online phd technical communication

Rhetorical Theory and Practice

Graduate students who specialize in rhetorical theory and practice acquire knowledge in traditional study of ancient Greco-Roman rhetoric and build on that knowledge to consider myriad neglected and contemporary rhetorical practices. Students gain experience and knowledge that primes them to research and study public, embodied, visual and other sensory rhetorics; the rhetoric of science, technology, and medicine; material and environmental rhetorics; and digital and social media rhetorics. Studying how rhetors, writers, designers, and creators use available means and mediums of persuasion to engage a wide variety of contemporary audiences unites the disparate areas.

5366: Teaching Technical and Professional Communication. Theory and teaching of technical and professional writing with special attention to developing course objectives, syllabi, and teaching techniques.

5371: Foundations of Technical Communication. Theory and practice of technical communication.

5372: Technical Reports. Theory and practice of reports and proposals.

5373: Technical Manuals. Theory and practice of manual development and design.

5374: Technical Editing. Substantive editing and design of technical documents.

5375: Document Design. Theory and practice of creating comprehensible, usable, and persuasive texts.

5376: Online Publishing. Design and testing of online documents to support instruction and information retrieval.

5383: Grants and Proposals. Theoretical issues and practical experience dealing with the genre and process of writing grants and proposals.

5387: Publication Management. Strategies of managing processes and knowledge that support publication.

5388: Usability Testing and Research. Methods of planning, conducting, and analyzing usability tests.

• Dissertation: Knowledge-Building Spaces in Technical Communication: Navigating a Tertiary Orality
• Dissertation: Teaching Intercultural Communication in a Service Technical Writing Course: Alternative Ways of Presenting Intercultural Issues in Technical Writing Textbooks and in Real Classrooms
• Dissertation: Open-Source Software Development and User-Centered Design: A Study of Open-Source Practices and Participants
• Dissertation: The Role of Rhetorical Invention for Visuals: A Study of Technical Communicators in the Workplace
• Dissertation: Technical Communication in the Public Sector: Convergence Analysis of Historical Discourse and the Reports of the Immigration Commission, 1911
• Dissertation: Web-based Training Evaluation in the Workplace: Practices, Instructional Architectures, and Skills
• Dissertation: Ethos and Exigence: The White Paper in Technical Communication
• Dissertation: Decision-Making as a Rhetorical Act: The Role of Choice in the Design and Delivery of an Online Education Program
• Publication: Editing from the Author's Viewpoint: Results of an International Survey
• Publication: Editing from the Author's Viewpoint: Cross-cultural Results

Composition, Writing, and Literacy Studies

Graduate students who specialize in composition, writing, and literacy studies gain experience that prepares them to research and study writing, the teaching of writing, composing practices, literacy practices and ideologies, online literacy and writing instruction, digital cultures and new media rhetoric, writing program administration, and other issues related to writing and literacy.

5384: Rhetoric of Scientific Literature. The foundational, canonical course for the emphasis. It deals with rhetorical critique of classic science arguments, such as Darwin's Origin of the Species. It also introduces ideas developed further in the specialty courses.

5386: Discourse and Social Issues. Especially when it is taught with a focus on social issues also being those of a scientific nature (e.g. environmental, risk communication, classification, etc.).

5369: Discourse and Technology. Especially when it is taught with a focus on documentation of technology as used in the medical profession or in other applications of science.

5382: Theory and Research in the Written Discourses of Health and Medicine. Current theory and research in the written discourses of health and medicine, focusing on the roles of technical and professional.

