Science Communication, Graduate Certificate

Climate change, emerging diseases, dramatic discoveries in medicine, rapidly evolving technologies, and many other challenges that touch on both science and public policy underscore the great and growing importance of effective communication about science. It is incumbent on those who will be working in the realm of publicly relevant science to themselves have a good grasp of the strategies, technologies, and ethical considerations of effective communication. This 15-credit certificate, which can be completed either in person or through a combination of an intensive summer program and distance learning, will provide students with a broad overview of communication needs and strategies; extensive hands-on experience with communication tools such as writing tactics and photography, audio, and video technologies; and the opportunity to produce an in-depth individualized communication project under the guidance of a faculty mentor.

Requirements Accordion Open
    • Graduate certificate programs require a minimum of 12 credit hours. Many graduate certificate programs require more than 12 credit hours.
    • No more than one 400-level NAU course (3 - 4 units) may be used on a graduate certificate program.
    • No more than twenty-five percent of the units required for the certificate program may be transferred from another university.
    • A 400-level course (undergraduate course) completed at another university is not eligible for transfer credit.
    • A minimum grade point average of 3.0 must be achieved to obtain a graduate certificate. No more than three units of coursework with a Grade of "C" may be used in a certificate program.
    • A graduate student may pursue a graduate certificate concurrently with a graduate degree. Each graduate degree program must decide which, if any, certificate courses can be counted toward the graduate degree.
    • Students who are admitted to a graduate certificate program will be eligible for the official posting of the graduate certificate to their transcripts when all applicable coursework has been successfully completed and approved by the academic unit and the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies.

  • Please be aware that federal financial aid is not available for some certificates if the certificate is pursued and completed as a stand-alone certificate (i.e., not completed concurrently with a degree program).  See the “Details” tab for additional information.

Overview Accordion Closed

In addition to University Requirements:

  • Complete individual plan requirements.
Minimum Units for Completion15
Some online/blended courseworkRequired

Purpose Statement

Climate change, emerging diseases, dramatic discoveries in medicine, rapidly evolving technologies, and many other challenges that touch on both science and public policy underscore the great and growing importance of effective communication about science. It is incumbent on those who will be working in the realm of publicly relevant science to themselves have a good grasp of the strategies, technologies, and ethical considerations of effective communication. Many researchers, graduate students, land managers, and other professionals who work in the realm of science—or in government, nonprofit, corporate, or educational settings connected to science—receive little training in the skills needed to communicate effectively outside their disciplinary sphere. This 15-credit graduate certificate, which can be completed either in person or through a combination of an intensive summer program and distance learning, will provide students with a broad overview of communication needs and strategies; extensive hands-on experience with communication tools such as writing tactics and photography, audio, and video technologies; and the opportunity to produce an in-depth individualized communication project under the guidance of faculty mentors.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Understand elements of communication theory relevant to science 
  • Gain an overview of diverse formats for nonspecialist science communication including journalism, blogging, and informal settings (e.g. museums)
  • Gain overview of the basics of storytelling/narrative
  • Appreciate media literacy/taxonomy of the modern media
  • Develop interviewing skills
  • Practice oral presentation skills
  • Be introduced to and practice concepts of data visualization, using the principles of human visual perception
  • Identify possible sources of bias or obstacles of clarity in visual tools
  • Critique and redesign statistical graphics based on graphic design principles
  • Understand the basics of quantitative reasoning and statistical tools
  • Practice using numbers to convey accurate messages about risk, scale, probability, and statistics
  • Develop an ethical framework for dealing with controversial topics
  • Understand audience differences and cultural sensitivity, e.g. in “translational” science and health communication
  • Develop considerations for engagement in the political sphere
  • Practice the basics of digital photography, video, and audiose editing software to complete a multimedia product
  • Be able to conceptualize, research, write and edit a range of professional-quality writing products
  • Conceptualize, research, and complete in-depth communication project

Details Accordion Closed
Graduate Admission Information

  • The NAU graduate online application is required for all programs. Admission to many graduate programs is on a competitive basis, and programs may have higher standards than those established by the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies.

    Admission requirements include the following:

    • Transcripts.
    • Undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale ("A" = 4.0), or the equivalent.


    Visit the NAU Graduate Admissions website for additional information about graduate school application deadlines, eligibility for study, and admissions policies.

    Ready to apply? Begin your application now.

    International applicants have additional admission requirements. Please see the International Graduate Admissions Policy.

Certificate Requirements

  • This certificate may be pursued and completed concurrently with a degree program or as a stand-alone certificate. Federal financial aid cannot be used if the certificate is completed as a stand-alone certificate.

Additional Information

  • Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.

Availability Accordion Closed

Science Communication

Are you studying science? Are you interested in how science is disseminated in the media, in museums, in popular culture? Do you want to reach members of the public, policy-makers, grant reviewers? Do you want to tell stories about explorations—of space, of microbial worlds, of the frontiers of technology? If so, the graduate certificate in science communication might be for you. In this 15-credit course sequence, open to all NAU graduate students, you’ll gain an understanding of the tools effective science communicators use.
  • You’ll beef up your writing skills by examining and practicing how analogies and narrative work.
  • You’ll practice using numbers to entice rather than scare readers.
  • You’ll get your hands on the latest audio, video, and photo technology, and use it to create stories that engage audiences using multiple senses.
  • You’ll develop an in-depth project that will showcase your skills.
Throughout, you’ll be taught by faculty members who have excelled in the field by producing award-winning feature stories, books, films, photography, and audio stories. The graduate certificate requires you to take a sequence of 12 credits of graduate-level Communication courses plus 3 elective credits. If you’re not able to take the full sequence of classes, you can still beef up your communication skills by taking one or more of the 1-credit classes that make up the certificate’s introductory sequence. Students who have completed the graduate certificate work as communication coordinators at such institutions as the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, the American Farmland Trust, and the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals; as postdocs and researchers in a variety of university and institutional labs; and as independent communications professionals and storytellers. Examples of recent student science communication projects:
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School of Communication
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