Master of Environmental Science and Management
Environmental Communication
Researchers and STEM professionals are increasingly expected to communicate beyond their academic and expert peers. Often this communication requires interaction with journalists, policy makers, and a wide range of public audiences.
The Environmental Communication track in the MESM program provides training that is especially valuable for those who wish to pursue professional paths outside of academia, where communication skills are highly valued.
As a result of completing this track, students will be prepared to:
- Understand and engage with the complexity and challenges of effective environmental communication;
- Explain and apply major theoretical concepts in the field of environmental communication to analyze real-world cases;
- Identify clear, audience-specific communication strategies;
- Analyze and critique case studies in environmental communication;
- Develop communication and/or public engagement strategies to inform and engage a range of stakeholders via culminating class projects;
- Develop and practice effective environmental communication and public engagement activities for varied audiences, using varied media (e.g., writing, presentations, video); and
- Identify collaborative strategies for addressing conflict and uncertainty in environmental communication and public engagement efforts.
Requirements
Program of study should include courses from ecosystem science and management; statistics; and environmental planning, policy, law, or economics.
Core courses (21 credits), including:
- Communication and Public Engagement Social Sciences (9 credits)
Required:- NRS 543 Public Engagement with Science (3 credits)
- WRT 533: Graduate Writing in the Life Sciences (3 credits)
Plus one course from the following:
- BES 521 Rhetorical Field Methods for Science Communication (3 credits)
- COM 460 Environmental Communication: Local and Global (3 credits)
- COM/MAF 522 Media and the Environment (3 credits)
- MAF 592 Doing Ethnography (3 credits)
- NRS 534 Visualizing Environmental Advocacy (3 credits)
- NRS 542 Environmental Crisis Communication (3 credits)
- OCG 533: Graduate Writing in Marine and Environmental Sciences (3 credits)
- Natural Sciences (9 credits)
- Quantitative Methods (3 credits)
Elective courses (10 credits)
Culminating Experience (3 credits: EVS 505, 597, or 598)
Graduate Seminar (2 credits)
Students are strongly encouraged to pursue a concurrent Graduate Certificate in Science Writing and Rhetoric as part of this track.
