When you master effective communication, you can effectively advocate for good science
and help others to engage with the discoveries that can make life better for all of
us.
With an M.S. in Science Communication from Stony Brook, you will be ready to help
bring science out of labs and libraries and into the world.
Designed for researchers, engineers, technologists, mathematicians, and others with
backgrounds in science, the science communication program empowers experts to combine
their deep subject-matter knowledge with effective communication practices to join
a growing and in-demand field.
Stop by our virtual office hours on Tuesdays at 5 pm and Wednesdays at 4 pm to speak
with a representative from the School of Communication and Journalism. Ask questions
and learn about graduate program opportunities at the School.
Clear communication can democratize discoveries and understanding of complex technical
information and research.
Gaining a deep understanding of science takes years of study. Years that many people
don't have.
With a master’s degree in Science Communication from SBU, you will be uniquely able
to engage others and make research relevant to their lives and decisions. You will
do more than share information. You will learn to accurately and ethically help others
connect information to their lives in meaningful and significant ways.
This innovative program is offered jointly by the School of Communication and Journalism
and the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, one of the nation’s leading science
communication organizations. It is informed by the science of science communication
and the Alda Center’s unique training techniques that emphasize creativity, responsiveness,
and authentic interpersonal connections.
YOUR STUDENT EXPERIENCE
Join a vital, growing field.
As a science communication professional, you will help to connect ground-breaking
research with the public interest, including policy, media, and culture, through effective,
accurate, and ethical communication.
Connecting science to public policy, media and culture.
As a graduate student, you will work with some of the nation’s leading science communication
experts, and engage in deep and meaningful ways with this growing field through theory,
research, and hands-on professional projects.
Over the course of the master’s program, you will learn to create and assess audience-specific,
research-based communication strategies; design platform-specific messages; and support
diversity and inclusion through communication and information-sharing.
Your student experience begins with an exposure to the Alda Method, a unique approach
to science communication that blends improvisational theater techniques with message-design
strategies to emphasize powerful communication and empathic listening. The Alda Method
has introduced thousands of scientists to powerful, effective communication strategies.
1. Identify three people to provide your reference letters, and make sure they submit
them on time.
2. Submit your GRE and TOEFL scores. GRE scores are optional for this program.
3. Submit your transcripts.
Admissions Requirements
Applicants must submit the following with their Stony Brook graduate application:
A personal statement
In a polished essay of no longer than 750 words, applicants should describe why science
communication is important to them; their reasons for applying to the M.S. in Science
Communication at Stony Brook; and why they chose their communication samples (see
below for more information).
Three letters of recommendation
The graduate committee is interested in hearing from three different recommenders
who can comment on the applicant's academic strengths, communication skills (including
oral, written, and multimedia if applicable), and their potential for success in this
graduate form.
CV or resume
Transcripts
Applicants must have a degree in science, social science, technology, engineering,
math, or a health-related field, with a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average.
Test scores
GRE scores are optional. International applicants must submit their TOEFL scores.
Two samples of communication
Applicants may choose to submit two forms of professional/academic writing
or 1 example of professional/academic writing and one creative work.
Examples of professional/academic writing include, but are not limited to, a class
paper, publication or news piece. Creative works include, but are not limited to,
professional blog posts, video recordings or social media posts. Examples of science
communication are preferred, but not required. Applicants may also submit a professional
interview, for example to a media outlet, that they gave as an additional (third)
sample.
If the sample is more than 4,000 words or longer than 3 minutes, please submit an
excerpt. Applicants should briefly explain why they chose the samples they chose in
their personal statement.
Explore Courses
Required Courses
To best understand human communication, we must be able to ask meaningful questions
and conduct research to find reliable and valid answers to those questions. The ability
to engage in the research process, analyze data, and evaluate credibility of published
research findings is vital in any career path. This course builds on your prior research
experience in a scientific field and takes a social scientific approach to communication
research to prepare you to successfully conduct research at the graduate level. As
part of this course you will identify and delve more deeply into a content area within
the science of science communication field to build greater knowledge about how specific
areas of science communication are interpreted, measured, and disseminated. You will
read communication journals, conduct theory-driven research, and use numerical and
statistical analysis using SPSS, and be introduced to various quantitative and qualitative
data collection and analysis procedures. We will learn about traditional and non-traditional
data collection methods, tools for analysis, and current research trends.
