What is TPC?

Technical and Professional Communication is the study of strategies and approaches for communicating technical and non-technical information with a variety of audiences, in a variety of modalities. TPC is a growing field in the U.S. and global labor markets and many high-tech and biomedical firms, as well as national laboratories, regularly employ technical communicators to work with their scientists and engineers on written and visual communication outputs as well as on UX (User-Experience) teams. Our program prepares students to enter these exciting career paths or to pursue TPC further at the MA- or Ph.D.-level.

TPC is a field based in rhetoric, in which you will use your skills in persuasive and clear creative communication, working in a variety of genres (including the writing of proposals and grants, instructions and standard operating procedures, reports, web copy, social media content, white papers, and more). For further information on the TPC programs, see this video:

Internship and Employment Placements

Our TPC students have secured internships at a variety of local Albuquerque businesses and non-profits, including Popejoy Hall, Albuquerque: The Magazine, UNM HSC Department or Orthopedics, Sandia National Laboratories, ABQ BioPark, and more. If you are interested in a TPC internship at the undergraduate or graduate level, review the details of our internship courses and reach out to the TPC Program Director or the course’s instructor.

Students who have completed our TPC programs have secured employment as technical communicators or UX professionals at a variety of companies and organizations, including Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratories, UNM Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, National Parks Service, and more.

Industry and Academic Advisory Team (IAAT)

Our Advisory Team is comprised of a group of individuals dedicated to the growth of our program and technical communication excellence in a variety of workplaces.  The IAAT meets once a year for our board meeting, but maintains a presence on campus throughout the year, serving in a mentoring capacity for current TPC students, attending TPC events, and speaking at our once-a-semester “Pizza with a Practitioner” lunches. To learn more about our IAAT, click here. 

Faculty Who Focus in TPC

Do you want to talk to some of our faculty about your interests in TPC –and theirs? The faculty members below have research and teaching profiles in TPC and would be happy to chat with you!

Director: Julianne Newmark, Assistant Professor

Stephen Benz, Associate Professor

Tiffany Bourelle, Professor