Best Technical Writing Courses 2024 | Reviews and Pricing
Many writers and copywriters know what technical writing is, but not many have a grasp of the specifics. This can make technical writing an intimidating road to take in your career since you have no idea where to start.
But it can also be an extremely rewarding road to take exactly because not many writers dare to specialize in technical writing.
Whatever your goal, there is a technical writing course out there that can help you master both basic and advanced knowledge. In this article, we list the most widely recognized technical writing courses and share their details.
Let’s jump right in.
Top Technical Writing Courses to Try Right Now
As of now, there are hundreds of online courses/certificate programs designed for technical writers of all levels, both for science and business writing.
From starter courses that teach basic technical communication skills such as formatting, headings, research, etc. to advanced courses that can make you an ultimate technical communicator, there’s a program for everyone.
We reviewed a ton of platforms/stand-alone courses on technical writing. The following 9 made the list:
1. Technical Writing Certification Course by Technical Writing HQ
We rated Technical Writer HQ as having the #1 technical writing course. The course features educational information for top technical writing professionals who want to level up their technical writing careers. The Technical Writing Certification Course from Technical Writer HQ teaches you the foundation of the technical writer role and the technical writing skills you need to learn to accelerate your road to a full-time technical writer.
Here’s a recent testimonial from the course:
“I took Josh’s course, did the capstone project, and became certified in August. I’ve recently been offered a job as a Technical Writer for Amazon at $150k per year! I used my capstone project when they asked me for writing samples.” –Henry Fuse
The Technical Writing Certification Course covers everything from formatting documentation, documentation design, API writing, FAQ and release notes writing, white paper writing, and more. It’s the most up-to-date course on technical writing teaching everything from working with engineers and product managers to how to manage the document development lifecycle.
The course was designed by Josh Fechter who’s the founder of Squibler, writing and publishing software. He has been writing software tutorials, manuals, handbooks, and white papers for SaaS companies for over eight years. His technical writing skills have been noted in publications by LinkedIn and Facebook’s engineering team, Reuters, Inc., and Forbes.
To learn more visit Technical Writer HQ
How Much Does the Technical Writing Certification Course Cost?
The course includes self-paced learning, homework for every module, and extensive resources and video material. The One Week Technical Writing Course is affordable at the cost of $299.
Who Should Take the Technical Writing Certification Course?
This is a well-rounded course suitable both for beginners and experienced writers who already dipped their toes in professional business writing. Although the course does explain the fundamentals, it doesn’t linger on theory for too long and jumps right into practical lessons.
Furthermore, it’s a solid stepping stone for writers who aren’t sure if technical writing is their calling. Besides teaching you helpful skills, the course also demystifies many questions technical writers often have.
2. UX Writing Certification Course by Technical Writer HQ
The UX Writing Certification Course allows you to upskill your UX writing knowledge and skills and help you become an expert UX writer. This advanced online video offers you to master the art of drafting microcopies, principles of UX writing, learning to decide the content voice and tone, when to add humor to make your copy more engaging and user friendly.
With this advanced course, you not just learn the skills, but also develop a strong UX writing portfolio as you proceed with the course CLOs. On top of that, you also get to learn the content design skills and even the skills required to develop conversation chatbots that are mandatory for your UX writing career. Here’s what you’ll learn from this UX writer course:
- Audience analysis
- Information architecture in UX
- Content style guide
- Content design myths
- Content Design Process
- Collaboration in UX writing
- Creating UX writing portfolio
- Optimizing UX writer resume
- Adding humor to microcopies
- Tips to successfully answer UX writer interview questions and answers
This beginner friendly UX writing certification course is a perfect choice for you to master UX writing skills even if you’re a beginner, so you can progress and chase your UX writing career goals through an expert and professional approach.
After the completion of course contents, you’ll get a professional UX writing certificate that you can showcase to add more value to your UX writer resume. The 10+ capstone projects allows you to develop a practical portfolio, that you can showcase to attract UX writing jobs. So, don’t forget to check the additional course perks you get by enrolling to this advanced UX writing course
How Much Does the UX Writing Certification Certification Cost?
The detailed course contents are available for lifetime access for a one time payment of just $499.
Who Should Take the UX Writing Certification Course?
This advanced video course is a perfect choice for those who are curios to learn about UX writing and want to start their UX writing careers in this fast growing in-demand field.
