MSc in Science Communication
THIS PROGRAMME IS UNIQUE IN IRELAND AND IS AN INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED PIONEER IN A NEW AND GROWING DISCIPLINE.
In studying science communication with us, you examine how complex and uncertain information is communicated between various social groups such as research scientists and policy-makers, science writers and broadcasters and the general public. You also consider critically the many cultural, ethical and social implications of science’s growing role and of the increasing concern with individual and public health.
You are welcome on the programme if you come from a background in natural sciences, humanities or social sciences. However, most students to date have come from the biological sciences. Staff contributing to the programme include natural scientists conducting leading-edge research, healthcare educators, and analysts and practitioners of media communication.
We aim to take all students beyond the confines of their particular disciplines to reflect on how each contributes to the other, and on how the natural and medical sciences, on the one hand, and the humanities and social sciences, on the other, all contribute to the total cultural fabric. The programme is not primarily concerned with training in technical communications skills, though it does include some practical modules.
Nearly 200 students from a wide variety of backgrounds have completed the programme since its start in 1996, and they work in many different types of employment, from information and outreach services, to science centres, to publishing and journalism.
Modules include:
Science & Society, Issues in Contemporary Science, Research Methods, Science in the Media, Philosophical Perspectives on Science, Representations of Science in Cinema and Television, Showing Science, Public Relations: Issues and Principles, Publication Design, Journalism Skills, The Public Sphere, Presentation Skills, Work placement, and Project/Dissertation.
