Whether you're a student considering your options or a marketer looking to hire fresh out of school, knowing which master's programs are training the next generation of SciCommers can be very helpful.
I went on a quest to find all the master's programs in Europe that offer a focus on science communication.
Although I found 36 of them, I'm sure I missed some, so feel free to contact me if you want to add more.
Before we dive into the list, let's answer some questions you might be asking yourself (or just use the table of contents on the left to jump straight to the list).
Is a master's degree in science communication worth it?
My answer to that question is: it depends.
If you've just finished your bachelor's degree and you know for sure that you want to pursue a career in science communication, then go for it and don't think twice.
However, if you are still not sure, pursuing a science specialty first (e.g. biology, physics, chemistry, etc.) might be a viable option.
A master's in a hard science will give you a better understanding of your field of interest, and a follow-up degree in science communication could make your resume more attractive.
It's not mandatory, of course, but it's worth considering.
Another consideration is that science communication can be learned on the job.
It's not like an engineering job where you need a strong education. If you're motivated enough and able to learn on your own, it's perfectly fine to get a master's in science and skip the SciComm degree.
Getting your first job in science communication may be a bit more challenging at first, but once you've gained some experience, your degree won't matter so much.
Do you need a PhD to do science communication?
Absolutely not!
A PhD is nice to have in science communication and will certainly make your resume much stronger, but it's not mandatory.
If you know you want to do SciComm for a living, my recommendation is to skip the PhD and use the 4+ years to gain work experience.
In this time frame, a PhD student will be mostly focused on research (which, again, is very valuable, but not mandatory), while you can gain enough work experience to qualify for a non-junior position.
It's a great jump start.
Now, if you are already pursuing a PhD, my recommendation is to finish it before looking for a SciComm job.
Leaving academia will have its own challenges, but having a PhD under your belt will make your profile very strong and you could possibly land jobs that require more scientific training (such as technical or medical writer).
Is science communication a good career?
I already covered this question in detail in my previous article on the most frequently asked questions about science communication, so I invite you to take a look, but to add to that, I can say that yes, SciComm is a great career.
It's a job market that's on the rise and it's a very fulfilling career because it combines science with a more public-facing approach.
I'm a big fan of discussing and writing about science, so I might be a bit biased, but if you're reading this, I reckon you're pretty interested in this field too.
So if you're ready, let's take a look at the master's degrees available in Europe.
36 science communication master's to apply to in Europe
There is no particular order to this list (it's alphabetical by country and by university name), but I'd be interested to hear what alumnis have to say about their studies and maybe start ranking them, so again, feel free to reach out and let me know.
I've included the Shangai rank of each university as a guide (based on the Academic Ranking of World Universities as of March 2024), but keep in mind that the ranking reflects the overall position of the university and not necessarily the strength of the science communication program.
But hey, people love rankings, so I thought it would be good to put it there.
Now, let's dive in:
🇦🇹 Austria
Universität Wien
- Title: Science-Technology-Society (Master)
- Location: Vienna
- Language: English
- Shanghai ranking: 101-150
- Link
🇫🇷 France
Aix-Marseille Université
- Title: Master Information et médiation scientifique et technique
- Location: Marseille
- Language: French
- Shanghai ranking: 151-200
- Link
Université Bordeaux Montaigne
- Title: Master Médiation et communication des sciences et des techniques
- Location: Bordeaux
- Language: French
- Shanghai ranking: 201-300
- Link
Université Grenoble Alpes
- Title: Parcours Communication et culture scientifiques et techniques (CCST) du master Information-communication
- Location: Grenoble
- Language: French
- Shanghai ranking: 101-150
- Link
Université de Montpellier
- Title: Mediation, Animation, Communication, Culture and Education in Life and Earth Sciences (MédiACCES)
- Location: Montpellier
