Program Quick Facts
100% Online
Flexible, online classes make it easier to reach your goals while balancing work and family life.
No GRE Required
We’re removing barriers to graduate education, which is why we don’t require the GRE.
Affordable Tuition
NMSU Global Campus offers competitively priced tuition and scholarship opportunities.
Elevate Your Communication and Media Technology Skills
The Master of Arts in English: Technical and Professional Communication degree at NMSU Global Campus combines training in high-demand communication and media technologies with critical thinking and writing skills. Our program helps you prepare for careers in technical and professional communication, while also opening new avenues for advancement in your existing profession.
As both a career and a skill set, technical and professional communication involves conveying complex or specialized information in clear, usable ways for diverse audiences. It combines skills in writing, design, and technology — using tools such as web development, content management systems, coding, AI prompting, and data visualization — to support communication across industries. Technical communicators work under various titles in many international job sectors where these abilities are an asset, including:
- Civil Rights and Advocacy Organizations
- Community Development and Social Services
- Education
- Environmental Education and Advocacy
- Health Policy and Literacy
- Information Technology
- Lobbying Groups and Think Tanks
- Manufacturing
- Media and Publishing
- Philanthropy and Fundraising
By blending technological savvy and humanistic inquiry, this 100% online program offers a widely applicable curriculum for a constantly changing job market. Whether you have a humanities background that you want to apply practically, or a technical background that you want to enhance with humanistic and practical theory, our degree offers a bridge to a meaningful and reliable career path.
Apply NowTechnical and Professional Communication Career Pathways
With the Master of Arts in English: Technical and Professional Communication degree, the highly valued skills you gain will qualify you for advanced roles across professional settings and for advancement in your current career path.
Graduates are well prepared for these types of positions:
- Business Intelligence Manager
- Communication Specialist
- Content Writer
- Content Strategist
- Information Architect
- Instructional Designer
- Grant Writer
- Legal/Medical Translator
- Media Designer
- Media Producer
- Product Communications Manager
- Regulatory Writer
- Technical Writer
- Technical Editor
- User Experience (UX) Designer
- Web Designer
- Web Developer
“As an 18 year old, I found NMSU to be one of the most inviting campuses — rich in student life yet equally involved in academics. As a 36 year old, I am looking forward to coming full circle with NMSU and graduating as an Aggie forever.”
Stephanie M., Class of 2024
Our MA in Technical and Professional Communication is based on the on-campus Rhetoric and Professional Communication Program at NMSU and brings together theory, critical thinking, and practice. You will learn a range of transferable skills along with useful theories and strategies to acquire new skills as technologies evolve. Through a balance of coursework in the following three areas, you will continually advance your critical understanding of technical communication’s impact in its larger communities and worlds:
- Communicating with Technologies: document design, web design and development, user experience and assistance, and media theory and production
- Professional Practice: technical editing, proposal and grant writing, and writing in the workplace
- Critical Theory and Rhetoric: critical conversations in technical and professional communication, topics in rhetoric and technology, graduate study in modern rhetorical theory, rhetoric and cultural studies
Putting this learning into action, you will gain on-the-job experience through internship and practicum opportunities that strengthen your resume. Some of the skills you will apply are:
- Communicating effectively for different audiences across expertise, ability, and cultural contexts
- Creating accessible documents and web design that respond to users’ needs
- Generating content across written, web, and multimedia formats
- Testing for usability and user experience
- Writing persuasive proposals and marketing materials
- Applying foundational skills and principles so you can learn new communication technologies as they emerge
- Finding and securing jobs that capitalize on your technical and humanistic training
To showcase your new abilities, we help you create a high-impact professional portfolio. Individualized job search and application guidance throughout the program will enable you to put your new skills to work in real time. All of our faculty hold PhDs in English or related fields, with specializations and professional experience ranging across Technical and Professional Communication, Rhetorical Studies, and Writing Studies. Meet our faculty and explore the Rhetoric and Professional Communication program at New Mexico State University.
Delivery Format: 100% online
Program Credits: 36
Program Length: 2 years (when full-time)
Cost Per Credit Hour: $444.40**
Active Military Cost Per Credit Hour: $250*
College: Arts and Sciences
Fill out the form to talk to an advisor.
The MA in Technical and Professional Communication program consists of 36 credits and is only offered in Fall and Spring. Courses are 16 weeks and include specific due dates throughout the semester (they are not self-paced). You’ll conclude your program by composing a portfolio of work and passing an oral examination.
| Sample Courses | Credits |
|---|---|
| ENGL 502: Critical Conversations in Technical and Professional Communication | 3 |
| ENGL 597: Internship in Technical and Professional Communication | 3 |
| ENGL 478: Document Design | 3 |
| ENGL 504: User Experience and Assistance | 3 |
| ENGL 519: Graduate Study in Modern Rhetorical Theory | 3 |
The MA in Technical and Professional Communication program does not require any undergraduate prerequisites.
Admission requirements include:
- A bachelor’s degree in any field with a minimum 3.0 GPA
- A resume
- Three letters of recommendation
- A letter of interest illustrating your understanding of technical and professional communication, and your plans to make use of the critical and practical studies offered by our program
- A general writing sample demonstrating your ability to organize and present complex information (can be academic or professional in nature)
At NMSU Global Campus, we strive to offer competitively priced tuition to keep your tuition costs affordable. If you need financial aid, we’re ready to work with you to determine the best ways to finance your education.
Financial assistance includes loans, grants, and scholarship opportunities. To apply, use NMSU’s convenient Scholar Dollar$ one-stop scholarship application, which serves all students in the NMSU system.
NMSU and NMSU Global Campus students are also eligible for loans and grants. The first step in applying for financial aid is to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Learn more about financial aid opportunities at NMSU.
Contact Financial Aid
Phone: 1-888-729-6678
Email: globalFA@nmsu.edu
Accreditation
New Mexico State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Specialized accreditation from other accrediting agencies is also granted for some programs. NMSU’s accreditation ensures that your education meets high-quality standards and that your credits are transferable.
*Terms and conditions apply.
**For NMSU Global Campus programs and courses, the per credit hour cost is listed above. Special tuition agreements (Western Undergraduate Exchange, Descubre, etc.) are not applicable to NMSU Global Campus programs. Course fees still apply and are charged separately. Textbooks, uniforms, equipment, etc., are additional program costs. Additional per credit costs might be charged by the program, department or college.