• Dissertation: The making of knowledge in science: Case studies of paleontology illustration
• Publication: Metaphor and Knowledge: The Challenges of Writing Science.
• Publication: Optimism and Pessimism on the High Plains: A Tale of Archaeological Reports.
• Publication: You Just Don't See Enough Normal': Critical Perspectives on Infant-Feeding Discourse and Practice
• Publication: Understanding Women's Concerns in the International Setting Through the Lens of Science and Technology
• Publication: The Medical Normalization of Abnormal Bodies: Intersex and Resistance
• Publication: Artificial Intelligence as a Discursive Practice: The Case of Embodied Software Agent Systems

Degree Requirements May Seminar

Dr. Beau Pihlaja Program Director and Advisor [email protected]

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PhD in Rhetoric and Scientific & Technical Communication

The PhD program combines foundational coursework with robust research and pedagogical training. Students work with renowned faculty to develop expertise in areas like:

• rhetoric of science, environment, health, and medicine;
• technical communication, including usability, user experience design, and digital literacy; 
• critical and intercultural pedagogy;
• multimodal composition; and
• digital and classical rhetorics. 

Our program enables students to become teacher-scholars in their field of choice and lead state-of-the-art research. A master’s degree in a related field is required for direct admission to our PhD program.

Graduate Handbook

Review our  PhD handbook for current requirements and policies.

PhD Program Requirements

The PhD program requires  67 credits (43 course credits and 24 thesis credits) across five primary requirements. PhD students typically take three courses per semester. MA-to-PhD students have their MA coursework transfer automatically to the PhD.

Methods & Pedagogies (7 credits)

PhD students take three required courses:

• WRIT 5531 : Introduction to Writing Theories and Pedagogies
• WRIT 5532 : Practicum in Writing Pedagogies
• WRIT 8011 : Research Methods in Writing Studies and Technical Communication

Core Areas (15 credits)

PhD students complete five courses across the core areas of rhetoric, writing studies and pedagogy, and technical communication. Course options include classical rhetoric, modern rhetoric, and seminars. Seminar topics vary depending on faculty expertise. Recent topics include: 

• Social Justice in Technical Communication
• Multimodality and Writing Instruction
• Embodied Politics: Rhetoric, Medicine & Disability
• Viral Rhetorics: Persuasion & Politics in SocMedia

Specialty Area (9 credits)

PhD students choose courses in the Department of Writing Studies to develop their scholarly interests.

Outside Coursework (12 credits)

PhD students choose courses in other departments to further specialize. Students may complete a formal graduate minor to fulfill this requirement. 

Thesis Credits (24 credits)

During their program, PhD students enroll in  WRIT 8888 : Doctoral Thesis Credits. These credits support scholarly development toward the dissertation.

Preliminary Exams

The preliminary exams consist of a written exam and an oral exam. For the RSTC written exam, PhD students create reading lists and write essays in three areas (two of the three RSTC core areas and one specialty area). After passing their written exam, students complete an oral exam with a faculty committee in which they answer questions related to their written exam and exam areas. See the  PhD handbook for more details.

Within a year of completing exams, PhD candidates develop a dissertation prospectus. The prospectus describes the dissertation’s research questions(s), the relevant literature, and proposed method/ologies. PhD candidates then meet with their faculty committee to review the prospectus and receive feedback. See the  PhD handbook for more details.

Dissertation Defense

In their final year, PhD candidates research and write their dissertation manuscript. The final milestone is the dissertation defense. The first hour of the defense is a public presentation on the dissertation. The second hour of the defense is a closed session between the candidate and the dissertation committee. A sample of previous RSTC dissertations are listed on our  Career Outcomes Page .

Catalog Requirements

College Resources for Graduate Students

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Technical communication and rhetoric - phd.

About This Degree

The Technical Communication and Rhetoric (TCR) PhD program prepares students to work as researchers and teachers at colleges and universities. In this program you will take courses in rhetorical theory, cultural and empirical research methods, online pedagogy, and more.

Our PhD students have the freedom to conduct research on topics that matter to them, such as climate change communication, professional communication in the Global South, and accessible document design for people with disabilities.

At a Glance

College: College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department: English Department

USU Locations:

• Logan campus

Faculty: View profiles of faculty members on the department directory .

Program Requirements

• Update this page

Career And Outcomes

Career opportunities.

