Life Sciences Communication, BS

The Department of Life Sciences Communication (LSC) prepares students for careers as professional communicators in scientific and technical fields or for graduate school. Scientific areas of expertise include the environment and natural resources, health and nutrition, agriculture, new technologies such as biotechnology, and social sciences. In 1908, LSC became the first department of what was then termed Agricultural Journalism in the world and has retained its leadership position in science communication ever since.Graduates of the program are highly sought after by employers across scientific and communication industries. Key to the education that LSC students receive is a combination of theoretical grounding and state-of-the-art practical applications. Our instructors are a mix of world-class researchers and real-world practitioners of regional or national profiles.Students receive instruction across multimedia platforms such as print, audio, video and web. They are taught how to target and create communications for both news and marketing. Most important, they learn how to plan strategically and implement the most effective communications for diverse audiences.Students complete an undergraduate major in life sciences communication under the Bachelor of Science degree program. Students in this program have the flexibility to explore science, environmental and health communication; agricultural business; industry; social marketing; or the international context.College regulations permit a student to major simultaneously in life sciences communication while pursuing another major in a different department. This provides a student with strong communication skills and solid grounding in another subject matter area. Nonmajors will also benefit from taking communication skills courses.