Apr 03, 2025  
Fall 2025 Graduate Catalog 
    
Catalog Navigation
  Catalog Home
  Graduate Education
  General Information


  The Graduate School
  School of Professional Development


  Master’s Programs
  Doctoral Programs
  Graduate Certificates
  Course Descriptions
  Career and Program Explorer


  Academic Calendars
  Financial Aid
  Tuition and Costs


  Bulletin Archives
HELP
Fall 2025 Graduate Catalog

Science Communication
School of Communication and Journalism (SoCJ)
Certificate Awarded: Advanced Graduate Certificate in Science Communication
 
Dean: Laura Lindenfeld, PhD
Graduate Program Director: Brenda Hoffman, PhD
Graduate Program Coordinator: Stefanie Ambrosio-Mullady, MA
 

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.

Admission Requirements

Application Deadlines

Note: To apply, students must be enrolled in a graduate program at Stony Brook University. Students must enroll in the certificate program no later than the second to last semester in their primary program. Students may not enroll in their final semester.

February 1: Fall Admission

September 1: Spring Admission

Applicant Information:

  1. To apply, students must be enrolled in a graduate program at Stony Brook University. Students must enroll in the certificate program no later than the second to last semester in their primary program. Students may not enroll in their final semester.
     
  2. Before completing the application, students should have completed letters of approval from both their primary program’s director and the certificate program’s director. The application requires that both documents be uploaded with the application. To obtain the approval letter from the Science Communication certificate program’s director, please email socj_grad@stonybrook.edu with your name, ID number, and semester you plan to start the certificate program.
     
  3. Students ready to apply can submit their applications on the graduate school’s website.

Certificate Requirements

The 12-credit Advanced Graduate Certificate in Science Communication consists of two required courses (6 credits) and two elective courses (6 credits). Students will work closely with the graduate program director and faculty advisors each semester to develop an individualized plan of study that best fits their interests and career goals.

Required Courses (6 Credits)

Elective Courses (6 Credits)

Notes:

Certificate students may complete select COM and JRN courses not listed here for elective credit, with departmental approval.