RE: technical writer degree programs

["Oja, W. Kelly" <w -dot- kelly -dot- oja -at- verizon -dot- com>]

Chuck Martin wrote:

>An English degree? I guess it might teach you more about writing and
>literature. I can't imagine it teaching you how to design information
to
>best meet user needs (not to mention how to discover those user needs).
 
Thank you for wording what I was feeling so well. I just couldn't seem
to write it down without sounding condescending.

>If you were in the Seattle area, I'd point you to one of the best
programs
>in the country, at the University of Washington, where there's not only
a
>four-year TC degree, but Masters degrees in both TC and Technical
Japanese
>and a PH.D. program (I'm not sure if this is here yet or coming soon).
>Unlike many schools, which offer a TC-type degree as part of their
>Communications (or similar) school, at the UW, TC is not only a
full-fledged
>department, but it is part of the Engineering school (where the
discipline
>belongs).

First of all, I am partial to the University of Minnesota as being one
of the top in the country as well. The U of M also has a Master's
program and a PhD program. Unlike the U of W, the U of M houses their
S&TC degree in the Department of Rhetoric, which in turn is in the
College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences. The reason the
Dept. of Rhet is in the College of Agriculture, is that the U of M is a
land-grant university, and because rhetoric is... well the art of
bs-ing, the powers that be thought it better go in COAFES rather than
the College of Liberal Arts or more closely affiliated with eh English
Department.

I would like to state that it should be in another college, much like
the U of W.

W. Kelly Oja
Verizon Airfone

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