Training opportunities

There is a vast array of training courses available for Science Communicators at all stages of their career and ranges of experience! If you run a course and would like it added to the list below, please contact us. 

N.B. This is a list for information only. We do not hold responsibility for the quality of the courses themselves. If you feel that any of these course should not be listed here, please contact us.

New to science communication?

For those new to science communication, short courses may introduce you to your options and help you work out what you are interested in, and how to achieve it. Some of the courses listed in this section may also be useful at various career stages!

More formal qualifications in Science Communication are also available through longer courses. You may also be interested to find out more about science busking.

Practising scientists

You have been working as a scientist, but would like a bit of help with your science communication, or perhaps media, skills?

The seasoned science communicator

You may have been working in Science Communication for years, but perhaps you are always looking for ways to improve your skills, knowledge and experience. 

Courses for new science communicators

Little Event
BIG's very own Little Event is for people who are relatively new to STEM communication, whether they work in a science centre or museum, volunteer for a festival, are involved in university outreach, or do anything else to engage people with sciences. Find out more on our Little Event page.

UWE Science Communication Masterclass
UWE's Science Communication Masterclass is an intensive course created to provide professional development in science communication. The masterclass draws on the existing expertise of the team that delivers UWE's popular and practical MSc in Science Communication.

Science Communication: Online and Media Writing
This course is also from UWE and should appeal to current and future science communicators and science writers who wish to hone their skills, as well as scientists who wish to convey their research to non-specialists. The skills taught here will be applicable to all forms of popular science writing, but there is a particular emphasis on online writing.

Science Communication Courses for scientists

Many universities and learned societies offer science communication and media courses as part of their regular course offerings, specifically with practising scientists in mind. If your university does not offer one, it may be worth asking if they would, or perhaps you may be welcome at another local university as an exchange type scheme.

Royal Society of Biology
The RSB run various courses each year on topics such as "Training the Trainer", "Project management", "Public Engagement: Getting Started". Find out what is on offer on the RSB training events webpage.

You could also try the following societies and organisations:

• Royal Society
• Biotechnological and Biological Sciences Reserach Council (BBRSC)
• Wellcome Trust
• Biochemical Society

Beltane Public Engagement Network
Beltane supports public engagement of research at the four universities in Edinburgh. They offer training to scientists.

Create and Inspire, Dundee Science Centre
Create and Inspire is a one-day course, designed to give practising scientists the confidence, skills and inspiration to share their research with the public. The course is open to researchers of all subjects, and is suitable for both beginners and those with some experience.

Online science writing course - how to write popular science

In this online science writing course, award-winning astronomy author Colin Stuart shares everything you need to know for a successful career in popular science writing. Learn how to find and pitch stories to magazine and website editors (including examples of successful pitches), plus discover how to write proposals for children’s and adult’s science books that publishers will love. There’s also the option to add 1-on-1 coaching.

Website: www.colinstuart.net Twitter: @skyponderer

Media training

If you are looking specifically for media training as part of CPD training, or ad-hoc training for those who find themselves in the media spotlight, universities and learned societies are increasingly providing "working with the media" sessions. Examples are Royal Society and BBRSC

You may also be interested in:

Communications and Media Skills training with Dr Emily Grossman
Dr Emily Grossman, best known as a resident science expert on various TV shows, leads this 2-day interactive workshop on effective science communication and public engagement run by AQMeN. The course is aimed at early career researchers, academics and research professionals who wish to learn how to present their research in a clear and engaging way and learn how to get the most out of working with the media. Find out more on the AQMeN website.

Voice of Young Science: Standing Up for Science
VoYS media workshops are for post-grads, post docs, or equivalent in first job, who are passionate about science and want to communicate research to a wider audience. They combine discussion about science-related controversies in media reporting with practical guidance to help younger scientists make a greater contribution to public debates.

Those interested in further media training may be interested in:

• Biochemical Society - database of expertise
• Wellcome Trust biomedical science media studentships

Media Fellowships
The British Science Association Media Fellowships fellowships last 3-8 weeks and are targeted at practising scientists, social scientists, clinicians and engineers. They provide placements with national press, broadcast or internet journalists where the fellows learn about the conditions and constraints of the media.

Beltane Public Engagement Fellowships recruit from a wide range of disciplines.

The AAAS Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellows Program provides a 10 week summer placement at media organisations nationwide.

The  William Churchill Memorial Trust also offers fellowships (non-media).

Science Communication: Online and media writing https://courses.uwe.ac.uk/USSKNP15M/applied-science-communication-online-and-media-writing

Courses for the seasoned science communicator

Dialogue Academy
Dialogue Academy is all about helping professional science communicators gain the ideas, tools, skills and techniques to use dialogue and debate to engage audiences in contemporary science issues. Whether you are new to using dialogue to engage audiences or want to gain new skills, share your experiences and get new ideas, the academy has something for everyone.

Methods for Change
Methods for Change offer courses on Public Engagement Evaluation and Gentle Introduction to Survey Design for Survey Evaluation

Impacts are the differences you make in the world through your science communication or public engagement activities, interventions or programmes. How can you know if your activities are making a real or positive difference for people? What will count as evidence for impact to support your claims?

Accurately capturing impact is a craft that requires training and guidance. Methods for Change offers online courses and hands-on workshops designed to equip you with skills and tools that will help you collect and assess impact evidence. The lead trainer is Dr Eric Jensen, author of Doing Real Research: A Practical Guide to Social Research (SAGE), who has 20+ years of experience conducting survey research and impact evaluations across the globe.

An introductory self-paced online course is now available for survey design, which introduces participants to practical tips, techniques and fundamentals. Alongside this course, participants gain access to hands-on workshops, including an Introduction to Survey Design, Evaluating Impact with Surveys, and Evaluating Long-term Impact with Surveys. Each workshop provides opportunities for participants to refine plans for data collection and analysis with guidance and feedback from invited facilitators and evaluation experts in a supportive environment alongside peers. Follow the links to find out more about each course.

They also offer another self-paced, online course specifically focusing on Public Engagement Evaluation which introduces you to the process of public engagement evaluation, available tools and practical guidance about how to gather accurate evaluation data. This course can be completed at your own pace and contains between 24-40 hours of training, with supplementary materials allowing you to choose the depth of study.

Visit the Methods for Change website for the schedule of live workshops, register for self-paced courses and workshops, or subscribe to their monthly newsletter.

Applied research skills https://courses.uwe.ac.uk/USSKQN30M/applied-research-skills

Science Communication Masterclass https://courses.uwe.ac.uk/Z51000095/science-communication-masterclass

Science Communication Building Blocks https://courses.uwe.ac.uk/Z51000113/science-communication-building-blocks

List updated Aug 2017