Campuses:
Twin Cities campus
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Twin Cities Campus
Rhetoric, Scientific and Technical Communication Ph.D.Writing Studies Department
College of Liberal Arts
Link to a list of faculty for this program.
Contact Information
Department of Writing Studies, 214 Nolte Center, 315 Pillsbury Drive, SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (612-624-3445; fax: 612-624-3617)
Email:
writgpc@umn.edu
Website: http://cla.umn.edu/writing-studies
Along with the program-specific requirements listed below, please read the
General Information section of
this
website for requirements that apply to all major fields.
The Department of Writing Studies trains students to understand how people use written communication (textual, digital, and visual) to shape the world around them, with a particular emphasis on communication in scientific and technical areas. The PhD program prepares students to become researchers and teachers with expertise in rhetoric, writing studies, and technical communication. Students in the RSTC program also pursue special interests in areas such as digital, textual, or visual literacies; rhetorics of science, health, medicine, law, and/or the environment; professional communication; internet studies; theories of writing; composition; and writing pedagogies.
Students work in collaboration with faculty mentors and peers to develop the expertise required to make original contributions to the scholarship in their fields. The curriculum, professional development training, and funding are structured to support students in making early and regular contributions to the published literature, and in teaching first-year writing and advanced writing courses at the college level. Most graduates of the program pursue careers teaching at the college level, although some have developed careers in industry or non-governmental organizations.
Each student also develops a supporting program of courses outside the department. Coursework outside the department is commonly pursued in fields such as communication studies; curriculum and instruction; history of medicine; or gender, women's and sexuality studies.
Program Delivery
Prerequisites for Admission
Master's in a related discipline, e.g., rhetoric, technical and professional communication, English, communication studies.
Other requirements to be completed before admission:
Individuals who do not yet have a masters degree in a related discipline are encouraged to apply to Writing Studies’ Rhetoric, Scientific and Technical Communication MA. Students in the MA program who are making satisfactory progress will, in their second year of study, have the opportunity to apply to the PhD program. For students who continue in the program, most MA courses transfer to the PhD. Continuing students must complete their MA no later than the end of the first semester in the PhD program.
Special Application Requirements:
Nonnative speakers of English are required to take an appropriate test with satisfactory scores. All applicants must submit a departmental supplemental application, personal statement, curriculum vitae or resume, three letters of recommendation and two writing samples. Applicants are also strongly encouraged to submit a diversity statement and, if appropriate, an extenuating circumstances statement. All PhD applicants should apply by the January 5 application deadline; all admitted students begin in the fall semester.
International applicants must submit score(s) from one of the following tests:
Key to test
abbreviations
(TOEFL, IELTS, MELAB).
For an online application or for more information about graduate education admissions, see the
General Information section of this
website.
Program Requirements
31
credits are required in the major.
12 credits are required outside the major. 24 thesis credits are required.
This program may be completed with a minor.
Use of 4xxx courses toward program requirements is permitted under certain conditions with adviser approval.
A minimum GPA of 3.00
is required for students to remain in good standing.
Up to 6 credits from a master's program, upon consultation with the advisor and approval of the director of graduate studies, can be applied to the PhD.
All coursework offered on both the A-F and S/N grade basis must be taken A-F, with a minimum grade of B earned for each.
Students must write a formal prospectus outlining the plan for their dissertation and present it to committee members within a year of passing the preliminary oral exam. Upon committee approval of the prospectus, the student must obtain their advisor's signature on the prospectus form and file it with the department's graduate studies office.
Required Core Areas (15 credits)
Select a total of 15 credits from the following three categories:
Rhetoric (6 to 9 credits)
Select at least 6 credits from the following in consultation with the advisor:
WRIT 5775 - Rhetorical Traditions: Classical Period
(3.0 cr)
WRIT 5776 - The Rhetorical Traditions: Modern Era
(3.0 cr)
WRIT 8510 - Seminar in Rhetoric
(3.0 cr)
Writing Studies Specialty Area (9 credits)
Courses should be selected to develop a coherent specialty area/concentration. Specialties include areas such as rhetoric, literacies, professional and technical communication, internet studies, theories of writing, writing pedagogies, rhetorics of science, medicine, or law, and the environment.
Writing Studies Courses (9 credits)
Select at least 9 credits from the following in consultation with the advisor:
WRIT 5112 - Information Design: Theory and Practice
(3.0 cr)
WRIT 5501 - Usability and Human Factors in Technical Communication
(3.0 cr)
WRIT 5561 - Editing and Style for Technical Communicators
(3.0 cr)
WRIT 5662 - Writing With Digital Technologies
(3.0 cr)
WRIT 5664 - Science, Medical, and Health Writing
(3.0 cr)
WRIT 5671 - Visual Rhetoric
(3.0 cr)
WRIT 5775 - Rhetorical Traditions: Classical Period
(3.0 cr)
WRIT 5776 - The Rhetorical Traditions: Modern Era
(3.0 cr)
WRIT 8505 - Professional Practice
(3.0 cr)
WRIT 8510 - Seminar in Rhetoric
(3.0 cr)
WRIT 8520 - Seminar in Scientific and Technical Communication
(3.0 cr)
WRIT 8540 - Seminar in Technical Communication and Composition Pedagogies
(3.0 cr)
WRIT 8550 - Seminar in Technology, Culture, and Communication
(3.0 cr)
WRIT 8560 - Seminar in Writing Studies
(3.0 cr)
WRIT 8792 - Independent Study, Reading, and Research
(1.0-4.0 cr)
WRIT 8794 - Directed Research
(1.0-4.0 cr)
Outside Coursework (12 credits)
Select at least 12 credits of outside coursework from the following, in consultation with the advisor to form a coherent supporting program. Other courses may be applied to this requirement with advisor approval.
AMST 8202 - Theoretical Foundations and Current Practice in American Studies
(3.0 cr)
BTHX 5300 - Foundations of Bioethics
(3.0 cr)
BTHX 8xxx
CI 5xxx
CI 8xxx
COMM 5xxx
COMM 8xxx
ENGL 5xxx
ENGL 8xxx
GWSS 5xxx
GWSS 8xxx
HMED 5xxx
HMED 8xxx
HSCI 5xxx
HSCI 8xxx
IDSC 5xxx
IDSC 8xxx
OLPD 5xxx
OLPD 8xxx
PUBH 6101 {Inactive}
(2.0 cr)
PUBH 6414 - Biostatistical Literacy
(3.0 cr)
STAT 5021 - Statistical Analysis
(4.0 cr)
Thesis Credits
Take 24 or more credit(s) from the following:
·
WRIT 8888 - Thesis Credit: Doctoral
(1.0-24.0 cr)
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