3 credits
A comprehensive overview of strategic communication focused on advancing effective
communication about science, technology, engineering, and math in diverse types of
institutional settings. Participants learn to build and assess strategic communication
campaigns based on 21
st century communication practices. Grounded in ethics and the concept of principled
public relations, participants will learn core skills and practices that enable them
to work as effective practitioners of science communication in an era of misinformation
and information overload. Because project management is critical to advancing successful
strategic communication efforts, participants will also learn about and hone their
skills in project management through the design and implementation of a targeted communication
plan.
3 credits
This course is for graduate students in science, biomedical, engineering, and health
disciplines who want to communicate effectively with multiple audiences, from peers
and professors to potential employers, policymakers and the lay public. Students will
focus on speaking about science clearly and vividly in ways that can engage varied
audiences, especially those outside their own field. The class will include instruction
and practice in jargon, explaining meaning and context, using storytelling techniques,
and using multimedia elements. The class will include improvisational theater exercises
that help speakers pay close and dynamic attention to others, reading nonverbal cues,
and responding freely without self-consciousness. As a culminating activity, students
will develop and deliver an engaging short oral presentation on a scientific topic.
3 credits
An online course that will provide the student a model by which they can analyze,
understand, and act upon the law and ethical considerations that science communicators,
journalists, mass media professionals and consumers face in the 21
st century. The class will use case studies, the Society of Professional Journalists
Code of Ethics, the First Amendment Handbook from the Reporters Committee for Freedom
of the Press, and current newsworthy stories to build an analytical model.
3 credits
3 credits
The culminating experience for students in the M.S. in Science Communication. Participants
will plan, design, and complete a research-based, engaged science communication project
of professional caliber. The project should reflect what participants have cumulatively
learned in program and respond to the needs of an organization, community, or stakeholder.
Participants may work individually or in teams. Each project will have written, visual,
and/or interactive components.
3 credits
Elective Courses
In any age when scientific, medical and environmental issues often make news, this
course is designed to familiarize students with how the U.S. news media work. Students
will learn how the industry is organized, and why it is undergoing fundamental change;
how decisions are made about which stories to cover and how prominently to cover them;
how the press weighs such values as freedom, privacy and national security; how the
press attempts to deal with issues of scientific uncertainty and conflicting information.
In exploring the culture and practices of American journalism, the course will focus
on recent coverage of science, health and environmental developments. This course
is intended for graduate students in health and science who seek a better understanding
of the media context in which they will work.
3 credits
This course, for students without a journalism background, aims to help students master
the basic elements of reporting and writing news and feature stories that are clear,
accurate and fair. Students will gain practical experience through reporting on campus
and community events, with frequent writing and rewriting assignments. Coverage will
begin with breaking news reports, such as coverage of speeches or crimes, and move
on to news features, profiles and in-depth news stories. Students will learn the basic
skills of journalism, such as developing story ideas; finding, assessing and interviewing
sources; researching topics; identifying the important elements in a story; explaining
information clearly, concisely and fairly.
3 credits
An examination of public perceptions of science and the influence of major works of
literature have had on the accuracy of those perceptions, 1920s to present. We explore
what happens when newly established science-based knowledge passes through different
channels of communication, especially mainstream media. While readings and lectures
will focus largely on the biological sciences, students will be challenged to apply
the lessons learned to other areas of science.
3 credits
3 credits
3 credits
A comprehensive overview of strategic communication focused on advancing effective
communication about science, technology, engineering, and math in diverse types of
institutional settings. Participants learn to build and assess strategic communication
campaigns based on 21
st century communication practices. Grounded in ethics and the concept of principled
public relations, participants will learn core skills and practices that enable them
to work as effective practitioners of science communication in an era of misinformation
and information overload. Because project management is critical to advancing successful
strategic communication efforts, participants will also learn about and hone their
skills in project management through the design and implementation of a targeted communication
plan.
3 credits
An overview for professionals and graduate students in the sciences designed to help
them to engage effectively and responsively with journalists across media platforms:
print, radio and TV. Students will explore how journalism delivers scientific news
and information to broad audiences and learn how to work with and help journalists
develop accurate and purposeful stories. To make the lessons experiential, students
will respond to journalistic requests for interviews and information (oral and written)
in mock interactions with real print, radio and television journalists.
