Graduate
Minors
Communicating Science
Rationale- The graduate minor in communicating science addresses two primary problems.
- First, scientists and health professionals today need to connect to and to engage with the lay public, policy makers, funders, students, and professionals from other disciplines. Therefore, they increasingly need to tailor their communication for a variety of audiences who are not (or not yet) scientific experts or researchers.
- Second, instead of assuming traditional PI roles and post-docs, many PhD-level scientists and health professionals are turning frequently to careers in business and industry, public policy, science reporting, and other fields. These emerging roles require the ability to communicate specific scientific knowledge to broad audiences (Funk & Rainie, 2015).
- In both cases, current graduate programs in the sciences provide limited preparation for these communication expectations. As a result, this minor seeks to fill that educational gap for future scientists and health professionals.
About the Minor
The minor in communicating science is designed for masters and doctoral students in the sciences and health professions to develop audience-centered communication, distill scientific concepts into meaningful narratives, and connect effectively with collaborators and funders.
The program brings together communication and rhetorical theory with the techniques of applied improvisation to enhance students’ career prospects, help them secure funding, and serve as effective teachers.
Graduate Minor in Communicating Science
Required Courses (Total 12 credit hours)
Students are required to take two semesters of 3, one-credit hour co-requisite courses.
Co-Requisite Block 1 (3 cr hrs):
- COMM-C534 Distilling Your Message: Communicating Science (1 cr)
- COMM-C533 Improvisation for Scientists: Communicating Science (1 cr)
- ENGL-W533 Science Writing for Public Readers: Communicating Science (1 cr)
Co-Requisite Block 2 (3 cr hrs):
- COMM-C535 Using Electronic Media: Communicating Science (1 cr)
- ENGL-W535 Science Writing for Public Readers II: Communicating Science (1 cr)
- COMM-C536 Connecting with the Community: Communicating Science (1 cr, Program Capstone)
Students will chose two courses (6 credit hours) from the following list:
- COMM-C510 Health Provider-Consumer Communication (3 cr.)
- COMM-C521 Family Communication in Health Contexts (3 cr.)
- COMM-C591 Topics in Applied Communication (3 cr.) with relevant topics in science/health
- COMM-C592 Advanced Health Communication (3 cr.)
- COMM-C650 Health Communication in Mediated Contexts (3 cr.)
- COMM-C695 Seminar in Communication and Healthcare (3 cr.)
- ENG-W600 Topics in Rhetoric and Composition (3 cr.), with relevant topics in science/health
- HIST-H546 History of Science, Medicine, and Technology (3 cr.)
- IBMG-G655: Research Communications (3 cr.)
- JOUR-J528 Public Relations Management (3 cr.)
- JOUR-J560 Public Relations Research and Evaluation (3 cr.), with topics in Public Relations in the Life Sciences and Integrating Marketing Communication in Health Care
- PBHL-H612 Marketing for Health Services Delivery (3 cr.)
- PBHL-S625 Applied Public Health Campaigns and Social Marketing Strategies (3 cr.)
- PBHL-S622 Coaching for Health Behavior Change (3 cr.)
- PBHL-E606 Grant Writing: From Befuddlement to Brilliance (3 cr.)
Note:
The Communicating Science minor is not open to Health Communication PhD students or Applied Communication MA students.