Most graduates of the Technical Communication and Rhetoric PhD program go on to work as university professors. Our PhD program is known for addressing issues of social justice, community engagement, diversity, and service learning— education that prepares our students to be competitive in the academic job market. For examples, recent graduates have accepted tenure-track jobs at Virginia Tech, Texas State, Boise State University, The University of Tennessee Knoxville, Missouri University of Science & Technology, and Montana State University.

Job Outlook

Request for information and advising, lynne mcneill.

Associate Professor Email: [email protected] Office: RWST 301B

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USU Locations

LOGAN CAMPUS

Admission Requirements

The following materials are general application materials required by the USU Graduate School:

Application Requirements:

• An electronically completed application form, available through the Graduate School website .
• A $55 application fee.
• All official undergraduate and graduate transcripts showing your GPA. The minimum requirement is 3.00 on a 4.00 scale for the last 60 credits taken.
• Three letters of recommendation, two of which must be from former teachers if you have been enrolled in school during the last five years. These letters should be sent directly to the Graduate School by the letter writers. You will enter their contact information as part of your online application to the Graduate School, and the Graduate School will contact them directly regarding how to submit their letters.
• International students must also submit an I-20 application form and a financial guarantee. The Graduate School website details these requirements.
• International applicants from non-English-speaking countries must also provide evidence of English language proficiency. The Graduate School website details these requirements.

The Technical Communication and Rhetoric doctoral program also requires two writing samples, a curriculum vitae, and a statement of purpose. You will submit these materials as "Supplemental Items" with your online Graduate School application.

Visit the TCR PhD application page for details on supplementary items.

International students have additional admissions requirements .

The application deadline is January 15th. No applicants will be considered until all required information arrives in the School of Graduate Studies office. All application materials must be postmarked before or by the deadline.

Students must take a six-credit research internship course that is designed to immerse students in research that will lead to their dissertation.

PhD Qualifying Exams:

Students are also required to successfully complete two major exams in order to advance in the PhD program. The first of these is a portfolio (qualifying) exam, which is to be taken at the end of the first year. The second is a comprehensive exam, which is to be taken at the completion of formal coursework. Successful completion of the comprehensive exam is required before students can begin formal work on their dissertation research.

At the end of their first year in the program, students will submit an individual portfolio of their work. Professional and/or academic work may be selected for inclusion in the portfolio, though it must be work the student has completed during their first year. The portfolio must include at least four documents and their accompanying reflective statements. To proceed beyond their first year in the program, students must pass the portfolio (qualifying) exam with a grade of high pass, pass, or low pass. A grade of low pass, while allowing the student to continue in the program, does serve to indicate concern about the student's ability to successfully complete the program. There are no retakes, and decisions are final.

At the end of their formal course work, students will write a comprehensive exam. This exam is comprised of two essays. Though the comprehensive exam is taken at the completion of coursework, students should begin preparing for this exam upon starting the program. To complete the exam, students are responsible for generating a reading list from which exam questions will be formulated, which must include at least 100 items. After submitting their reading list, students should meet with the members of their committee to discuss their reading. It is from these conversations that the exam questions will be drawn. For each essay, students will be given two questions and asked to answer one. The average exam length is 15 pages per essay. In addition, each essay must also include a works cited list. Students will have 72 hours from the time they are given the exam questions to complete both essays.

Financial Aid

Graduate instructorship.

This face-to-face doctoral program prepares students for careers in academia, so PhD students are expected to receive a Graduate Instructorship (GI-ship). A GI-ship pays an annual salary of $20,000.00 in addition to a tuition waiver and benefits, in exchange for teaching a 2/2 load (two courses each semester) and performing other responsibilities.

Be sure to write a paragraph about your interests in a GI-ship in your Statement of Purpose.

A variety of funding opportunities are also available on the graduate school website .

Take The Next Step

How to apply.

View our step-by-step guide on how to become an Aggie.

Request Information

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Cost and Funding

Calculate the cost of graduate school and learn about funding opportunities.

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