If you have no prior experience or knowledge, and even if you don’t know where to start, and how to learn and become an expert in a short time frame, this UX writing course covers everything from A to Z required to become a professional user experience writer.
3. Society for Technical Communication (STC)
For decades, the STC has been at the forefront of technical communication around the world. It is a professional association for writers, editors, engineers, and managers alike that supports the advancement of technical communication.
The STC does that by arranging annual educational events, providing networking opportunities, and of course, offering online technical writing courses that are widely recognized.
Registration for the courses offered by the STC only lasts for a certain period of time. Every year, the association comes up with new sets of online programs for different areas of technical communication.
While there isn’t any active writing course left (at least for 2024), you can still request enrollment/registration in a past online course by contacting the STC’s Educational Webinars Manager, Deborah Krat (at [email protected]).
Here are a few past courses worth exploring:
- Basics of Technical in Industry – a course focused on teaching the fundamentals of good technical writing and its applications in the industry.
- Technical Editing Foundations – an online program designed for writers and managers who aspire to become technical editors.
- Advanced Technical Editing – an advanced course aimed at helping technical editors excel in their careers.
Note: If you’re currently a Professional Technical Communicator (CPTC), completing a course will give you 6 continuing education units (CEUs).
How Much Does the Society for Technical Communication Course Cost?
Since STC functions as a community, the price differs on your membership tier. With that in mind, a single course will cost you:
- $375 for STC Members
- $300.00 for STC Gold Members
- $295 for STC Student Members
- $595.00 for Non-Members
Who Should Take the Society for Technical Communication Course?
SOC courses are also suitable both for beginners and advanced technical writers. Since SOC’s course library consists of many different courses that do require some dedication, SOC is more for writers who are set on perfecting writing technical documentation.
The final element worth noting is that you need to log in for live sessions. Since all courses are in Easter Standard Time (EST), ensure that it matches your availability.
4. Coursera
When it comes to finding online professional courses to hone technical writing skills, Coursera is always a good place to start.
Currently, there are over 6,200 active courses for different disciplines.
The platform also has decent technical writing courses for professionals of all levels.
Here are some of the top-rated courses worth mentioning:
- Technical Writing – this is an intermediate-level course being offered by the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. It has a more targeted aim – helping the learner effectively communicate their findings from experimental or technical work.
- Skills for Engineering Leaders – this technical course is aimed at helping managers in an engineering department polish their skills to perform error-free communication. It is offered by Rice University.
- Communication Skills for Engineers (Specialization) – another course offered by Rice University, aimed at helping engineering leaders hone their communication skills.
You can explore more and narrow down your search with filters (such as duration, level, language, etc.) on Coursera’s official website.
How Much Does the Coursera Course Cost?
Coursera’s pricing model offers basic technical writing courses for free. What you might end up paying for are specializations that can cost you from $39 to $79 per month.
Who Should Take the Coursera Course?
Since courses are free, Coursera is perfect for writers who are still pondering on becoming technical writers. Since most of the courses don’t take too much time, it’s a perfect platform for checking if technical writing is what you’re looking for in your career.
If you end up finding yourself in the profession, you can invest further by paying for a specific specialization or certificate.
5. Udemy
Like Coursera, Udemy is another major provider of online courses for both working professionals and students pursuing academic degrees.
As of now, the platform has well over 150,000 courses and more than 35 million students enrolled in them.
Compared to Coursera, Udemy has far greater options when it comes to courses (with more than 100,000 people taking them).
The most popular programs include:
- Technical Writing: Master Your Career – this 5.5 hour-long, intermediate-level course is meant for existing technical writers who want to further sharpen their skills and write better. It costs $49.9.
- Professional Technical Writing: Advance Your Skills – this is a beginner-level course that will teach you how to draft professional-level technical documents. This technical course comes with a price tag of $199.9.
- Technical Writing: How to Write Software Documentation – if you want to learn how to create high-level technical documentation in GitHub, this course is for you. It is 8 hours long and costs $129.9.
- Business and Technical Immersion – the syllabus of this course leans a bit more towards financial and business writing. If you want to learn the art of persuasive written business communication, this course is perfect. It costs only $49.9.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are a lot of courses on Udemy that are worth exploring.
And the best part – all courses come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If at any point you feel that the course wasn’t what you were looking for, you can always ask for a refund.
How Much Does the Udemy Course Cost?
