University of Wisconsin Stout | Wisconsin's Polytechnic University

Description

Professional Communication is a rapidly growing profession. Development of new technologies has increased the demand for professionals who can clearly explain policies, products and services to clients and customers. UW-Stout’s Professional Communications program integrates communication theory with coursework in a chosen applied field. Examples of applied fields include art and design, biomedical engineering, business and management, hospitality and tourism, international studies, manufacturing engineering, packaging, quality management, telecommunications, and training and development. Graduates of this program will have the skills to research, visualize, design, develop and oversee publication of both print and electronic documents.

Students can concentrate their studies in these areas: 

Technical Communication Concentration
Technical Communication is content that is directed at a particular audience (users, specialists, the public) for a particular purpose (instructions, requirements, information). It’s also the kind of communication that you can earn a living doing. Technical communicators are at work in every industry, in every size company. In just 10 years, the Technical Communication program at Stout has established itself as one of the largest programs of its kind in the country. Even in tough economic times, companies are reluctant to outsource or offshore their communication strategy. That means that our graduates will continue to find work, because they help companies and organizations meet their goals by communicating clearly in all media.

Applied Journalism Concentration
The profession of journalism is changing, and our program in Applied Journalism will prepare you to meet those changes. Today journalists have to be more than good writers. They need to understand multimedia, interactivity, and how content is repurposed into different channels. They need to be able to reach mobile users, web surfers, and podcast listeners. The concentration in Applied Journalism will prepare you to do all of these things, and be ready for technologies that don’t even exist yet. There are good jobs for writers and producers who bring content to a particular business sector. Interested in hospitality? Then prepare to be a travel writer. Love the fashion industry? Then learn to write for the trendsetters. Professionals in every industry depend on trade journals, websites, and other communication channels to keep them current, and graduates in Applied Journalism will provide them.

Digital Humanities Concentration
The Digital Humanities is the newest field of research and innovation at UW-Stout, in which students bring computing technology to bear on the “Big Questions.” You will search for answers to questions that drive you. In the Digital Humanities concentration you choose your field of interest from any offered on the Stout campus. You’ll combine those courses with some Computer Science offerings, and base it all on a solid foundation in writing, design, and rhetoric. After a course in research methods, you will spend a semester preparing a research proposal. Then you will spend a semester bringing technology, and your own skills in research, analysis, and communication, to bear on fulfilling your project. The culmination of your year-long research project will be a cutting-edge digital artifact that will constitute the centerpiece of your portfolio. Prospective employers will see what you are capable of; graduate school admissions committees will see what you are prepared to do. The digital world of the future belongs to those who understand how technology affects the ways people communicate, interact, and comprehend the world. A concentration in the Digital Humanities puts you at the forefront of technological innovation, and gives you the tools to stay there.

High School Preparation

• General admissions criteria
  
  
• English and communication courses, including foreign language
  
• Basic computer and/or art courses
  
• Desktop publishing or multimedia courses
  
• Extracurricular activities like working on the student newspaper or yearbook staff
  

Careers

Technical Communication Concentration

• Technical writer/editor
• Documentation manager
• Content manager
• Multimedia producer
• Project manager
• Marketing writer
• Usability strategist
• Freelance writer/editor
• Curriculum developer

Applied Journalism Concentration

• Journalist/editor
• PR writer
• Blogger
• Trade journal reporter
• Researcher
• Copy editor
• Publisher
• Freelance writer/editor

Digital Humanities Concentration

• Web content manager
• Multimedia producer
• Communications strategist
• User experience specialist
• Digital trends analyst
• New media specialist
• Humanities computing engineer
• Graduate study

Average beginning salary for UW-Stout graduates in this major — $42,000
100% employment in 2011–2012

View our Annual Employment Report for more details.

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