Graduate School Bulletin

Program Description

The Master of Science in Science Communication prepares students to engage in and advocate for valid, reliable public discourse about science, through communication that helps others engage with science in new and meaningful ways. This program takes a modern approach to communication, combining a traditional social science theory and research foundation, with practical, hands-on training to help students become effective boundary spanners between science and society. As part of their coursework, students will experience unique training in improvisation to help them embrace flexibility while maintaining an appropriate level of preparation, offering students lifelong skills that will prepare them to remain nimble in an everchanging world around them. Students will learn to:

• Share scientific discoveries in ways that resonate with diverse audiences
• Conduct and evaluate empirical, social science research
• Design targeted communication campaigns that respond to the needs, values, and cultures of an audience
• Recognize their own biases and understand how their experiences shape how they see and interact with individuals and societies
• Support diversity and inclusion in written and verbal communication
• Apply contemporary legal and ethical practices in face-to-face and digital communication
• Contribute to high-quality, professional projects that build bridges between science and society

Designed to meet the needs of a diverse student population, this program welcomes students from a variety of educational and professional backgrounds including but not limited to, STEM, health sciences, and/or the social sciences and humanities. This program is best suited for students interested in pursuing careers in professional science communication, that seek to bring science out of labs and libraries and into the world. Students with a background in science will be prepared to share their own scientific discoveries, while those with little or no scientific experience will learn to collaborate with experts to help them share scientific information with accuracy and relevancy. This is a fully-online degree program, which allows students to study from any location on a full-time or part-time basis.

The Master of Science in Science Communication is designed to meet programmatic outcomes that are outlined in the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC)’s professional values and competencies. For more information about ACEJMC competencies, please visit their website at http://www.acejmc.org/policies-process/nine-standards/

Advanced Graduate Certificate in Science Communication

Designed for graduate students enrolled in STEM and health-sciences programs at Stony Brook University, the 12-credit Advanced Graduate Certificate in Science Communication complements ongoing graduate degree work. Students receive hands-on skills training to combine their deep subject-matter knowledge with evidence-based communication practices, preparing them to engage in audience-centered science communication that is meaningful, relatable, and upholds scientific integrity. Graduates of this certificate will be prepared 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, and support diversity and inclusion in their written and verbal communication.

The certificate 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. Students will work with an interdisciplinary team of faculty scholars and practitioners to explore the science behind effective communication, and hone their communication skills with a variety of hands-on experiences.