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Junior technical writer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a junior technical writer. Junior technical writers usually study english, writing, or journalism. 75% of junior technical writers hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 220 real junior technical writer resumes to see exactly what junior technical writer education sections show.

The most common colleges for junior technical writers are the University of Maryland - College Park and the University of Maryland - College Park.

There are also many online junior technical writer courses to help get the education required to be a junior technical writer.

What education do you need to become a junior technical writer?

What degree do you need to be a junior technical writer?

The most common degree for junior technical writers is bachelor's degree, with 75% of junior technical writers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 11% and master's degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 75%
  • Master's, 11%
  • Associate, 10%
  • High School Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a junior technical writer?

You should major in english to become a junior technical writer. 30% of junior technical writers major in english. Other common majors for a junior technical writer include writing and journalism.

Most common colleges for junior technical writers

Junior technical writers often get their degrees at University of Maryland - College Park, University of Houston, and Auburn University Main Campus. Here are the most common colleges for junior technical writers in the US based on their resumes.
Junior technical writer common collegePercentages
University of Maryland - College Park11.36%
University of Houston6.82%
Auburn University Main Campus6.82%
Northeastern University6.82%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro4.55%

Best majors for junior technical writers

RankMajorPercentages
1English29.5%
2Writing11.4%
3Journalism9.1%
4Communication7.6%
5Business4.5%

Best colleges for junior technical writers

The best colleges for junior technical writers are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Washington University in St Louis.

A junior technical writer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for junior technical writers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become junior technical writers.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

4. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

5. University of Houston

Houston, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$8,913

Enrollment

37,291

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

7. Clemson University

Clemson, SC • Private

In-state tuition

$15,374

Enrollment

19,564

8. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

20 best online courses for junior technical writers

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4. Learn API Technical Writing 2: REST for Writers

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API Documentation 2: Teaches technical writers how to document REST. No programming experience required...

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API Documentation 1: Teaches technical writers how to document structured data. No programming experience required...

6. Professional Technical Writing: Advance Your Writing Skills

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7. The New Trainer's Guide to Creating End User Documentation

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8. Technical Writing: Master Your Writing Career

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15. The Art of API Documentation

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API Documentation 3: Teaches technical writers how to write API overview material, tutorials, etc...

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17. Leadership: New Manager Training for Technical Professionals

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19. Technical Report Writing

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Top 10 most affordable universities for junior technical writers

The most affordable schools for junior technical writers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for junior technical writers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for junior technical writers.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

10. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for junior technical writers

The hardest universities for junior technical writers to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Washington University in St Louis.

Some great schools for junior technical writers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for junior technical writers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

5. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

10. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for junior technical writers

The easiest schools for junior technical writers to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, barry university, and kean university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a junior technical writer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for junior technical writers.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

6. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

7. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

8. Rochester University

Rochester Hills, MI • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,002

9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

10. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

Average junior technical writer salary by education level

According to our data, junior technical writers with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $74,087 annually. Junior technical writers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $73,729.
Junior technical writer education levelJunior technical writer salary
Master's Degree$73,729
Bachelor's Degree$74,087

Junior technical writer education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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