Bachelor of Arts in Science and Technical Writing

The bachelor’s degree in Science and Technical Writing prepares graduates for careers aligning with this academic program. There are many possible career paths for this major. If a student pursues the science technical writing for professionals track, options will include writing/editing for technical journals, policy work with government agencies like FDA or NIH, editing science and art books or websites, editing textbooks, grant proposal writing, assisting scientists in writing review articles, and clinical medical writing. If a student pursues the science for the general public track, options will include working for a science museum, hospital communications office, science journalism, and science-fiction editing/consulting for mass media. It is possible for crossover between options for the two tracks, depending on the courses chosen by the student during the program of study. There are also many options to work with universities and companies to help translate science for the public. Students majoring in Science and Technical Writing will be well prepared to enter the job market upon graduation with skills that facilitate an exciting and lucrative career trajectory. 

Science and Technical Writing is suitable for students with an interest in the sciences, health, medicine, and communication, and works well as both a standalone and second major.

More information regarding what students can do with a science writing major can be found at Purdue’s “What Can I do with a Major In…” Science Writer page at the following page.

Program Learning Objectives

  1. Provide students with a strong foundation in science, including key concepts using the scientific method, how experimentation is conducted and analyzed
  2. Integrate the best science principles to prepare students for either science writing for a specialized audience or science writing for a lay audience
  3. Teach students to identify and apply genre conventions for science writing appropriate to varied audiences and purposes.
  4. Help students hone their skills in a specific sub-field of science and technical writing through career preparation involving experts in the fields, internships, case studies, etc.

Degree Plan

Major Requirements (36 credits)*

Science and Math Core (15 credits)

  • MATH 1133 Applied Statistics (3)
  • BIOL1233/1234/1235 or CHEM1202/1204/1212 or PHYS_2102/2202 (4 credits)
  • Any TWO BIOL/CHEM/PHYS 2000 or 3000 level course with one of the above courses as prerequisites (4 credits each). One of these courses should be on environmental and health issues from the offerings at the 2 NJ campuses.

Writing Core (15 credits)

Science and Writing for General Public Track (6 cr)

Science and Writing for Specialized Audience Track* (6 cr)

Choose two from the following:

  • WRISC 2201 Science Writing (3 cr)
  • WRISC 4941 Science Writing Internship (1-3 cr)
  • Research in Biology, Chemistry, or Physics (1-3 cr)

*Students will also be required to take the following courses to fulfill General Education requirements:

Contact Information
Lynn Reid, Director of Writing
lreid@fdu.edu