Curriculum Overview Theory and Practice of Professional Communication Degree Requirements Students in the TPPC program must complete a minimum of 60 approved semester credits beyond their master s degree. (Coursework used to fulfill the requirements of a master s degree may not be used to fulfill the requirements for this Ph.D. program.) With approval from their Supervisory Committees, students may complete up to 12 credit hours of their 7000-level coursework requirements via the English department's online graduate course offerings. According to the School of Graduate Studies, students have 8 years to finish their doctoral degree. However, this program is designed to be completed in 4 years. DIVISION OF CLASSES Students select appropriate courses from the following seven categories (A-G) to develop their programs of study. A. Core Requirements (3 credits required) ENGL 7410: Theory & Research in Professional Communication B. Research (12 credits minimum required; 15 credits recommended) ENGL 7000: ENGL 7420: ENGL 7900: EDUC 6570: EDUC 6770: HIST 6000: SOCI 6100: Advanced Research Methods in Professional Communication Usability Studies & Human Factors in Professional Communication Research Internship Research Methods Qualitative Methods I Historical Methods and Research Advanced Methods of Social Research C. Seminar (9 credits required; up to 18 credits allowed) ENGL 7440: ENGL 7480: ENGL 7890: Advanced Seminar in Culture & Professional Communication Advanced Seminar in Technology & Writing Advanced Seminar in the Theory & Practice of Written Communication
D. Pedagogy Courses (6 credits required; up to 9 credits allowed) ENGL 6820: ENGL 7800: ENGL 7860: Practicum in Teaching English (required for a Graduate Instructorship appointment) Theory & Practice of Online Education in Writing Teaching Technical Writing E. Electives (6 credits required; up to 15 credits allowed) ENGL 7400: ENGL 7430: ENGL 7450: ENGL 7460: ENGL 7470: ENGL 7830: ENGL 7920: Advanced Editing Publications Management Reading Theory & Document Design Studies in Digital Media (repeatable for up to 6) Studies in Specialized Documents (repeatable for up to 6) Rhetorical Theory Directed Study (1-6 credits) F. Cognate Area (6 credits required; up to 18 credits allowed) To support the breadth of perspective required to understand professional communication as it operates in society at large, students are required to take at least 6 credit hours (and a maximum of 18 credit hours) of graduate-level coursework outside the Department of English at Utah State University. Students are encouraged to select courses that will help them develop expertise in an area (either disciplinary or inter-disciplinary) that will complement their research and/or pedagogical goals. Students may also use these courses to identify an outside member of their dissertation committee. These fields include, but are not limited to, sociology, instructional technology, business information systems, speech communication, journalism and mass communication, women's studies, and natural resources. G. Dissertation (12 credits minimum required) ENGL 7970: ENGL 7990: Dissertation Research (required) Continuing Graduate Advisement H. Length of Program The Grad School allots eight years from the time you matriculate (i.e. from the time you are accepted into the program). Coursework that is more than eight years old may not be used for a graduate degree. If permitted by the departmental or interdepartmental degree program policy, a supervisory committee may allow revalidation through testing, following a plan developed by the supervisory committee and approved by the dean of the School of Graduate Studies. The results must be verified in writing to the graduate dean by the student s major professor or other person(s) responsible for the testing. Work experience cannot be substituted for out-of-date coursework or used for revalidation. I. Residency Requirements A minimum of three consecutive semesters in residency is required by the USU School of
Graduate Studies, with a minimum of two semesters to be completed before enrollment for dissertation credits. J. Summer Credit Workshops Doctoral students may take one-week summer credit workshops at the master s (6000) level. However, the hours for these courses will not count toward the 60-hour requirement for doctoral work. Students may only, with the approval of their supervisory committees, fulfill category requirements using master s courses. CLASS DESCRIPTIONS ENGL 6820: Practicum in Teaching English (3) Introduction to teaching writing, designed specifically for graduate instructors teaching in the English department writing program. Focuses on theory and practice of teaching writing, specifically ENGL 1010, but also prepares graduate instructors for further teaching responsibilities.
