Scientific and Technical Communication

The Profession
Scientific and technical communicators work with physicians, engineers, scientists, researchers, and other experts to gather information about a product or service.  Then, they transform complex information into language that audiences can understand and use in brochures, web sites, online documentation, multimedia, or videos.

More Than Just Writing
Scientific and technical communicators do far more than write. In fact, some spend more than half their time gathering information, and for this reason, they must possess excellent interpersonal skills.  This is a major that is interdisciplinary and can take you down a variety of career paths. Possible job titles might be Training Specialist, Medical Writer, Medical Editor, Documentation Specialist, Communication Consultant, Marketing Writer, Website Designer, or Publications Specialist to name but a few. Look here for career information on Scientific and Technical Communication.

Job Market and Salary Exploring Options
According to the Society for Technical Communication's (STC) website, the 2003 Salary Survey reports that the mean salary for entry-level technical writers/editors in the United States was $43,260.  They also reported that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' "Occupation Outlook Handbook" (2004-5 edition) predicts that over the next several years, among the different areas of writing, the most job opportunities will be for technical writers and writers with specialized training.

Learn More
The Scientific and Technical Communication major is located in the Department of Rhetoric on the St. Paul Campus in the College of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences. They offer a small-college environment within a Big Ten university, small class sizes (15-22 students for many classes) and one-on-one interaction with award-winning faculty. Sign up for an information session or contact them at rhetoric@umn.edu or 612-624-3445. Visit the website at http://www.rhetoric.umn.edu.