I am taking a break from blogging this summer, but wanted to come here real quick to answer reader questions about pursuing a Masters degree in Technical Communication.
Neha asks:
Which universities offer this course?
Surprisingly, a lot of universities offer this course. The ones that I know of are Missouri S&T, NC State University, Texas Tech University, and University of Minnesota (Twin Cities).
For a detailed list of graduate programs, see:
Applying to Grad School (This is an excellent resource about applying to graduate programs in Technical Communication. It is written by Dr. Angela Eaton, a professor at Texas State University).
Choosing a Technical Communication graduate program
What are the prospects of getting a work permit or OPT after its completion (Since I am not sure whether it falls under STEM.)
Technical communication graduate programs don’t usually fall under STEM. Which means you get one-year OPT instead of three-years. But you also get CPT in your second year of the graduate program, which allows you to do a part-time internship while studying.
Getting a work permit (by which I assume you are referring to the H1B visa) is decided by luck – literally – since it’s a lottery system. Getting a job in a company which would sponsor your work visa is even more difficult. If your purpose of pursuing a Masters program is to eventually get a job in the US, I need to warn you that it is not a sure thing. I have discussed this issue in detail here: Frequently asked questions
Average tuition fees
Tuition fees vary from state-to-state. At Missouri S&T, the average tuition fees were $11000 per semester. But if you can get financial assistance through teaching assistantships, the burden of the fees lessens considerably.
I hope this blog post helps you make an informed decision about graduate programs in tech comm. If you have follow-up questions, feel free to comment on the post or drop me an email at hello@amrutaranade.com
Amruta Ranade 