Direct MS in Technical Communication (MSTC), a well-established graduate masters’ program in profession writing, technical communication, and information development. Advise Technical Communication Association and SpeedCon Unconference
Administrative Responsibilities
Currently, I am directing the MS program in Technical Communication (MSTC) in the Department of English at NC State University. My responsibilities include, but not limited to advising students about course selections, professionalization activities, internships, and capstone projects; planning and providing professionalization workshops and events; working on corporate advisory board as well as networking and alumni events; developing partnership with international programs; and working with local employers and professional organizations, including the IBM PathFinder Mentoring program and STC Carolina chapter, to create and maintain valuable professional connections for future MSTC students and alumni.
Other ongoing projects include creating and maintaining an active social media presence for MSTC, working on the content strategy of the program, developing and updating curriculum with other MS faculty, co-advising our student organization Technical Communication Association, and helping coordinating our annual SpeedCon Unconference. We worked with Welinske & Associates to co-host the conference of WritersUA East for Content Pros in Fall 2018, which brought over 100 technical communication professionals from all over the country.
International Program Building: 3+2 Programs
In terms of international program building, I lead the efforts of developing 3+2 accelerated BA-to-MS programs with Chinese universities and we will welcome our inaugural group of students in fall 2019.
A little more about our MSTC community
MSTC is a vibrating community with outstanding students working on innovative projects related to technical communication, professional writing, information design, user experience, content strategy, and many other related areas. Our students have been enjoying a high placement rate and work for large companies such as IBM, RedHat, SAS, Cisco, and Lenovo as well as research institutes and universities.
Learn more about MSTC: External source
For prospective students, here is a report about an interview I had with Master’s in Communication.com, which covers a lot of typical questions for students interested in pursuing graduate study in technical communication. Please feel free to skim through and see if some of your questions are addressed there or if you want to learn more about some of the topics covered there.
Please feel free to contact me at hding at ncsu dot edu if you have any questions about our program.