Competency Areas

As a technical writing & communication major, you will develop a variety of skills throughout your course of study. Being able to identify and discuss these skills, or competency areas can help you determine and showcase your strengths. The Department of Writing Studies identifies five learning outcomes associated with a BS in our department.

  1. Written communication:
    • Understand writing as a process; edit one’s own and others’ writing; write with completeness and accuracy; and produce genre-specific writing.
  2. Digital literacy:
    • Critically examine digital technologies; apply visual communication principles; use digital tools to communicate and compose; and write for web contexts.
  3. Rhetorical and writing theory:
    • Examine and apply major rhetorical theories/approaches; identify argument and persuasion; understand differences between orality and literacy; and analyze writing for audience, purpose, and message.
  4. Technology, culture, and society:
    • Analyze ethical issues in writing, science, and technology; examine and apply writing in professional and disciplinary contexts; and identify cultural and social impacts of writing.
  5. Information management:
    • Gather, report, and evaluate information; manage and appropriately document sources; and coordinate complex writing projects in a timely manner.