- Language: French
- Shanghai ranking: 151-200
- Link
Université Paris Cité
- Title: Audiovisuel, journalisme et communication scientifiques
- Location: Paris
- Language: French
- Shanghai ranking: 69
- Link
Université Paris-Saclay
- Title: M1 Evénementiel, Médiation des Arts et des Sciences
- Location: Paris
- Language: French
- Shanghai ranking: 15
- Link
🇩🇪 Germany
Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)
- Title: Wissenschaft - Medien - Kommunikation Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Location: Karlsruhe
- Language: German
- Shanghai ranking: 301-400
- Link
Universität Erfurt
- Title: MSc in Health Communication
- Location: Erfurt
- Language: German
- Shanghai ranking: N/A
- Link
🇮🇪 Ireland
Dublin City University
- Title: MSc in Science and Health Communication
- Location: Dublin
- Language: English
- Shanghai ranking: 901-1000
- Link
Trinity College Dublin
- Title: Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Science Education
- Location: Dublin
- Language: English
- Shanghai ranking: 201-300
- Link
🇮🇹 Italy
Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca
- Title: Communication of Science and Sustainable Innovation - MACSIS
- Location: Milan
- Language: Italian
- Shanghai ranking: 301-400
- Link
Università degli Studi di Padova
- Title: Comunicazione delle Scienze
- Location: Padua
- Language: Italian
- Shanghai ranking: 151-200
- Link
Università di Trento
- Title: Communication of Science and Innovation - SCICOMM
- Location: Trento
- Language: English
- Shanghai ranking: 401-500
- Link
🇳🇱 Netherlands
Radboud University
- Title: Master's specialisation Science in Society
- Location: Nijmegen
- Language: English
- Shanghai ranking: 101-150
- Link
TU Delft
- Title: MSc Science Education and Communication
- Location: Delft
- Language: English, Dutch
- Shanghai ranking: 151-200
- Link
University of Groningen
- Title: MSc in Science Education and Communication
- Location: Groningen
- Language: English, Dutch
- Shanghai ranking: 76
- Link
University of Twente
- Title: Master’s in Philosophy of Science, Technology & Society
- Location: Enschede
- Language: English
- Shanghai ranking: 401-500
- Link
Utrecht University
- Title: Science Education and Communication
- Location: Utrecht
- Language: English, Multilingual
- Shanghai ranking: 52
- Link
Wageningen University and research
- Title: Master's Communication, Health and Life Sciences
- Location: Wageningen
- Language: N/A
- Shanghai ranking: 151-200
- Link
🇵🇹 Portugal
Universidade do Minho
- Title: Comunicação de Ciência
- Location: Braga
- Language: Portuguese
- Shanghai ranking: 401-500
- Link
Universidade NOVA de Lisboa
- Title: Comunicação de Ciência
- Location: Lisbon
- Language: Portuguese
- Shanghai ranking: 601-700
- Link
🇪🇸 Spain
Barcelona School of Management
- Title: Master in Scientific, Medical and Environmental Communication
- Location: Barcelona
- Language: Spanish
- Shanghai ranking: N/A
- Link
Universidad de Oviedo
- Title: Máster Universitario en Estudios de la Ciencia, la Tecnología y la Innovación
- Location: Oviedo
- Language: Spanish
- Shanghai ranking: 601-700
- Link
Universitat de València
- Title: Master's Degree in History of Science and Scientific Communication
- Location: València
- Language: Spanish
- Shanghai ranking: 301-400
- Link
🇸🇪 Sweden
Jönköping University
- Title: Master's degree in Sustainable Communication
- Location: Uppsala
- Language: English
- Shanghai ranking: N/A
- Link
Swedish University of Agricultural science (SLU)
- Title: Master's programme in Environmental Communication and Management
- Location: Jönköping
- Language: English
- Shanghai ranking: 301-400
- Link
🇨🇭 Switzerland
Università della Svizzera italiana
- Title: MSc in Communication, Management and Health
- Location: Lugano
- Language: English
- Shanghai ranking: 501-600
- Link
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Imperial College
Manchester University
- Title: MSc Science and Health Communication
- Location: Manchester
- Language: English
- Shanghai ranking: 41
- Link
University College London
- Title: Science Communication MSc
- Location: London
- Language: English
- Shanghai ranking: 17
- Link
University of Edinburgh
- Title: Msc in Science Communication and Public Engagement
- Location: Edinburgh
- Language: English
- Shanghai ranking: 38
- Link
University of Sheffield
- Title: Msc in Science Communication
- Location: Sheffield
- Language: English
- Shanghai ranking: 151-200
- Link
University of the Arts London
- Title: MA Art and Science
- Location: London
- Language: English
- Shanghai ranking: N/A
- Link
University of Warwick
- Title: Msc in Scientific Research and Communication
- Location: Coventry
- Language: English
- Shanghai ranking: 101-150
- Link
