The Life Sciences Communication Doctoral Minor is being renamed Science Communication Doctoral Minor. Students will be able to earn a Life Sciences Communication Doctoral Minor through the end of Summer 2027. Beginning in Fall 2027, the program awarded will be the Doctoral Minor in Science Communication.

The Department of Life Sciences Communication is a world leader in science communication research, education, and practice. The doctoral minor in Life Sciences Communication allows students enrolled in doctoral programs from the biological and physical sciences, as well as interested students from other social science and humanities departments, to supplement their existing doctoral coursework with a transcriptable minor in Life Sciences Communication.

A doctoral minor in Life Sciences Communication is particularly valuable for graduate students in the natural and physical sciences who are interested in the ethical, legal, and social implications of emerging technologies, or who want to build an intellectual foundation for a future career in policy or various mission agencies (e.g., AAAS policy fellowships) dealing with public understanding and communication of science. Many students from these fields routinely take classes in our department, and a doctoral minor allows them to get formal recognition for their doctoral-level work in this area. 

More information may be found on the department website.

Admissions

The doctoral minor in Life Sciences Communication is a course-based minor for students enrolled in other PhD programs who would like to supplement their existing PhD coursework with a minor in science communication.

Students are strongly encouraged to contact the academic advising manager or Director of Graduate Studies (see Contact Information box on this page for emails) to discuss course planning.

Students are not allowed to earn both the doctoral minor in life sciences communication and science communication graduate/professional certificate.

All Graduate School students must utilize the Graduate Student Portal in MyUW to add, change, or discontinue any doctoral minor. To apply to this minor, log in to MyUW, click on Graduate Student Portal, and then click on Add/Change Programs. Select the information for the doctoral minor for which you are applying.

Requirements

Grade Requirement

A minimum cumulative GPA of a 3.5 in doctoral minor coursework is required.

Required Courses

Courses must be numbered 300 or above with the "Grad 50%" attribute. Contact the academic advising manager to discuss course selection for the minor.