The certificates involve 18 credit hours of classes
Students at Tennessee Tech University are developing workplace-ready writing and communication skills through certificate programs in editing and publishing, as well as in technical writing and communication.
Housed in Tech’s department of English but open to all majors, the programs are helping students pair their academic interests with practical credentials.
“One thing that we see a lot is that students have more than one interest,” said Erin Hoover, associate professor of English at Tech and the adviser for the certificate in editing and publishing. “For example, you might be an English major, but you might also have a strength in a science field, or you might have the reverse. This allows you to showcase different strengths while also having a major and then a certificate, so you can have both of those on your transcript.”
The certificates involve 18 credit hours of classes, including an internship that are built into the student’s major as electives.
James Holland, a junior mechanical engineering student pursuing the technical writing and communication certificate, has taken classes ranging from technical editing to grant writing. As part of his classwork, he wrote a grant proposal for the nonprofit organization CityScape in Cookeville, collaborated on the creation of an instructional guide on repairing a robot vacuum and interned with Oshkosh, creating standard work instructions for vehicle inspections.
“Each of these courses has different skills that you learn and projects to work on that really enhance your skills in the technical writing field,” Holland said.
Katie Barnes, a senior English major also working on the technical writing and communication certificate, described her hands-on work so far, which has included a grant proposal for Tech’s Michelle Huddleston Memorial Food Pantry, an internship at Tech’s Center for Addiction Prevention and Support and even the writing of a book chapter about AI in technical communication.
“This whole chapter was such a strong way to bring in my technical writing, composition skills, my teamwork skills, my research skills and things like that, to create this big publication that I’m very proud of and very thankful for,” she said.
She also worked on the team with Holland to put together the instructions for repairing a robot vacuum. The results of their project went to the nonprofit iFix, which used their work as one of the organization’s many guides on electronic repair.
“They are an excellent addition to your portfolio because you’re working for a real client,” added Kristin Pickering, professor of English and adviser for the technical writing and communication certificate. “They hire people full-time to work with them and you could apply for jobs there. It’s a really good way to get your foot in the door with this nonprofit organization, and you can list it on your resume, talk about it in job interviews and actually show, ‘Look, my published work is online, I received feedback on it, and it’s publicly available.’”
Trinity Cogan is an English major who has fully earned her editing and publishing certificate and will graduate with her English degree in the spring. She especially credits her work with the campus magazine Iris Review for giving her hands-on experience with tasks like managing submissions, producing acceptance and rejection letters and designing promotional materials.
It’s led to a current part-time job in magazine production.
“Without these courses, I probably would have found my way, but it would have been a lot more difficult to navigate,” Cogan said.
Undergraduates interested in earning a certificate are encouraged to talk with their advisers early so the courses and internships fit into their degree plans – those who complete the program graduate with an e-portfolio showcasing their best work for prospective employers.
“One thing that is a huge trend right now is called micro credentialing or upskilling,” explained Mari Ramler, associate professor of English. “Usually, people are coming to potential employers with something like LinkedIn certificates, but if you can get a certificate through a university, it’s a different level of upskilling.”
For more information about the editing and publishing certificate or the technical writing and communication certificate, visit the program website.
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