Technical Communication and Information Design (TCID), BA

The Bachelor of Arts in Technical Communication and Information Design (TCID) degree at UCCS is one of only a few stand-alone technical communication programs in the country and prepares students for the rapidly-growing, high-salary career fields of usability and user experience design, content strategy and management, technical writing, web creation, instructional design, editing, non-profit writing, and information design. TCID has user experience at its foundation and is dedicated to making complex information available and useful to users in an increasingly technological society.

TCID is also a “STEM adjacent” discipline, providing a path for students interested in a career in technology who prefer advanced preparation in writing, communication, information, management and human interaction to complement math and science.

General Information

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Technical Communication and Information Design requires the following:

A minimum of 42 credit hours of TCID course work and an additional 9 hours in a required Concentration Area. At least 36 of those hours must be upper division (courses numbered 3000 or higher).
A grade of C- or better in courses applied to the major.
A minimum 2.0 GPA must be maintained in all TCID course work.
No more than 60 credit hours of TCID course work may apply to the bachelor’s degree.

Additional course work is required to complete the Technical Communication and Information Design, BA degree. Please see the advising guide on the Academic Advising website for more information.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the TCID program will:
Write clearly and effectively for specific audience and purposes.
Assess and learn new technologies to meet communication goals.
Communicate fluently in multiple media formats.
Collaborate with others from diverse backgrounds.
Manage complex projects and ethically manage the work of others.
Conduct user research and communicate that research effectively to others.

Additional Programs

In addition to the BA, TCID offers an Accelerated BA to MBA program, two minors and two Course of Study certificates. Information can be found on these program pages:

The department also offers four Badges. More information on the Badges can be found in the department’s website.

Departmental Honors

Exceptional Students who earn a 3.75 GPA within the TCID program and an overall UCCS GPA of 3.5 will be eligible for departmental honors upon graduation.

Course Requirements

Core Courses (24 credit hours)

Complete all of the following courses.

Practice and Theory Courses (9 credit hours)

Complete nine credit hours from the following list:

Advanced Theory Courses (9 credit hours)

Complete 9 hours from the following (topics courses can be repeated with different topics):

Required Concentration Area (9 credit hours)

Complete nine credit hours in one of the following Concentration Areas:

Business Administration

Cybersecurity Management

Data Analytics

Design and Media

Non-Profit and Organizational Writing

TCID 3750 - Grant and Proposal Writing (required)
and 2 additional courses from:
COMM 3200 - Principles and Practice of Public Relations
ENGL 3010 - Advanced Rhetoric and Writing
ENGL 3020 - Topics in Advanced Rhetoric and Writing

Programming Foundations

Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP) Option

The TCID department and The College of Business have developed a unique opportunity for highly qualified undergraduate students to participate in the Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP) to earn the BA in TCID and the Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 5 years.

Up to 9 credit hours of graduate-level Business courses can be taken as an undergraduate and transferred to the MBA. These courses double count toward both the BA and the MBA, reducing the time required to complete the MBA. The program assumes that students will pursue the General MBA track. If an emphasis area is selected, The time needed to complete the Master’s degree may increase.

Students in the AMP track will complete the Business Administration Required Concentration Area, along with the following courses, as part of the BA. Students must be admitted to the MBA program before enrolling for STRT 6000 and the Core courses. Contact an Academic Advisor for more information and to submit an Intent Application for the AMP to MBA program. Information on the College of Business and the MBA can be found here: Business Administration, MBA