ENGL 7000: Advanced Research Methods in Professional Communication (3) (Taught spring semester) Survey of major research methods (qualitative and quantitative) for conducting professional communication research in academic and nonacademic settings. Coursework will culminate in a formal proposal to conduct a discipline-appropriate study in the workplace. ENGL 7400: Advanced Editing (3) (Spring) Examines complex roles editors assume in creating technical and nontechnical documents. Principal components include working with substance of documents, mediating the writer-reader relationship, and exemplifying the application of rhetorical theory in editing. ENGL 7410: Theory and Research in Professional Communication (3) (Fall; online) Introduction to contemporary theories of written discourse. Emphasizes the implications of these theories for research in professional communication. ENGL 7420: Usability Studies and Human Factors in Professional Communication (3) (every other Fall; online) Examines concepts and practices of usability studies and human factors in the design and production of print and online documents. Emphasizes developing objectives, criteria, and measures for conducting tests in the lab and field. ENGL 7430: Publications Management (3) (Every other fall) Covers processes for developing and producing publications, including information development cycles, supervision, and budgets. ENGL 7440: Studies in Culture and Professional Communication (3) (Every other fall) Covers topics in rhetorical, critical, and cultural theory, emphasizing their application to contemporary practices in professional communication. ENGL 7450: Reading Theory and Document Design (3) (Every other fall) Examines how reading theory interacts with rhetoric of graphics, layout, and type to influence the way documents are designed for maximum information and readability. ENGL 7460: Studies in Digital Media (3) (Every other spring) Focuses on the production of advanced digital media documents. Examination of theories underlying such publications, plus the related hardware and software. Topics vary. ENGL 7470: Studies in Specialized Documents (3) (Spring) Focuses on writing and design of specific genres in professional communication. Genres include environmental impact statements, software documentation, proposals, manuals, annual reports, newsletters, and fact sheets. Topics vary. ENGL 7480: Studies in Technology and Writing (3) (Every other fall) Study of theoretical aspects of technologies affecting writing in professional contexts. Course topics may include an examination of the history of computing, rhetoric of hypertext, or theories of communication in virtual space. Topics vary.
ENGL 7800: Theory and Practice of Online Education in Writing (3) (Summer) Examination of principles and their implementation in online writing instruction. Emphasis placed on writing instruction within English departments. ENGL 7830: Rhetorical Theory (3) (Every other fall) Covers intellectual traditions of rhetoric from classical times to the present. As students study major theories, theoreticians, and controversies in the field, they come to understand rhetoric as the study of relations between discourse, knowledge, and power. ENGL 7860: Teaching Technical Writing (3) (Spring) Prepares students to teach general purpose technical writing courses at the undergraduate level. Students read and discuss articles on technical writing and practice writing a series of technical documents. ENGL 7890: Studies in Writing and Rhetoric (3) (Every other spring, some summers) Allows in-depth study of specific rhetorical topics and theoretical questions. ENGL 7900: Research Internship (3) Application of workplace field research and methods in an actual workplace setting. ENGL 7920: Directed Study (3) ENGL 7970: Dissertation Research (1 12) ENGL 7990: Continuing Graduate Advisement (1 9) EDUC 6570: Introduction to Educational and Psychological Research (3) Provides introduction to research methods, including identification of research problem, review and evaluation of research literature, and design and implementation of research project. EDUC 6770: Qualitative Methods I (3) Introduction to qualitative research, including foundations; research designs and strategies of inquiry (case studies, ethnography, phenomenology, grounded theory, biographical, historical, participative inquiry); sampling; fieldwork and data collection; and analysis. HIST 6000: Historical Methods and Research (3) Introduction to the historical profession, emphasizing research and writing skills, as well as the critical assessment of scholarly works. Should be taken at beginning of student s graduate program. Required for history master s students. SOCI 6100: Advanced Methods of Social Research (3) Examines philosophical bases, techniques, and political and ethical aspects of social research.