The science of stories. The stories of science.
Being a scientist today means not just navigating the world of research, but also integrating with the community, sharing knowledge and informing policy.
With a qualification in Science Communication, you’ll have the creative flair and practical tools to inspire wonder, nurture greater understanding of the natural world and empower meaningful action to address society’s greatest challenges.
Science communication is rapidly expanding as an academic field, with endless opportunities for meaningful careers connecting society with advances in the understanding and application of science and technology, as well as nurturing creativity and enjoyment of science.
Graduates of our programme are employed in a huge range of empowering careers, including regional and city councils, non-profit organisations, Crown Research Institutes, science and natural history magazines, video game development, commercial television, government ministries and museums.
Our department offers exciting opportunities for study at Otago. Taught entirely by distance, our asynchronous course is tailored to suit busy, working professionals.
The PGCertSciComm (3 papers) / PGDipSciComm (6 papers) can be done part-time or full-time as an “at-your-own-pace” programme.
We teach creative thinkers how to use stories to communicate the science they are most passionate about.
To enable students to develop their skills and interests further through real-world experience in a workplace environment, we offer a popular internship paper with a range of professional partners.
In addition to an academic thesis, our students produce creative works that go into the public domain – be it a film, podcast, book, website, exhibition or any other creative endeavour involving the communication of scientific information.
Our graduates are well-connected with industry professionals and leave equipped with an advanced job-ready skillset as well as a deep theoretical understanding of our field.
There are no subject prerequisites for course entry.
| Paper Code | Year | Title | Points | Teaching period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCOM419 | 2025 | Special Topic | 20 points | Semester 1 |
| SCOM432 | 2025 | The Craft of Storytelling | 20 points | Semester 1 |
| SCOM433 | 2025 | Science and Creative Non-Fiction Writing | 20 points | Semester 2 |
| SCOM434 | 2025 | Science Communication Internship | 20 points | Semester 1, Semester 2, Full Year |
| SCOM439 | 2025 | Introduction to Science Communication | 20 points | Semester 1 |
Sorry, no papers matching this subject were found.
Explore your study options further. Refer to enrolment information found on the following qualification pages.
Email sciencecommunication@otago.ac.nz
Website otago.ac.nz/science-communication
This information must be read subject to the statement on our Copyright & Disclaimer page.
Regulations on this page are taken from the 2025 Calendar and supplementary material.
