Public health communication

University of Missouri-Columbia
Graduate certificate
Newspapers with headlines about various public health issues.
Request more information

Get started with MU

Apply here

Overview

The online graduate certificate in public health communication is a unique, interdisciplinary program with courses from the Department of Public Health and the Missouri School of Journalism. This program is designed for public health and journalism professionals looking to advance their career or change career paths and increase skills in the area of communication.

Graduates of this program are equipped to effectively communicate scientific evidence for public health policies and interventions to lay and professional audiences. As a student, you will learn the role of communication in public health practice on the global, national, state and local levels. You will be equipped to effectively collaborate with media outlets to transmit evidence-based information to the public, or, as media specialists, be equipped to effectively collaborate with public health specialists to produce evidence-based public health stories.

Further your education

If you choose to continue your education, this program offers a seamless transition from graduate certificate to a master of public health (MPH). Some courses also apply to a master’s in health communication (MA).

Quick facts

Official name

Graduate certificate in public health communication

Campus

University of Missouri-Columbia

Program type

Graduate certificate

Academic home

College of Health Sciences | Department of Public Health

Delivery mode

100% online

Accreditation

Higher Learning Commission

Credit hours

15

Estimated cost

$8,625.00

*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.

A cellphone that reads "the world after COVID-19."

Career prospects

Potential careers

  • Health communication specialist
  • Communications coordinator
  • Digital project coordinator
  • Data communications coordinator
  • Media outreach coordinator
  • Policy analyst
  • Health educator
Burning Glass Technologies. 2021. Salary numbers and employment growth numbers are based on models that consider advertised job posting salary, Bureau of Labor Statistics data and other proprietary and public sources of information for multiple occupations.
8.25%
Employment growth
Burning Glass Technologies. 2021. Salary numbers and employment growth numbers are based on models that consider advertised job posting salary, Bureau of Labor Statistics data and other proprietary and public sources of information for multiple occupations.
$65,000
median salary

Program structure

Delivery of this program is 100 percent online: no campus visits are required.

Students typically take two classes each semester session and finish the program in one year plus a semester.

Course work covers

  • Principles of public health
  • Health news and promotion
  • Social and behavioral sciences in public health
  • Storytelling in public health and public policy
  • Strategic health communication

Delivery

100% online

Calendar system

Semester-based

Typical program length

1+ year

Typical course load

2 classes per semester

Accreditation

The University of Missouri is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.

Faculty spotlight

Lise Saffran.

Saffran is a graduate of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in fiction. An associate teaching professor in the Department of Public Health, Saffran is also the Co-Chair of the Health Humanities Consortium. Her nonfiction storytelling and commentaries have appeared in a variety of academic and trade publications including The Lancet, Scientific American, The Chronicle for Higher Education, Academic Medicine and elsewhere. Media coverage related to her research on authenticity and science communication and health humanities include interviews with Nature Careers, The Colin McEnroe Show (WNPR) and Intersection (KBIA). Saffran teaches Principles of Public Health and Storytelling in Public Health and Policy at the University of Missouri

Lise Saffran, MPH, MFA
Associate Teaching Professor
Photo of Jon Stemmle

Stemmle is a professor of strategic communication and the former director of the Health Communication Research Center at the Missouri School of Journalism. He also has an appointment as a core faculty member in the master of public health program. In his role as a professor, Stemmle teaches classes in public relations, health and science communication, social media, event planning and integrated marketing campaigns. His primary research interests include health-related community-based participatory research, tailored health communication, messaging through storytelling and narrative, and non-traditional learning. Stemmle’s work in the area of strategic health communication has been presented to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, European CDC, National Cancer Institute, and various health literacy groups around the nation.

Jon Stemmle

Learn more about this program

This program is administered by the Department of Public Health