Technical and Scientific Communication

Types of Degrees Technical and Scientific Communication Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many technical & scientific communication graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	60
Master’s Degree	54
Graduate Certificate	46
Basic Certificate	6
Doctor’s Degree	1

What Technical and Scientific Communication Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to technical and scientific communication and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Technical and Scientific Communication Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

Skills for Technical and Scientific Communication Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to technical and scientific communication:

• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Technical and Scientific Communication Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a technical and scientific communication student include the following:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Technical and Scientific Communication Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with technical and scientific communication:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Communications Professors	10.0%	$68,910
Technical Writers	10.9%	$71,850

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Technical and Scientific Communication?

This major is dominated by women with about 57% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of technical and scientific communication majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	2
Black or African American	8
Hispanic or Latino	7
White	35
International Students	1
Other Races/Ethnicities	7

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Technical and Scientific Communication. About 1.7% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Technical and Scientific Communication

Some careers associated with technical and scientific communication require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to technical and scientific communication have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	2.5%
Some College Courses	5.8%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	12.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	37.7%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	1.3%
Master’s Degree	30.1%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.7%
Doctoral Degree	5.9%
Post-Doctoral Training	3.4%

Online Technical and Scientific Communication Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	1	0
Bachelor’s Degree	12	3
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	9	2
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Technical and Scientific Communication

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to technical and scientific communication.

Major	Number of Grads
Public Relations	4,566
Advertising	4,315
Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication	4,239
Communication Management and Strategic Communications	2,031
General Organizational Communication	1,835
Other Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication	1,470
Sports Communication	1,161
Health Communication	416
International & Intercultural Communication	245
Political Communication	221

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Bill Koplitz under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.