About Professional & Technical Communication
Making complex information usable — in documents, on screens, and in teams. Courses carry the TCOM subject code and are offered through the College of Arts, Design & Communication. Numbers below 300 are introductory, 300–499 advanced undergraduate, and 500 and above graduate. Prerequisites are enforced at registration.
How the sequence works
Of the 9 TCOM courses listed, 3 are introductory (numbers under 300), 2 are advanced undergraduate (300–499). 0 courses have no prerequisite and are a reasonable first step. Later courses assume the earlier ones, so read prerequisites before you plan a term — they are enforced at registration and an override from the Professional & Technical Communication department is the only way around them.
TCOM 2100 — Foundations of Technical Communication 3 cr
Audience and purpose analysis, document design, plain language, and the ethics of technical writing.
Prerequisite: ENGL 1010.
TCOM 2300 — Information Design 3 cr
Typography, layout, tables, and figures; visual hierarchy; and designing pages people can scan and use.
Prerequisite: TCOM 2100.
TCOM 2500 — Editing 3 cr
Levels of edit, style guides, consistency, and working with authors and subject-matter experts.
Prerequisite: TCOM 2100.
TCOM 3100 — Content Strategy 3 cr
Planning, structuring, and governing content across a product's life, including reuse and localization.
Prerequisite: TCOM 2100.
TCOM 3300 — User Documentation and Help Systems 3 cr
Task analysis, procedures, embedded help, and testing documentation with real users.
Prerequisite: TCOM 2300.
TCOM 3500 — Technical and Data Visualization 3 cr
Choosing and building charts, diagrams, and dashboards that communicate honestly.
Prerequisite: TCOM 2300.
TCOM 3700 — Proposals and Grant Writing 3 cr
Reading a solicitation, structuring a persuasive proposal, and managing the submission.
Prerequisite: TCOM 2100.
TCOM 4100 — Localization and Global Communication 3 cr
Writing for translation, cultural adaptation, and managing a localization workflow.
Prerequisite: TCOM 3100.
TCOM 4900 — Technical Communication Capstone 3 cr
A full documentation or content project for a real client, from analysis through a tested deliverable.
Prerequisite: senior standing.
Planning and advising
Your degree audit shows exactly how TCOM courses apply to your requirements; this list only shows what is offered. If you are choosing between two courses, deciding when to take a heavy one, or wondering whether a course will run next term, your academic adviser or the Professional & Technical Communication program office can tell you. Course availability by term is set close to registration and is not guaranteed by anything on this page.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. Every course, prerequisite, credit value, and department on this page is invented; nothing here describes a real curriculum or a course you can enroll in.