A Major Defense: Technical and Professional Communication

Taken from volume 56, issue 08 of the Cedarville University student newspaper, Cedars. Article written by Jessica Daugherty, a TPC major

Perhaps you have heard of Technical and Professional Communication (TPC) but are still confused as to what it is. It has a nice smattering of writing, editing, graphic and web design, and marketing to be sure, but as with most good things in life, it’s so much more. The reason TPC is a part of the Language and Literature department at Cedarville is because technical communication itself is rooted in rhetoric. We desire to communicate, yes, but we make sure we do so effectively.

With a degree in TPC, students can work for any company that focuses on the importance of communicating information in an understandable way to a specific user or audience. Specific job titles include Editor, Marketing Communicator Specialist, Web Designer, Instructional Designer, Technical Writer, and many more.

Besides being exceptional communicators in both written and visual design skills, TPC students are known to be avid creative problem solvers, technical interpreters, and user advocates. These abilities allow students to become usability experts in virtually any communication field later on in their careers.

Even though Technical Communication is still fairly new in the industry, it has steadily grown and evolved drastically, even in the most recent years. Despite this, the TPC program effectively manages to keep reinventing itself in order to adapt to the latest technologies. “I believe that as the technology industry becomes more and more the backbone of most others, the TPC major allows its students a kind of flexibility in ministry and job opportunities few other majors can offer,” says senior English major Camille Morse.

The major also ensures that students are prepared for potential job opportunities through a required summer internship and a one-credit professional portfolio course, in which students learn how to assemble, present, and interact with their portfolio as a tool during job interviews.

Professor Sandi Harner, the director and developer of the program, is the singular reason that the TPC students benefit so much from the program. Junior Adam Evans says, "Mrs. Harner is the heart and soul of the TPC department. She really pushes us to be the best we can be and I value her leadership.” Evans is also the only Cedarville student to intern at a U.S. Embassy in a foreign country. Out of the hundreds of applicants, the State department chose Evans. Why? Because of his TPC major.

Other graduates have gone on to work for companies such as IBM, Dell, Kodak, Chase Bank, Procter and Gamble, Moody Press, David C. Cook Publishers, Christianity Today, and many other small and mid-sized companies.

According to the 2005 United States Salary survey, the average salary for a person who has bachelors in Technical Communication is $66,660. And that was three years ago!

So the next time you need to create a Web site, write some PHP or Javascript, proofread a paper, design a logo, or compile a coach’s manual for the Yellow Jacket Athletics department, just ask a TPC major for help. We won’t let you down.

For more information about anything TPC-related or if you have a project request, contact Professor Sandi Harner or visit the student chapter organization of TPC.