Home / About / What We Do

What We Do

The SciCom class of 2022 (l-r): Director Erika Check Hayden, Emily Moskal, Graycen Wheeler, Elyse DeFranco, Brittney Miller, Zack Savitsky, Jude Coleman, Megan Kalomiris, McKenzie Prillaman, Guananí Gómez-Van Cortwright, Brian Phan. Photo: Robert Irion.

"The Science Communication Program is widely regarded as one of the best science writing programs in the world; we believe that reputation is well deserved. Its graduates are making strong contributions to the public understanding of science."

—from a 2006 external review of the program


The Science Communication Program bestows a master's degree. The program:

  • consists of nine months of coursework and a final summer internship
  • requires part-time professional internships throughout the academic year
  • does not require a thesis
  • offers practical training with professional journalists and editors as instructors
  • emphasizes news, long-form writing, and multimedia skills, with an eye toward substantive reporting on research and policy
  • features small class sizes (10 students) in every course, ensuring extensive feedback from lecturers
  • stresses original writing and editing for the public, rather than theory and critique
  • subjects all projects to rigorous editing at the highest standards, with some peer review by students
Our students practice science writing as a fine art as well as a craft. They emerge from their year in Santa Cruz with dozens of published stories, a broad set of journalistic skills, and distinct voices as writers.