The Program
The Technical Communication and Rhetoric (TCR) doctoral program defines technical communication as communication that facilitates action in the world. Facilitating action requires that communication be effective and persuasive–or intentionally rhetorical. Our program is known for addressing issues of social justice, community engagement, diversity, and service learning–issues that can be explored with partners from a variety of fields and backgrounds. Our students have opportunities to craft and pursue their own field-specific research agendas and to gain teaching experience as the instructors of record for a range of undergraduate courses in technical communication. For up-to-date information, including advice for submitting a competitive application, refer to the Technical Communication and Rhetoric pages. For more comprehensive information about graduate program policies in the English Department, refer to the Graduate Student Handbook. To apply, go to the graduate school admission page.
The Faculty
In the English department, doctoral students work alongside winners of prestigious national awards, experienced journal editors, and field leaders. The core faculty in TCR are experts in areas such as rhetorical theory, genre theory, online education, technology, editing, social justice, and qualitative methods. Our faculty’s research interests include topics such as the effects of technologies on ethical behaviors and social justice, technical communication in humanitarian organizations, emergent technologies and human agency in gaming culture, and crisis communication.
Curriculum Overview
Students in the TCR program must complete a minimum of 60 approved semester credits beyond their master’s degree. Up to 12 graduate level credits may be transferred and applied toward this degree with approval from the Director of Graduate Studies and the Technical Communication and Rhetoric faculty. In addition to the minimum 60 credits of coursework, students must take Responsible Conduct of Research training, a brief online training on ethical conduct in research that the university requires of all PhD students.
Division of Classes
Students select appropriate courses from the following seven categories (A-G) to develop their programs of study.
A. Rhetoric and Theory (6 credits required)
B. Research (12 credits required)
C. Technology and Design (9 credits required)
D. Pedagogy Courses (9 credits required)
E. English Cognate (3 credits required)
3-credit 6000-level course in English outside of Technical Communication and Rhetoric (i.e., an ENGL course such as Creative Writing, Literature, or Folklore). Doctoral students may take a one-week ENGL summer credit workshop at the master’s (6000) level with the approval of their supervisory committee; however, summer workshops are not covered by tuition waiver.
F. External Cognate Area (3 credits required)
3-credit course at the 6000 or 7000 level in a department outside English (course selection requires supervisory committee approval)
G. Dissertation (18 credits required)
H. Optional Electives
The following courses may be taken as electives when available but are not required.
Length of Program
From the date of matriculation (i.e., from the time a student is accepted into the program), the USU School of Graduate Studies allows students eight years to finish their doctoral degree, but this program is designed to be completed in four years. Additional time may be requested by the student’s committee and submitted to the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies for review. Coursework over eight years old at the time of degree completion may not be used for a graduate degree unless it is revalidated.
Residency Requirements
PhD students will establish residency in their first year. They must remain in residence at least until achieving doctoral candidacy (ABD) and be engaged as active members of the USU academic community. Please note that students must be Utah residents to maintain their GI-ship.
Additional Requirements
Graduate students are required to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA for degree-program courses. Grades below a B- will not be accepted for a Technical Communicaiton and Rhetoric PhD program degree.
Credits in the following areas are not acceptable in a degree program: foreign languages (unless included in an approved Program of Study), continuing graduate advisement, individual home study, military science, and courses numbered below 3000.
At least 33-semester credits for TCR PhD degree must be from a committee-approved and a School of Graduate Studies-approved Program of Study from Utah State University. At least three semesters, two of which must be consecutive, of full-time registration in residence at Utah State University, is required.
All Technical Communication and Rhetoric PhD students must successfully defend their dissertation and submit the dissertation to the library. An oral defense typically takes place in the last semester of study. For details on the dissertation writing and defense process, refer to the Graduate Student Handbook.
A minimum of 12 dissertation credits (7970 ) is required if the student has a master’s degree.
A graduate student in Technical Communication and Rhetoric will be required to complete the following academic forms during their time of study:
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