The Technical Communication Certificate (TCC) is designed for University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduate students who want to broaden their communication skills beyond the Comm-A and Comm-B requirements. (We cannot admit special students or graduate students to the TCC.) While most of our students are undergraduates enrolled in the College of Engineering, we also accept students from other colleges and majors across campus; indeed, the training we provide can be applied to a range of fields that involve communicating with varied audiences – whether clients, industry representatives, or the general public.
Basic requirements
The TCC requires 21 credits, including 6 credits in Technical Proficiency courses and 15 credits in Communication courses. Because our requirements overlap well with curricula in the engineering majors, most students only take between 7 and 12 additional credits beyond those needed for their major to complete the TCC, with 9 credits as the average. With careful planning and advising, these credits can be evenly integrated into the major curriculum.
Students usually apply to the TCC during their sophomore or junior year, but students of all years may apply.
Learning Goals of the Certificate Program
In addition to the program-wide learning goals, the Technical Communication Certificate program developed the following specific educational outcomes for undergraduate students:
- Understand and apply principles and processes for communicating about technical subjects to diverse audiences
- Understand and apply fundamentals of written, oral, and visual communication
- Apply improved skills in interpersonal communication, teamwork, and management
- Research, identify, and think analytically about social, global, economic, political, environmental, and ethical issues as they impact technical projects or engineering work
- Use current technology to communicate effectively in a variety of formats and environments
- Engage in real world experiences through communication internships