Individualized Studies at the University of Washington - College of Arts and Sciences
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Degree Requirements (BA)

In addition to the major requirements (below), students must also complete the General Education Requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences, including foreign language through 103 or equivalent. Total credits for the Technical Writing (BA) major: 78-80

The degree information below is also available as a handout.

A. TW core courses (33-35 credits)

  • HCDE 310 (5): Introduction to Communication Design
  • HCDE 400 (5): Scientific and Technical Communication
  • HCDE 401 (5): Style in Scientific And Technical Writing
  • HCDE 402 (5): Scientific and Technical Editing
  • HCDE 411 (5): Visual Media in Technical Communication
  • HCDE 412 (5): Print Production or HCDE 437 (5): Web Design and Web Publishing
  • One from: HCDE 403 (3), 407 (5), 412 (5)(if not taken above), or 437 (5)(if not taken above)

B. Related electives (10 credits)

Related electives include HCDE courses not listed in the core, approved 300- or 400-level COM or composition courses, or other upper-division courses related to some aspect of communication.

C. Technical area (30 credits)

These approved science and technical courses constitute your specialization within Technical Writing. These courses should be concentrated in an area related to your disciplinary interests. That is: to what topic(s) do you wish to apply your technical writing skills? This will mean a session with the Course Descriptions and your transcript.

First, go through your transcript and make a list of any courses already completed that relate to your theme. Then search for courses in the Course Descriptions. Start at the beginning of the course descriptions and search all the way through to the end, looking for departments and course descriptions that relate to your theme. You might be surprised by what some departments offer. Another approach is to use the Search box to locate keywords in the Course Descriptions. As you go along try not to edit too much. Add the courses you find, with their credits, titles, and any prerequisites, to the list you started from your transcript.

Organize the list of courses. Group related courses. Cross off some that are less central to your theme.

There must be some balance among the departments you include in your technical area, particularly among the upper-division courses. For example, a technical area that consisted of 25 credits of sociology and 5 credits of communication would not be approved; it would be too similar to the existing sociology major. A major that included 10 credits of sociology, 10 credits of communication, and 10 credits of anthropology would be in better balance.

You may build some flexibility into your program by grouping courses and including a statement such as "four of these six courses." This is often a good idea if you are including courses offered infrequently, and/or courses with restricted access.

Remember to include courses which emphasize the theory, research methods, and history of a field as well as, if you wish, its practical applications.

D. INDIV 493: Senior Study (5 credits)

A final independent study project/paper on a topic of interest to you within the field of technical writing. This represents the culmination of your studies in technical writing. (This course will also count as 5 credits toward your "Additional Writing" requirement.)