3 credits
Students will be exposed to selected current issues in health, science, environment
and technology, providing the context reporters need to provide sophisticated coverage.
The course will be built around a series of visits by scientists and medical professionals
who will discuss topics in which they are expert. Students will prepare for these
encounters, question the experts, participate in the discussions, and produce journalistic
reports. Topic areas will vary but may include climate change, energy research, food
and drug safety, stem cell research, racial and economic disparities, health care
funding, ocean pollution, computer privacy, nanotechnology, and space exploration.
3 credits
Science and health information increasingly travels by digital media, as new ways
emerge for scientists to communicate directly with the public, without the intermediaries
of press or public relations. In this online course, students will learn how to be
a more effective and engaged online communicator, so that their science can reach
a greater audience in more meaningful ways. Students will also learn about the great
potential and perils of social media, as they learn to think critically about the
broader issues surrounding this medium. This course gives students a practical and
hands-on approach to teach them how to use digital "tools of the trade" such as blogs,
video, audio/podcasts, and social media platforms to foster two-way communication
with different segments of the public including colleagues in other disciplines. Using
improvisational techniques combined with message design strategies for structuring
content, students will create, practice and hone their science communication skills
through this dynamics and interactive online course.
3 credits
Exploration of timely and contemporary issues in science communication. May be repeated
as the topic changes.
3 credits
Students will combine their journalistic skills in reporting, writing and producing
with advanced multimedia techniques to create an online "micro-site" devoted to one
major story, combining text with video, photos, blogs and interactive features. This
course builds on skills acquired in JRN 520 and 580. Significant computer use will
be required outside of class time.
3 credits
An exploration of risk communication theories and strategies, and their application
to effective communication in science, environmental, and public health settings.
The processes and effects of persuasive communication as they relate to message framing
are also explored. Students learn how to use effective communication to advance individual
and community-level decision-making about science and public health issues. Specifically,
risk communication through interpersonal, organizational, and mediated channels will
be explored, with particular attention paid to message features that are believed
to generate predictable effects. Students will learn how communication impacts the
public's experience of risk, and will practice designing and delivering culturally
competent messages about potential health and environmental hazards. This course is
highly experiential and provides students opportunities to practice delivering a variety
of risk messages and receive peer and expert feedback in the protected environment
of the classroom.
3 credits
Intensive study of a special topic or intensive work on a reporting project undertaken
with close faculty supervision. May be repeated.
0-6 credits
An exploration of how narratives about science, technology, engineering, and math
enable us to learn about and experience science in compelling, clear, and impactful
ways. This course introduces students to narrative communication theories. It teaches
them to apply narrative theory in the analysis of film, television, literature, and
other forms of communication that focus on science and scientific information. We
will explore how narratives about science convey important cultural information about
gender, class, race, ethnicity, sexual identity, national identity and other facets
of identity, thus advancing or undermining diversity and inclusion. Students will
design their own multimedia or text-based science communication projects based on
narrative theory that integrate narrative elements and storytelling.
3 credits
An overview of the growing field of environmental communication. Participants will
explore how environmental communication intersects with economics, science, social
justice, and technological development. We will explore key historical events, concepts,
legal landmarks, public controversies, and technological changes in the context of
environmental communication. The course provides an opportunity for students to participate
in engaged research with a local community on an environmental or sustainability problem.
3 credits
An exploration of the emerging interdisciplinary field of visual culture that builds,
among others, on the fields of art, cinema and media studies, gender studies, (post)structuralism,
and critical/cultural studies. Participants explore key texts in visual culture that
examine the diverse roles of looking and seeing in contemporary culture. Readings
and discussions provide an overview of debates on a range of areas including: the
gaze, bodies, and power; consumer culture and globalization; colonialism/post-colonialism;
and scientific looking. Readings will be paired with screenings to facilitate the
application of theory and lively, interactive discussion. Objects of study include
film and television, advertising, fashion, architecture, photography, painting, graphic
design, and digital culture. The course integrates theory and methods in the analysis
and critique of visual culture.
3 credits
Learn the fundamentals of dramatic writing as a way to tell compelling and memorable
stories about science. Study existing examples of science plays and screenplays and
create original short plays and screenplays about science and/or scientists.
