Science Writing

ENGLISH X463.5

Get a practical introduction to the diversity of science-writing opportunities, including those for news organizations, magazines, institutions and websites. Learn about finding story ideas and reliable sources, conducting interviews, matching writing style to the target audience and choosing the best structure for the given field. Study the craft of making complex, scientific concepts understandable and exciting to a general audience. In addition to many in-class exercises, you write a weekly science blog and an in-depth science article. A background in science is not required, but an interest in scientific topics is encouraged.

Loading...

Sections

Fall 2025 enrollment opens on June 16!

This course applies to the following programs:

Professional Writing Program

Required Courses

Electives

Capstone Project

Professional Writing Program - Final Project

Course of Related Interest

Learn More About This Program

Notes

Departmental contact: extension-letters@berkeley.edu

Instructional Types

Live Online: Live Online courses provide an interactive learning experience with scheduled synchronous online sessions held via Zoom video conferencing (Pacific Time). Learn more about the Live Online format.
Online, Start Anytime: Continuous enrollment course begins when you enroll. You have a minimum of 90 days and a maximum of 180 days to complete the course.
Online, Fixed Date: Enroll in this course by its start date and complete it by its specified end date. There are no live sessions, but plenty of opportunities to collaborate with your classmates and instructor.
Classroom: Take classes in-person at one of our buildings or partner locations.

English Language Proficiency Requirements

All of our courses are taught in English. If English is not your first language, please use the following test scores as guides in order to be successful:

TOEFL: 90
IELTS Academic Format: 7
DAAD: C1
TEM-4 or TEM-8: Level 70
Duolingo: 125

Note: You do not need to submit test scores.