Udemy’s technical writing courses are affordable for two main reasons. A significant chunk of courses cost $11.99, with a couple of exceptions that break the $100 price. Secondly, if you’re not in a hurry, you can bookmark courses that you like and wait since almost all programs offer discounts at one point.
Who Should Take the Udemy Course?
Similar to Coursera, if you don’t have much money to spare or you’re not sure if writing scientific and product papers is for you, Udemy is a great place to start. Check currently available programs and figure out if it is something you want to do in life.
Technical writers who do have experience under their belt, might not find the courses as useful, but you can still obtain knowledge that will further cement your skills.
6. Learning Tree International’s “Introduction to Technical Training”
Learning Tree is a massive online learning platform that is helping thousands of professionals and organizations adapt to the latest technology.
Unlike the previously-mentioned platforms, Learning Tree doesn’t have a lot of courses on technical writing. The only one worth exploring is its introductory training course that covers all the basics of the technical writing process.
If you’re a total beginner who would like to learn about planning, drafting, document design, and assessment of the needs of the end-users, this course is a decent option.
This 4-day training course will help you learn how to:
- Draft top-level technical documents, such as instruction manuals, white papers, business reports, etc.
- Leverage visuals to augment your technical content
- Better understand the requirements of your target audience
- Collect your thoughts and structure your sentences so that they’re easy to comprehend
It can also be tailored to a team of professionals as part of an in-house training program.
How Much Does the Learning Tree International’s “Introduction to Technical Training” Course Cost?
As of now, the training costs $2,990 (or $2,659 for Government employees) and has designated time slots.
Who Should Take the Learning Tree International’s “Introduction to Technical Training” Course?
Although it takes only four days, the course will be quite a financial investment for most people. If you want an introduction to technical writing and you’re not worried about pricing, it is a great way to get a quick introduction without sacrificing quality for time.
But if money is an issue, there are other courses more suitable for you.
7. TechWriter Certification
TechWriter-Certification is a learning platform with accredited courses designed only for technical communication.
These courses are taught by industry experts who have been in the field of technology for decades. The online courses are targeted towards writers, corporate employees, project management consultants, and even military and government personnel.
A few of the courses being offered by this platform include:
- Basics in Technical Writing – as the name suggests, this 90-hour course has been designed for beginners. It will help you learn necessary technical communication skills, analyze audiences, use graphics in your content, and much more.
- Certificate in Technical for Current Technical Writers, Editors, and Designers – this program is meant to help existing professionals further improve their technical writing/communication skills.
- Writers at Work Program – This program consists of multiple courses that will help you improve your grammar, present technical information in a more concise way, tweak your tone according to the audience, and much more.
There are a few other courses available that are definitely worth considering. You can check out the full list of courses on this page.
How Much Does the TechWriter Course Cost?
TechWriter doesn’t specifically list the cost of their courses. But do keep in mind that in the case of extending your enrolment, you‘ll pay $149 for a single month, $179 for two months, and $199 for three months.
Who Should Take the TechWriter Course?
Due to the way TechWriter courses are organized, they aren’t perfect for writers who are in a hurry. Each course provides a comprehensive dive into technical writing and if you don’t feel like you can dedicate the time, it’s better to skip.
But if you’re serious about technical writing, TechWriter courses are a great way to get the required knowledge without having to skip from one online platform to another.
8. University of Wisconsin Eau Claire
The UW-Eau Claire offers a lot of continuing education online programs to help people from different professions maintain their education and attain further professional development.
As of now, the institution has 14 different courses on technical writing, all of which you can pursue and complete at your own schedule.
Some of the most useful courses being offered by UW-Eau Claire include:
- Basic Certificate in Technical – this course will help you develop a strong foundation for professional communication. More specifically, it will help you create impeccable technical documents, analyze audiences, create better layouts, and more.
- Intermediate Technical Writing – this program includes online coursework that will hone your technical writing, audience analysis, and document design skills.
- Advanced Certificate in Technical – aimed at established professionals, this course will help you further polish your technical writing skills.
You can check out the complete list of online certifications and classes offered by the UW-Eau Claire on their official website.
How Much Does the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire Course Cost?
Most of the courses (including basic and advanced) cost $335, while certifications in technical writing will cost you $975.
Who Should Take the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire Course?
Due to a great number of choices, courses offered by Wisconsin Eau Claire are great for technical writers of all levels. Are you a beginner looking to start? You can take the introductory course. If you’re an experienced technical writer looking to improve, there’s a course for you as well.
