Scientific and Technical Communication

The Profession
Scientific and technical communicators work with physicians, engineers, scientists, researchers, and other experts to gather information about a product or service.  Then, they transform complex information into language that audiences can understand and use in brochures, web sites, online documentation, multimedia, or videos.

More Than Just Writing
Scientific and technical communicators do far more than write. In fact, some spend more than half their time gathering information, and for this reason, they must possess excellent interpersonal skills.  This is a major that is interdisciplinary and can take you down a variety of career paths. Possible job titles might be Training Specialist, Medical Writer, Medical Editor, Documentation Specialist, Communication Consultant, Marketing Writer, Website Designer, or Publications Specialist to name but a few. Look here for career information on Scientific and Technical Communication.

Job Market and Salary Exploring Options
According to the Society for Technical Communication's (STC) website, the 2007 Salary Survey reports that the mean salary for entry-level technical writers/editors in the United States was $59,370. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' "Occupation Outlook Handbook" (2008-09 Edition at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos089.htm) predicts that employment of writers and editors is expected to grow 10% over the next few years. Technical writing, blogging, and other writing for interactive media will provide opportunities for writers. Legal, scientific, and technological developments and discoveries generate demand for people to interpret technical information for a more general audience.

Learn More
The Scientific and Technical Communication major is located in the Department of Writing Studies in the College of Liberal Arts. To learn more about this major, contact us at writ@umn.edu or 612-624-3445.