TCID elevated from program to department status

The Technical Communication and Information Design (TCID) program recently became an official department of the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences (LAS), making it the only such department in the state of Colorado and one of a handful in the entire nation.

TCID was originally approved as a degree program by the Board of Regents in 2020, and its faculty, staff and others have worked tirelessly since to make the change to department.

“The process for changing from program to department was exciting and couldn’t have happened without the TCID faculty and their continued commitment to the vision of this program and the care for the students,” said Alex Ilyasova, Ph.D., TCID faculty and Interim Department Chair. “As we transition to department status, the benefits of this include being one of only a handful in the country to be stand-alone undergraduate departments in technical communication, which allows us to connect with and attract both students and industry partners in exciting ways!”

TCID focuses on the intersection between people and technology, preparing students for careers in a wide variety of disciplines like technical editing and writing, content management, information design, web creation, user experience and more. There are six specialization options in the department, and an accelerated TCID to MBA option was added in 2022.

Ilyasova noted how many on campus also helped make this change happen, with support coming from not only inside TCID but outside it as well through LAS faculty, college deans and campus units including advising, admissions, transfer and many more. She also touched on how this benefits current and future TCID students.

“Some of the exciting opportunities that come with this change are developing curriculum that is more quickly responsive to industry developments, working with other colleges to collaborate on how technical communication and design can compliment their students’ needs and pursuits, and working to create innovative pathways for our students to gain skills in a discipline that is present across many industries and provides opportunities for them to step into jobs and careers that will help shape their futures and our own as a technical communication and information design department,” said Ilyasova.

The newly-established status was celebrated with a ribbon cutting on Thursday, Oct. 26 that had TCID students and faculty in attendance, along with LAS Dean Lynn Vidler, Provost Nancy Marchand-Martella, Interim Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet and more.

“The elevation of this program to department status reflects the importance and independence of the research area and the value for students,” said Dean Vidler. “I am thrilled that the status of this academic discipline has been recognized.”

About the UCCS College of Letters, Arts & Sciences

The College of Letters, Arts & Sciences at UCCS is the university’s largest college, enrolling nearly 6,000 students across 21 departments and programs. The college offers 19 majors and 53 minors in the arts, humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. Students can also choose from five accelerated bachelor’s and master’s degrees, nine full master’s degrees and three Ph.D. degrees, as well as pre-medical and pre-law programs. The mission of the college is to position graduates for success in their personal and professional lives, with a focus on thinking, creating and communicating — skills vital to employers and graduate and professional schools. Learn more about the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences at UCCS.