But similar to Learning Tree International, it might not be worth your time if you’re not 100% sure due to its pricing.
9. Emphasis’ Technical Writing Course
Emphasis offers tailored courses on and professional consultancy to enterprises.
The organization specializes in professional communication and business training.
Their one-of-a-kind technical program is aimed at helping in-house teams develop or sharpen their skillsets.
What makes this course special is the fact that it can be tailored to meet your specific learning requirements.
Emphasis does that through its pre-course analysis that determines the specific areas the learner(s) need to focus on.
Furthermore, the course can be scheduled at any time you like (as well as completed at your own pace). However, it typically takes just 1 day to finish it.
Like everything else, the course doesn’t have a fixed price tag. The pricing depends on a bunch of different factors.
How Much Does the Technical Course by Emphasis Cost?
For individual course takers, the cost is $681 plus additional tax. If you want to take a course as a team the price ranges from $327 to $412 plus tax per team member.
Who Should Take the Technical Course by Emphasis?
First and foremost, Emphasis is a great learning platform for teams. Members will get much more worth from Emphasis since they will learn together rather than individually.
Although it’s perfectly fine to take the course as an individual as well, the real value lies in building technical writing skills as a team.
10. Communicaid’s Technical Writing Course
Like Emphasis, Communicaid is a learning platform that helps businesses make their teams better at communication.
They have a wide selection of training programs, designed for professionals of all levels.
Their technical course – designed for scientists, engineers, and existing writers – will show you the ropes of:
- Understanding the needs of your audience
- Planning out your technical documents
- The principles and tools that you can use to distill technical information into easy-to-understand content
- Using visuals/graphics to complement your copy
All in all, it’s a decent starter course that covers just about everything.
Another great thing about this course is that it’s available worldwide. You can also attend them at one of Communicaid’s training centers located in New York, Frankfurt, London, Brussels, and Paris.
They haven’t disclosed a fixed price for this training program. To get a quote, fill out the form on the main landing page with your personal details and specific learning requirements.
How Much Does the Communicaid’s Technical Writing Course Cost?
Communicaid doesn’t have its course pricing public, so you need to get in touch to get the information.
Who Should Take the Communicaid’s Technical Writing Course?
Communicaid’s technical writing course is great not only for writers but also for engineers and scientists who need to write technical reports. It’s a well-rounded mix of basic and advanced knowledge, but it might not be the perfect choice if you don’t have at least some experience, either as a writer or as an engineer in your specific industry.
How to Choose a Technical Writing Course?
With so many technical writing courses/programs/classes – most of which have very similar goals and contents – it can be difficult to pick one that’s perfect for you.
While we’re not going to pass any solid verdict about which course is the best, we can advise you on how to make up your mind.
When evaluating your options, consider:
- Experience Level – before anything else, have an honest look at your current competency. There are many different courses for professionals with different experience levels.
- Budget – some courses are just too expensive for one person, despite having the same content. Before paying, see if the course is worth the price tag (you can also talk to your employer to sponsor your continued education).
- Flexibility – some courses/classes are only offered in certain months, while others are open throughout the year. If you want to complete a course right away, a more flexible course might be better for you.
Consider all of the aforementioned factors, get the opinions of your peers and/or mentors, and look up reviews of the instructor(s) offering the courses before you make a decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most common questions that people ask about technical writing courses.
Is technical writing a good career?
Every company needs to communicate its product’s value, both to customers and across teams. The larger a company is, the harder it is to maintain clear communication between different teams, making a technical writer a valuable asset both for internal and external communication. Technical writers work in different fields, so the more you specialize, the better your chances get.
What are the qualifications to be a technical writer?
A technical writer needs a bachelor’s degree or certification in technical writing, communications, or a related field. It’s favorable to have some experience, at least as a copywriter inside a preferably SaaS company.
How do I learn technical writing?
There are multiple ways to learn technical writing and the most common ones are online or university technical writing courses. A course such as Technical Writer HQ’s certification course is a great way to master the basics of the craft.
Are technical writing courses worth it?
A technical writing course is the best way to start your technical writing career. Since you need to start somewhere, it’s better to start with a quality lesson, than going head first into real work and getting discouraged along the way. But ensure you pick the course that works best for you. Usually, a course that offers the basics is a great way to assess if technical writing is for you or not.
