Post job

Technical writing consultant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a technical writing consultant. Technical writing consultants usually study english, writing, or communication. 74% of technical writing consultants hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 546 real technical writing consultant resumes to see exactly what technical writing consultant education sections show.

The most common colleges for technical writing consultants are the Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and the Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

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

What education do you need to become a technical writing consultant?

What degree do you need to be a technical writing consultant?

The most common degree for technical writing consultants is bachelor's degree, with 74% of technical writing consultants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 13% and master's degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 74%
  • Master's, 13%
  • Associate, 7%
  • Doctorate, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a technical writing consultant?

You should major in english to become a technical writing consultant. 24% of technical writing consultants major in english. Other common majors for a technical writing consultant include writing and communication.

Most common colleges for technical writing consultants

Technical writing consultants often get their degrees at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, George Washington University, The, and University of Central Florida. Here are the most common colleges for technical writing consultants in the US based on their resumes.
Technical writing consultant common collegePercentages
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey10.45%
George Washington University, The8.96%
University of Central Florida7.46%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro7.46%
University of California, Santa Barbara7.46%

Best majors for technical writing consultants

RankMajorPercentages
1English24.0%
2Writing14.2%
3Communication8.8%
4Business7.8%
5Biology3.4%

Best colleges for technical writing consultants

The best colleges for technical writing consultants are Northwestern University, Washington University in St Louis, and Northeastern University.

A technical writing consultant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for technical writing consultants. 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 technical writing consultants.

1. University of Houston

Houston, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$8,913

Enrollment

37,291

2. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

3. Texas State University

San Marcos, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,280

Enrollment

34,187

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

6. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

8. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,853

Enrollment

14,759

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

10. Emerson College

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$46,852

Enrollment

3,817

20 best online courses for technical writing consultants

Advertising disclosure

1. Introduction to Technical Support

coursera

Technical Support professionals are in great demand! This is the first course in the IBM IT Support Professional Certificate program, designed to prepare you for a rewarding career in technical support. You will begin this self-paced course by learning what Informational Technology (IT) support is all about. You'll find out the roles and responsibilities of Technical Support professionals and become familiar with all the different career paths you can take in Technical Support. You will also...

2. Business Writing & Technical Writing Immersion

udemy
4.5
(5,722)

Effective Writing Technical Documentation Writing System Software Documentation Emails PPTs...

3. Technical Writing: How to Write Software Documentation

udemy
4.4
(1,983)

Learn a proven strategy for writing software docu in Git Hub wiki based on the 12 main principles of technical writing!...

4. Professional Technical Writing: Advance Your Writing Skills

udemy
4.6
(750)

Create your first technical document by applying the principles and techniques of technical writing taught by Pro Writer...

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

udemy
4.5
(510)

Learn quick, easy and practical technical writing skills to write great end user software documentation - FAST...

6. Technical Writing: Master Your Writing Career

udemy
4.5
(1,007)

Technical Writing: How to Become a Profitable, Reliable, and Successful Technical Writer...

7. Technical Writing: How to Write API Software Documentation

udemy
4.4
(685)

A framework for writing software documentation for an API as a technical writer, using Postman or Swagger UI...

8. Introduction To Technical Writing

udemy
4.6
(274)

How To Write Proper Documentation...

9. Technical Writing: How to Write Using DITA XML

udemy
4.5
(742)

How to Become a Modern and Successful Technical Writer Using DITA XML...

10. Practical Project Management for Management Consultants

udemy
4.5
(809)

How to manage successfully a consulting project - a practical guide for Project Managers...

11. IT Support Technical Skills Bootcamp

udemy
4.5
(1,653)

Hands-on Technical skills for IT Support Professionals...

12. Learn API Technical Writing 2: REST for Writers

udemy
4.6
(2,877)

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

13. Technical Program Management

udemy
4.5
(3,910)

This is a course designed for individuals looking to learn about the Technical Program Management (TPM) discipline...

14. Leadership: New Manager Training for Technical Professionals

udemy
4.2
(766)

Learn to establish yourself as a manager and lead your technical team to success. We are PDU Accredited...

15. Technical Report Writing

udemy
4.3
(1,173)

An interactive course that focuses on practical skills. Taught by a leading Psychologist, University Lecturer & Author...

16. Management Consulting Essential Training

udemy
4.5
(2,515)

Everything you need to know about the techniques of world's top management consulting firms to land 6-figure job offer...

17. User Story Bootcamp: Be an Expert In Managing User Stories

udemy
4.5
(434)

A Practical Step-by-Step Guide To User Story Writing, Splitting, Mapping, Prioritizing & Delivering For Agile Teams...

18. Oracle E-Business Suite (R12.1.3) Technical RICEW

udemy
4.4
(666)

E-Business Suite Technical RICEW...

19. How to write technical IT requirements to get what you need

udemy
4.3
(302)

Learn what to write in your requirements document, how to structure it, in what format, what tools you can use...

20. Learn API Technical Writing: JSON and XML for Writers

udemy
4.5
(10,540)

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

Top 10 most affordable universities for technical writing consultants

The most affordable schools for technical writing consultants are University of Florida, brigham young university, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for technical writing consultants 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 technical writing consultants.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

6. Metropolitan State University

Saint Paul, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$7,879

Cost of attendance

21,223

7. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,796

Cost of attendance

24,514

8. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

9. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Cost of attendance

24,718

10. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for technical writing consultants

The hardest universities for technical writing consultants to get into are Northwestern University, Washington University in St Louis, and Northeastern University.

Some great schools for technical writing consultants 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 technical writing consultants 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. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

3. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

51%

SAT average

1,395

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

8. Clemson University

Clemson, SC • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,337

9. Pepperdine University

Malibu, CA • Private

Admissions rate

36%

SAT average

1,330

10. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

Admissions rate

50%

SAT average

1,284

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for technical writing consultants

The easiest schools for technical writing consultants to get into are Saint Joseph's College of Maine, notre dame de namur university, and kean university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a technical writing consultant 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 technical writing consultants.

1. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

4. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

7. Rochester University

Rochester Hills, MI • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,002

8. Notre Dame of Maryland University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,069

9. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

10. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

Average technical writing consultant salary by education level

According to our data, technical writing consultants with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $86,582 annually. Technical writing consultants with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $86,059.
Technical writing consultant education levelTechnical writing consultant salary
Master's Degree$86,059
Bachelor's Degree$86,582

Technical writing consultant education FAQs

Search for technical writing consultant jobs

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.

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs