing electives that interest them!
• Technical Writing/Editing
• TCOM 4120: Usability Testing
• Front-end Development Students learn about user experience (UX) and how to
• Productivity Tools (Adobe Suite) evaluate a product by testing users.
• Usability • Front-End Development II
Students learn advanced techniques for website
• And much more development such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
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