|
COMMUNICATION
Technical and Science Communication Concentration
Bachelor of Science: 182.0 credits
Careers:
Students who study technical and science communication are prepared for a variety of career options. Currently there is a shortage of people qualified to write about the technology. Many students become technical writers and editors who produce manuals and reports about high-technology products and services. Many students go on to write specifications and in-house organs for business, industry, and government. Other students conduct and interpret surveys for business. Many students quickly rise to managerial and executive positions, in which they participate in the research and development of new products. Some students become science writers for newspapers. In addition, this program is excellent preparation for graduate study in a number of fields, such as law and medicine.
Curriculum:
This major trains students to communicate scientific and technical information to various audiences. The program combines courses that develop communication skills with courses that enhance the students' understanding of science and technology.
Calendar:
The communication major is designed to be completed either in 4 years with 6 months of co-op experience or in 5 years with 18 months of co-op. Students pursue on-campus studies in the fall, winter, and spring terms of their freshman and senior years. In their other 2 or 3 years, they spend all 4 terms (fall, winter, spring, and summer) either in class or on co-op.
Cooperative Education:
One of the most pleasant problems any department can face is an inability to produce enough graduates fast enough to fill an existing need in the job market. The Culture and communication Department at Drexel University finds itself in precisely this position: the phenomenal recent growth in high technology companies, coupled with a new awareness of the crucial role of communication, has made it possible for the Department to meet the demand for the students in technical and science communication. Regularly we have to tell our co-op coordinator--and employers who phone us--that we simply do not have enough students trained in this area. Our current students have co-op assignments as technical writers, technical editors, and investigative researchers, to name just a few.
Facilities and Resources:
- Philadelphia, the nation's fifth largest city and a major business and media center, offers excellent opportunities for contact with practicing communication professionals, as well as for co-op and permanent employment.
- Further strengthening ties with the business community, the corporate communication program often brings in Philadelphia communication professionals as course lecturers and instructors.
- An active Drexel chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America offers students career-related involvement out of class, as do the student newspaper and radio station.
Special Features:
All Communication majors complete a senior project that allows them to plan, design, and execute a communication program for a real-life client within the University or a business community.
For more information about the track, please contact Dr. Ronald Bishop at 215-895-1823 or bishoprc@drexel.edu.
|
|
