Marqui Jungling on the grass with friend

Department of Communication, Liberal Arts, and Social Sciences

Graduate Certificate Program

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Professional communication is a skill in high demand. New Mexico Tech students and professionals strengthen and develop their communication skills. Students can focus the program to help develop their roles or goals.

The Graduate Certificate in Scientific and Professional Communication empowers students and professionals to boost their communication skills for both academic and career purposes. Whether through live or online classes, this 14-hour program provides a solid grasp of public and academic communication, including tailored electives, and concludes with a practical capstone project encouraging community collaboration. Contact Dr. Elisabeth Kramer-Simspon to learn more about this program.

“Individuals coming into the workforce with the ability to collaborate on strategic business and research initiatives in STEM-related fields will be highly beneficial to existing technology companies and institutions”

-Deborah L. Breitfeld, CEcD, New Mexico Technology Council (NMTC)

Class with Steve Simpson

Graduate Certificate in Scientific and Professional Communication

Program Description

The Scientific and Professional Communication Graduate Certificate offers graduate students and postbaccalaureate and industry and public sector professionals an opportunity to build and strengthen their professional communication abilities for professional and academic work. The certificate can be completed live or through distance education.

The 14 hours of coursework required for the Certificate provides general foundation of communication to the public and to academic audiences (COMM 575 or TCOM 505 and TCOM 511), while elective courses are available to students with specific interests; for example professionals who work in Spanish-speaking settings might benefit from SPAN 520; students in industry or in one of New Mexico’s national labs might choose courses such as TCOM 512 International Professional Communication or TCOM 505 Science Writing; and students interested in public policy and public engagement might consider PS 571 Science and Technology Policy or POLS / PS 570 Policy Sciences. The certificate concludes with a capstone project that allows students to work on a project related to their work or partner with a community organization.

Program Outcomes

Students will demonstrate graduate-level writing and editing.

Students will demonstrate a graduate-level understanding of key scholarship and research, history, current issues, and cultural matters in scientific and professional writing.

Students will demonstrate a graduate-level ability to connect theory with practice in one or both of the following ways:
(a) Creating effective documents in scientific and professional genres,
(b) Performing proficiently in the use of software technology.

Students will demonstrate a graduate-level understanding of ethical issues for scientific and professional writers.

Program Requirements