The Technical Communication and Rhetoric (TCR) PhD program at USU prepares students to work as researchers and teachers at colleges and universities. In this program you will take courses in rhetorical theory, cultural and empirical research methods, online pedagogy, and more. Our PhD students have the freedom to conduct research on topics that matter to them, such as climate change communication, professional communication in the Global South, and accessible document design for people with disabilities.
Please reach out to the director of graduate studies, Dr. Jared Colton (he/him/his), at englishgrad@usu.edu for specific programmatic questions.
Most graduates of the Technical Communication and Rhetoric PhD program go on to work as university professors. Our PhD program is known for addressing issues of social justice, community engagement, diversity, and service learning— education that prepares our students to be competitive in the academic job market. For examples, recent graduates have accepted tenure-track jobs at Virginia Tech, Texas State, Boise State University, and Montana State University.
Associate Professor Avery Edenfield, along with Emmalee Fishburn (Office of Equity) and Felicia Gallegos (SAAVI), recently published an article that won a gold medal in the 2022-2023 NASPA Excellence Awards.
Multiple department faculty attended The Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCCs) on February 15-18, 2023 in Chicago, IL.
In December of 2022, Assistant Professor Chen Chen and Director of Composition Beth Buyserie, as well as PhD student Hannah Stevens, were published in a special issue of The Journal of Multimodal Rhetorics on carework and writing during COVID.
Director of Graduate Studies (he/him/his)
(435) 797-8412
Logan (RWST 213)
jared.colton@usu.edu
