Program Goals

The M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Professional Communication meets the needs of its students, the university, and the community at large in four main ways:

• providing students with skills in communication and technology that will serve them well in a world that is becoming ever more technologically sophisticated
• helping students become effective citizens through communication and analytical skills that are valued in workplace and academic communities alike
• preparing students for successful and rewarding lives in a rapidly changing world–with emphasis on developing critical thinking and team learning abilities
• expanding the outreach of the university to include all those professionals who depend upon communication skills for the effective practice of their professions

The primary objective of the M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Professional Communication is to meet the needs listed above and, pragmatically speaking, to enhance the opportunities of graduate students within the Department of English to acquire knowledge and skills leading to a marketable professional degree. More specific objectives include preparing graduate students 1) to enter professional careers in technical writing and business communication; 2) to teach composition and professional communication in a variety of organizational contexts, including academic institutions and business and industry, and 3) to pursue doctoral studies in rhetoric, composition, and professional communication.

The major will meet these objectives by: (1) giving students a core curriculum in rhetoric, composition, and professional communication, and (2) providing students with additional background in a selected area of concentration in their thesis work.

Student Learning Goals

For those students seeking careers in rhetoric, composition, and technical communication, the program focuses on achieving five educational objectives. Specifically, with a masters degree in rhetoric, composition, and technical communication, our students will be able to:

• understand the field of rhetoric, composition, and technical communication as it has emerged in the latter twentieth century, in the United States and internationally
• understand, analyze, and act upon humane and ethical issues, especially as they entail decisions facing professional communicators in business and in the academy situated in an increasingly complex, technological society
• apply the historical and theoretical understanding necessary to the discipline to assess the impact of specific technologies upon communication within complex organizations and institutions
• synthesize their strategies for problem-solving and their skills in rhetorical analysis in designing, composing, and evaluating professional documents, including those for electronic, networked environments
• integrate oral, written, and visual skills to produce effective professional communication in the contemporary workplace

Means of measuring whether students have met these objectives include: achievement on course papers and tests; familiarity with technology as shown in networked classrooms and on oral, written and visual assignments; submission of portfolios; performance during internships; and successful completion of a thesis or creative component.