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Certificate in Technical Communication

A student leaning over an open laptop, focusing on their work, representing the technical communication learning experience in the Boise State Department of Writing Studies Certificate in Technical Communication.

The Certificate in Technical Communication equips you with the expertise to communicate complex information clearly, concisely, and effectively. This program is ideal for students and professionals who want to strengthen their writing, editing, and user-centered design skills—valuable assets in any industry. Graduates are prepared to excel in roles where clarity, precision, and audience focus are essential.

What You’ll Gain

This certificate emphasizes hands-on learning to produce technical documents that meet real-world needs. You’ll learn to streamline information, improve clarity, and design content with the user in mind. Through a blend of technical writing, editing, and user-centered design, you’ll gain in-demand skills that prepare you to produce accessible, engaging, and usable communication for a wide variety of contexts.

Certificate Learning Outcomes

  • Produce clear, concise, and audience-focused technical documents
  • Apply editing techniques to improve clarity, coherence, and accessibility
  • Use user-centered design to create accessible, engaging, and usable communication for diverse contexts

Requirements

Technical Communication Core

WRITE212 Introduction to Technical Communication (3 credits): Learn the foundations of technical writing and how to create documents that effectively serve their purpose and audience.

WRITE403 Editing for Clear Communication (3 credits): Develop editing skills that focus on improving document clarity and coherence.

WRITE416 User-Centered Design Principles (3 credits): Master user-centered approaches to ensure your communication is engaging and accessible.

Certificate Electives

Broaden your skill set with options that cover complex idea communication, proposal development, nonprofit management, and user experience (UX) research. 

Deepen your expertise in areas most relevant to your career goals by choosing at least three credits from these electives:

  • WRITE185 – Name, Image, and Likeness (3)
  • WRITE302 – Communicating Complex Ideas (3)
  • WRITE303 – Consulting with Writers (3)
  • WRITE312 – Leadership Development for Writers (3)
  • WRITE314 – Proposal Development (3)
  • WRITE408 – Writing for Nonprofits and Social Media (3)
  • WRITE493 – Internship (1 – 12)
  • NONPROF240 – Introduction to Nonprofit Management (3)
  • NONPROF340 – Volunteer Management and the Nonprofit (3)
  • UX360 – Working in the UX Space (1)
  • UX361 – Ethical User Research (1)
  • UX362 – Asking and Listening (1)
  • UX363 – Contextual Inquiry (1)
  • UX364 – Design Thinking for Better UX (1)
  • UX367 – Just Enough Research (1)

With this certificate, you’ll have a practical and comprehensive toolkit to communicate effectively in professional settings. Employers across industries seek candidates with these highly sought-after skills.

Admission

There are no application and admission requirements. However, you must fulfill the prerequisites of each course you choose. 

To obtain a certificate you must:

  • Have already completed or complete, at the same time as the certificate, an associate or baccalaureate degree
  • Complete the number of credits specified for your program
  • Attain a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 2.0
  • Attain a grade of C- or higher in all upper-division courses required by the certificate, unless otherwise required by department
  • Not have a grade of I (incomplete) on your record
  • Complete graduation application by posted deadline

You may apply for graduation by logging on to your my.boisestate.edu student account. You must pay a non-refundable graduation application fee when applying.