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Advanced Graduate Certificate in Science Communication

Build trust and inspire understanding

Science is more than data, and sharing it is more than reciting information.

Start your scientific career ready to engage others, and prepared to inspire trust in your role as a scientist and in the impact of your work.

This program is offered by the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science through the Stony Brook School of Communication and Journalism. 

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Application Materials

CV or Resume

Personal Statement (500 words)

Permission to Enroll in Secondary Certificate form

 

This program is designed for students who are enrolled, or will be enrolled, in a Stony Brook graduate program. 

It cannot be completed as a stand-alone credential.

If you are interested only in a science communication program, check out our MS in Science Communication.

Deadlines

SBU graduate students must declare a secondary certificate no later than the semester before they plan to graduate. Check the Graduate Bulletin for more information.

Fall Admission

March 1

Spring Admission

October 1

Explore the 12-Credit Program

Designed to complement graduate work at Stony Brook in STEM or health

combine your subject-matter knowledge with evidence-based communication strategies 

Explore Degree Requirements Checklist

Foster effective science communication

Scientific discoveries mean nothing if they are not shared. Effective communication requires trust, mutual understanding, and dynamic two-way connections in which audience members help build meaning and find ways to engage with new or complex information.

In this program, you will learn to:

  • Share scientific discoveries and information in ways that resonate with diverse audiences
  • Design audience-centered messaging for face-to-face or mediated interactions
  • Support diversity and inclusion through communication

You'll get to work with an interdisciplinary team of faculty researchers and practitioners to explore the science of effective communication and hone your skills through hands-on experiences.

Most of the program may be completed online. You will spend one weekend on campus as part of the program.

Course Offerings

Most students complete the program in two years. It can be completed in one.

Required Courses 

6 credits

Communicating your Science - COM 565

Project Work in Science Communication - COM 599

Electives

6 credits

Communicating Science to Decision-Makers - COM 522

Building and Assessing Communication Strategies - COM 526

Communicating your Science using Digital Media - COM 534

Principles of Inclusive Engagement - JRN 583

Communicating Science and Health Risks to the Public - COM 585

Environmental Communication - COM 605

Data Analysis and Storytelling - COM 615