Science Journalism

Study mode:On campus Study type:Full-time Languages: English
Local:$ 56 k / Year(s) Foreign:$ 56 k / Year(s) Deadline: Feb 1, 2025
54 place StudyQA ranking:5120 Duration:3 semestrs

Photos of university / #bostonu

Boston University’s Science and Medical Journalism program offers an intense curriculum leading to a Master of Science degree, in which students develop the skills necessary to succeed in the competitive and rapidly evolving science communication industry. Although our emphasis is on writing, reporting, research, and analysis—the heart of all insightful and precise communication—students learn a variety of forms, including multimedia, radio, and documentary for both film and television.

The degree, awarded by the College’s Department of Journalism, comprises 40 credit hours taken over two semesters and a summer professional internship. In addition to courses within the program, students may take electives elsewhere in the College of Communication or in other colleges throughout the University, particularly in the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Public Health, or, in some cases, the School of Medicine. The classes within the program are small—usually eight to ten students, with an emphasis on professional-level reporting and writing.

Graduates have landed positions at Wired, NPR’s Living on Earth, Science, Nature, Time, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, Discover, Science News, the Wall Street Journal, and PBS’s NOVA; as well as educational institutions and laboratories such as MIT, Harvard Medical School, Stanford’s Linear Accelerator Laboratory, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

First Semester

  • COM JO 705 Science Unbound
  • COM JO 723 Science Newswriting
  • COM JO 724 Science Narrative One
  • COM JO 741 Multimedia for Science Communication

Second Semester

  • COM JO 702 Science Narrative Two
  • COM JO 732 Conflict and Commentary in Science Reporting
  • COM JO 881 Broadcast Science News
  • COM JO 743 Web Magazine (2 cr)
  • COM JO 742 Computer-Assisted Boot Camp (2 cr)
  • Elective—suggested courses: Advanced Radio, Advanced Photojournalism, or a graduate-level course in history and philosophy of science or public health (4 cr)

Summer

Students will maintain part-time status during their final, summer semester. Part-time status will affect student loans.

  • COM JO 754S A1 Science Journalism Internship (4 cr)

Requirements

  • The online application form
  • $95 application fee
  • Transcripts for all prior university studies (unofficial copies, uploaded to the application)
  • Three (3) letters of recommendation
  • Official GRE general scores
  • A personal statement. Write an essay explaining why you want to study science journalism. Include your personal experiences, what you expect to be doing professionally five years from now, what you expect from a career in the field, why you chose the BU College of Communication and how you expect your studies to help you in achieving your goals. Limited to 750 words.
  • A resume or CV
  • Students who received their undergraduate degree from a non-English speaking institution must also take the TOEFL or IELTS. Applicants must receive a minimum score of 100 (TOEFL) or 7.0 (IELTS) for their application to be reviewed. We must receive an official score by our deadline; we recommend taking your TOEFL/IELTS at least 20 days prior to our deadline to assure that we receive the score.
  • A completed, signed International Student Data Form or International Applicant Coversheet
  • Copy of the personal information page of your current passport
  • Copies of all current visas, if applicable
  • Financial support documentation (Sponsorship Certification and Bank Statement)
  • Periodicals. Discuss any websites, magazines, blogs, newspapers or other periodicals that you read regularly. What do you think of them? What is your favorite book, and who is your favorite author? How has she/he influenced your life and future plans? In a separate section, please include what social media you use (if any), and how you could apply that medium to your future profession
  • Communication Experience. Write an appraisal in clear declarative English of your experience in any area of communication (if any). Include what you expect from a career in the field and why you chose to enter it.
  • International Applicants (non-US citizens): Video Requirement. All international students (non-US citizens) must submit a one to three-minute video. State your name and your intended degree program.

Answer each of the following questions:

  1. How do you plan to advance your community as a result of your study in the field of communication?
  2. Discuss a significant person in your life and describe the ways in which you have been influenced (positively/negatively and why).
  3. If you were to describe where you grew up to someone who hadn’t visited there before, what would you highlight?

How to add your International Student Video to the application?

  • Please speak directly into the camera, without reading from a script and do not use video editing or sound voiceover software.
  • The video must be in your own words.
  • Please post your video on a video hosting website, Vimeo. We prefer if you do not use a password to protect your video. If you must use a password, please use terrier2017.
  • International students’ applications cannot be reviewed without this video.

Scholarships

  • Global Education
  • Merit-Based Aid
  • University-Wide Merit Aid
Similar programs:
Study mode:On campus Languages: English
Local:$ 85.9 k / Year(s) Foreign:$ 85.9 k / Year(s)
Deadline: Jan 15, 2025 8 place StudyQA ranking: 13352
Study mode:On campus Languages: English
Local:$ 63.3 k / Year(s)
Deadline: Jan 2, 2025 8 place StudyQA ranking: 5765
Study mode:On campus Languages: English
Local:$ 63.3 k / Year(s)
Deadline: Jan 2, 2025 8 place StudyQA ranking: 6373
Study mode:On campus Languages: English
Local:$ 59.6 k / Year(s) Foreign:$ 59.6 k / Year(s)
Deadline: Dec 15, 2024 13 place StudyQA ranking: 8624
Study mode:On campus Languages: English
Local:$ 56.9 k / Year(s) Foreign:$ 56.9 k / Year(s)
Deadline: Dec 15, 2024 13 place StudyQA ranking: 4056
Study mode:On campus Languages: English
Local:$ 51.3 k / Year(s) Foreign:$ 51.3 k / Year(s)
13 place StudyQA ranking: 5263