Medical Journalism Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Journalism and Mass Communication. As one of the nation’s first master’s programs in medical journalism, the two-year experience emphasizes writing skills for print and broadcast media. Thomas Linden, M.D., a former medical journalist, is director of the program. Additional information is at www.jomc.unc.edu/medicaljournalism.
The Knight Center for Science and Medical Journalism at Boston University, College of Communication, is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. There is a three-semester master’s degree program in science journalism that prepares journalists for careers in science, medical and public health reporting, and various programs for mid-career journalists. The center is codirected by Ellen Ruppel Shell and Douglass Starr. Additional information can be found at www.bu.edu/com/jo/science.
Health Journalism Program at University of Minnesota, School of Journalism and Mass Communication and School of Public Health. This is the only program in the country that balances study across the disciplines of journalism and public health. The one-year master’s program covers a broad spectrum of medical topics, including coverage of health policy issues, health economics, and medical news ethics. Additional information can be found at www.healthjournalism.umn.edu.
New York University’s Department of Journalism offers “Medical Writing” as a course. Other journalism programs—at Columbia University, Texas A&M, Iowa University, University of California-Berkeley, Arizona State University, Northwestern University, and Purdue University—also have classes on various aspects of medical reporting and writing.