BSTC Requirements

 

Students completing the BS in Technical Communication have the following requirements:
 
Classes
To graduate, BS students must complete 180 credits, with at least the following number of credits in these areas (current and prospective HCDE students are strongly encouraged to run a DARS report through MyUW to track their progress):
 
For the new BS in HCDE curriculum, please refer to this PDF. The changes to the BS curriculum only impact our core courses and approved electives. All other requirements are the same.
 
Core Courses: 51 credits of required HCDE courses. Students must complete all of the following HCDE courses:
  • HCDE 310 Introduction to Communication Design (5)
  • HCDE 400 Scientific and Technical Communication (5)
  • HCDE 401 Style in Scientific and Technical Writing (5)
  • HCDE 402 Scientific and Technical Editing (5)
  • HCDE 403 Project Management (3)
  • HCDE 407 Software User Assistance (5)
  • HCDE 411 Visual Media (5)
  • HCDE 412 Print Production (5)
  • HCDE 437 Web Design and Web Publishing (5)
  • HDCE 493 Senior Study/Portfolio Project (5)
  • HCDE 495 Professional Practice/Internship (3-5, max 10) (Internship credits in excess of the 3-credit requirement may be used as Approved Electives.)
For information on arranging an internship, please visit the Undergraduate Internship page.
 
Approved Electives: 19 credits of Approved Electives that demonstrate a coherent and relevant area of specialization:
BS students are strongly advised to develop a coherent and relevant area of specialization and propose 19 credits of upper-division elective credits that relate to this area. For example, this specialization could be within computer science, in which case the student would construct a program of 300- and 400-level computer science related electives. Possible areas of specialization include:
  • Human factors or usability; Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
  • The psychology of technical communication
  • Instructional design
  • Science writing
  • An engineering discipline
  • A natural science
  • Computer science
A partial list of courses students have taken previously to fulfill their Approved Electives is available; be sure to consult your adviser when planning your degree requirements.
 
Natural World Requirement: 50 credits required.
All undergraduates in Human Centered Design & Engineering are required to complete a minimum of 50 combined credits in the math and science category.

Math or Statistics: 15 credits required.
To graduate, BS students must complete at least 15 credits from the courses below. Students must also complete an additional 20 credits of Math, Natural Science, or both. Choose from these courses:
  • MATH 111, 112, 120, 124, 125, 126, 144, 145, 146, 170, 171 or any course numbered 200 or above
  • STAT 220, 311, or above
  • Or other approved courses: EDPSY 490, QMETH 201, QSCI 291, 292, 293, 381, 392
Natural Science: 15 credits required.
HCDE's scientific requirements are not only a part of the university requirements, but, in HCDE, these courses provide students with an understanding of concepts and vocabulary that will make it possible for them to work effectively with people from more technical fields. To graduate, BSTC students must complete at least 15 credits from the courses below. Students must also complete an additional 20 credits of Math, Natural Science, or both. Choose from these courses:
  • ASTR 211, 301, 321, 322, 323, 423, 480, 481
  • ATM S 211, 301, 321, 358, 370, 451, 452, 458, 460, 480
  • BIOL 117, 118, 161-162, 180, 200, 201, 202, 203, 220, or any 300-or 400-level courses
  • BIOL STR 300- or 400-level courses
  • CHEM 120, 140, 141, 142 (or 145), 150, 151, 152 (or l55), 160, 161, 162 (or 164), 220, 221, 223, 224, 237, 238, 239, 241, 242, or any 300-or 400-level courses
  • ENVIR 200, 300, or any courses numbered 300 or above
  • ESS 210 (formerly GEOL 205), 212, 213, 313,or any courses numbered 400 and above (ESS 101 and 210 cannot both be taken for credit)
  • GENOME 371
  • GEOG 205
  • MICRO 300- or 400-level courses
  • PHYS 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 121, 122, 123, 131, 132, 133, or any course numbered 224 or above (PHYS 114 and 121 cannot both be taken for credit)
  • PSYCH 202
Note: The following courses (taken prior to Autumn 03) are also accepted.
  • BIOL 101-102 (currently BIOL 161-162)
  • BOT 113 (currently BIOL 117)
  • ZOOL 118 (currently BIOL 118)
  • 300- and 400-level courses in BOT and ZOOL (currently BIOL courses)
Written and Oral Communication: 13 credits [including HCDE 231 (formerly ENGR 231), Introduction to Technical Writing]:
To graduate, students must complete 13 credits from the courses below and maintain an average GPA of 3.0 or higher in these courses. (Note: Most students will already have met this graduation requirement before being admitted.)
  • One 5-credit Freshman Composition course: ENGL 110, 111, 121, 131, 182, 197, 198, 199, 281, CLIT 240
  • Introduction to Technical Writing: HCDE 231 (formerly ENGR 231) required
  • One Additional Writing course, either from the freshman composition list above or from the following list: ENGL 283, 284, 381, 383, 384, 481, 483, 484, 485, 486, B CMU 301, COM 220, 251, 270
VLPA and I&S: 30 credits of Visual, Literary, and Performing Arts (VLPA) and Individuals and Societies (I&S) required:
30 credits of VLPA and I&S are required, including a minimum of 10 credits of VLPA and a minimum of 10 credits of I&S. Also, students are required to take one Society and Technology course either as part of their approved electives or as part of the VLPA/I&S requirement. True?.
For more information about the VLPA/I&S requirement, check these sources:
  • For a list of all VLPA or I&S classes see the UW VLPA Course List or the UW I&S Course List . A useful tool which will produce a list of all *open* VLPA or I&S courses search the online UW Course Catalog .
  • Courses that count toward these requirements are also identified as VLPA or I&S in the quarterly Time Schedule and in the General Catalog .
Technical/Analytical: 12 credits of Technical/Analytical courses (with one programming or logic course) required
Students must complete at least 12 credits from the list of courses below. At least one of the courses must be CSE 142 or PHIL 120.
  • A A 101 Air and Space Vehicles (5)
  • AA 210 Engineering Statics (Prereq MATH 126, PHYS 121) (4)
  • CSE 142 Computer Programming for Engineers & Scientists I (4)
  • CSE 143 Computer Programming II (5)
  • CHEM E 260 Thermodynamics (Prereq MATH 126 and 100-level physics and chemistry courses) (4)
  • CIV E 220 Introduction to Mechanics of Materials (Prereq ENGR 210) (4)
  • EE 215 Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering (Prereq PHYS 122 and MATH 126) (4)
  • ENGR 100 Introduction to Design Engineering (5)
  • ENGR 101 Technology and Society (5)
  • IND E 250 Fundamentals of Engineering Economy (4)
  • IND E/AA 280 Introduction to System Engineering (Prereq CSE 142) (4)
  • IS 300 Management of Information Systems (5)
  • M E 123 Introduction to Visualization and Computer-Aided Design (4)
  • M E 230 Engineering Kinematics and Dynamics (Prereq ENGR 210) (4)
  • MSE 170 Fundamentals of Material Science (Prereq CHEM 150) (4)
  • PHIL 120 Introduction to Logic (5)
  • HCDE 496 - up to 4 credits of HCDE 496 may be used for this requirement
Free Electives: 5 credits
Any class may count toward free elective credits. You might choose to deepen your area of specialization further, pursue other interests, or improve your career prospects.
 
Starting spring quarter 2003, the 210 credit rule went into affect. Students whose total credits reach 210 will have a registration hold placed on their records for subsequent quarters, which may affect their ability to graduate. Please see your adviser before your registration reaches 210 credits.
 
For additional information about graduation requirements, contact the HCDE Adviser.