MSc Science and Health Communication

Students taking this unit undertake an independent project in science and health communication, broadly construed, with professional mentorship and academic supervision. Doing this project allows students to get hands-on experience creating materials to a professional standard. Students can choose to do either an organisation-based project, where they produce content, materials, or events for a science & health communication-adjacent organisation, or a creative project, where they design their own product. Organisation-based projects have involved producing materials like social media campaigns, material for patients and publics, museum engagement events, and specialised materials for science policy and medical writing contexts. Creative projects have involved producing short documentary films, short animations on science or health topics for varied audiences, portfolios of popular writing on a chosen topic, children's books, and so on. Projects are supervised by an academic associated with the MSc SHC programme, and mentoring through arrangement with a professional partner of the programme.

FT students will be expected to have completed HSTM60561, HSTM60571, and HSTM60011 in Semester 1 before taking this unit in Semester 2.

PT students will undertake this unit over the summer after Y1, and will be expected to have completed HSTM60561 in Semester 1 and at least one options unit in Semester 2.

• Allow students to develop a piece of work in science communication that is relevant to a professional context of their choosing.
• Appreciation of skills, values and standards in a chosen professional specialism
• Appreciation of the opportunities, constraints and processes of the relevant workplace
• Independent research in academic and professional environments
• Effective time-management and use of resources
• Professional standard finish and delivery
• Knowledge and understanding of potential outlets and audiences 

• Appreciate the constraints and opportunities of professional contexts for science communication
• Recognise the forms, topics and styles that are appropriate for different media and organisations
• Identify and learn to use relevant media, software, and hardware
   

• Identify and imagine novel content and forms for particular media
  Construct and/or perform a communication product that is persuasive and meaningful for a specific public
• Construct persuasive proposals for particular approaches to and implementations of that communication product
• Understand the cultural and ethical aspects of science communication in practice.

• Manage time, materials and any other resources effectively
• Use relevant equipment competently
• Develop and process real and digital content efficiently and safely
• Liaise with appropriate professionals and other relevant authorities.

• Manage the project with due regard to the self and others
• Respond constructively to others’ needs and opinions
• Act independently, but also within the institutional framework
• Communicate effectively through relevant media.

Presentation on the project-in-progress (8-minute presentation) - must be completed as part of the unit, marked pass/fail
Science/Health Communication Product: 50%
Project report (3500 words): 50%
Logbook - must be completed as part of the unit, marked pass/fail

Formative feedback/supervision from the academic tutor and advice from the professional mentor; a mark from the academic tutor (and second marker) with commentary.