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Communication, Liberal Arts, and Social Science

About

Welcome to the Department of Communication, Liberal Arts, and Social Sciences!

The Department of Communication, Liberal Arts, and Social Sciences (CLASS) houses a broad array of fields across the humanities and social sciences, including English, literature, creative writing, film, art history, science and technology studies, American and European history, philosophy and ethics, music, foreign languages, and technical communication. In addition to satisfying Areas 1, 4, 5, and 6 in the New Mexico General Education core curriculum, our courses enrich the world-class STEM education that students receive at New Mexico Tech and provide students with a broad background in culture, language, and the arts.

The CLASS Department offers three undergraduate degree programs. Launched in 1983, our Bachelor of Science in Technical Communication is a robust and competitive program that prepares graduates to work alongside scientists and engineers in research and in industry. Graduates of this program have gone on to work as technical editors and writers, web designers, social media and marketing specialists, and grant writers and have secured employment at Sandia National Laboratories, Raytheon Mobile Missile Range, Cray Computers, Walt Disney, and many other great places.

We also offer a Bachelor of General Studies, an Associate of General Studies, and seven minors. In addition, we offer graduate-level communication and humanities courses and a Graduate Certificate in Scientific and Professional Communication that benefits both industry professionals looking to enhance their communication skills and current graduate student looking to supplement their STEM education.

In addition to our focus on academics and scholarship in humanities and social sciences, our Department offers numerous resources for the campus
and Socorro community. For current NMT students (both undergraduate and graduate), we run a Writing and Communication Lab that offers consultation sessions on written and oral communication. We partner with departments and student services across campus on events throughout the year, such as our annual International Student Green Chile Roast every fall and the International Women’s Day celebration in the spring. Our music program offers a rich array of classes and performances for musicians and music lovers of all ages. And we have forged service learning partnerships between our classes and community organizations such as Puerto Seguro (the local homeless day shelter), the Cottonwood Charter School, and many more.

The CLASS department wants to be a resource for both the campus and the Socorro community. Please feel free to contact me with any questions about our offerings or services.

Steve Simpson
Chair, CLASS Department

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Us

NAME TITLE PHONE DEPARTMENT LOCATION EMAIL

Liza Apache

Department Administrator 575-835-5445 CLASS Fitch 103 liza.apache@nmt.edu

Dr. Taylor Dotson

Department Chair N/A CLASS Fitch 102 taylor.dotson@nmt.edu

Dr. Nicholas Kelly &

Dr. Steve Simpson

Writing and Communication Lab Directors N/A  CLASS  Fitch 202  nicholas.kelly@nmt.edu steve.simpson@nmt.edu

Dr. Elisabeth Kramer-Simpson

Technical Communication Program Director  575-835-6056  CLASS  Fitch 114  elisabeth.kramer-simpson@nmt.edu