Science Communication Graduate Certificate
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 in collaboration with the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, one of the nation's leading science communication training and research organizations in the country.
Explore the Advanced Graduate Certificate in Science Communication
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Office hours will resume at the end of the summer.
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Complete our inquiry form to find out more about the advanced graduate certificate in communicating science.
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Meet our Faculty
Get to know the science communication researchers and practitioners you'll be working with and learning from.
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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 Science Communication Master's degree program.
Deadlines
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Applications that are approved before the add/drop period ends will be effective that semester.
Applications that are approved after the add/drop period ends will be effective as of the following semester.
Students must declare this certificate at least one semester before the final semester of their primary graduate program at Stony Brook.
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 :
- Receive hands-on skills training to combine your deep subject-matter knowledge with evidence-based communication practices
- Prepare yourself to engage in audience-centered science communication that is meaningful, relatable and upholds scientific integrity
- Learn to share scientific discoveries in ways that resonate with diverse audiences
- Design targeted messaging that responds to the needs, values and cultures of an audience
- Support diversity and inclusion through written and verbal 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. The foundational course must be completed in person.
Course Offerings
Required Courses
6 credits
Foundations of Science Communication - 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
Special Topics in Science Communication - COM 575
Principles of Inclusive Engagement - JRN 583
Communicating Science and Health Risks to the Public - COM 585
Environmental Communication - COM 605