Get Ready to Build Critical Communication Skills with BU’s Health Communication Graduate Programs

BU’s Master’s in Health Communication degree program focuses on the intersection of healthcare, marketing, health literacy, public relations, and digital media in order to prepare you for the breadth of issues you’ll encounter as a health communicator—from medical breakthroughs and the development of new products to government policies and public health challenges, and many others.

When you complete the master’s degree in Health Communication, you’ll be able to:

• Employ communication strategy, methods, and technology to communicate information, influence audiences, or affect change on health-related topics and issues.
• Evaluate the value and significance of traditional, social, and digital media practice in the health communication field.
• Demonstrate competence in communicating about healthcare, including how to develop purpose-driven, audience-specific materials.
• Understand and apply ethical and socially responsible health communication practices and strategies that consider privacy, regulatory, and legal issues specific to the healthcare industry.
• Interpret and apply basic communication research fundamentals to the field of health communication.
• Analyze, synthesize, interpret, and present health and scientific information using clear and concise messaging for public, media, and/or stakeholder consumption.

If you’re interested in focusing on how the digital world can be used to communicate messages effectively, the concentration in Visual & Digital Health Communication is the right choice. In addition to the learning outcomes from the general degree, choosing this concentration will enable you to:

• Employ, design, and use social media strategies in health messaging to educate diverse populations, build brand reputation, and manage threats in a crisis—within the bounds of patient privacy, copyright, and regulatory considerations. 
• Demonstrate proficiency in creating digital images and visual assets—including infographics, branded content, video, data visualization graphics, webpage, and mobile page design—that purposely and ethically help bridge digital divides in health education and comprehension. 
• Examine how social media is used in healthcare and why using it effectively and efficiently has become a necessary skill for many healthcare professionals. 
• Be prepared for professional communication roles within consumer- and business-facing corporations, government agencies, healthcare organizations and hospitals, PR and marketing agencies, nonprofit organizations, and other employers seeking to advocate for, educate, and influence audiences about health and wellness.

If you’re interested in pursuing marketing and media roles within healthcare organizations, the concentration in Healthcare Promotion, Media & Marketing is for you . In addition to the learning outcomes from the general degree, choosing this concentration will enable you to:

• Create channel-specific health communication plans and search-optimized content designed to support, influence and engage with diverse stakeholder audiences. 
• Understand and demonstrate socially responsible health communication principles and practices as they apply to public relations, digital marketing, and media relations, including privacy, copyright and regulatory considerations, and knowledge of the Code of Ethics as defined by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). 
• Understand the expanding 24/7 role of media relations professionals within healthcare organizations, including do’s and don’ts for developing successful relationships with reporters, message framing and delivery methods, and crisis management strategies. 
• Identify the differences, similarities, and tensions among public relations, media, and marketing functions within healthcare organizations and the importance of unified strategies that align and measure organizational efforts. 

The BU MET certificate program in Foundations of Health Communication develops the knowledge necessary for understanding and communicating with myriad audiences within the healthcare sector. For those whose work intersects with healthcare or wellness, the certificate provides an understanding of the systems, populations, policies, tactics, and practices necessary to implement effective communication within the bounds of regulatory, privacy, and ethical considerations.

Marketing communication professionals, brand specialists, consultants, journalists, analysts, clinicians, and business development professionals working in a health or wellness context have the opportunity to fill gaps in their existing knowledge, whereas those just beginning careers in these and related fields will gain the foundation to employ dynamic communication skills, understand the systems and complexities of the healthcare industry, and develop effective strategies and high-quality materials for stakeholder groups.

Get to know the social media and digital storytelling tools you can use to capture the attention of your audience. Learn how to apply fundamental principles of design and use industry-standard software tools to imagine, design, and execute powerful health marketing and media campaigns that include infographics, videos, websites, mobile apps, and branded content. Discover best practices and learn why social health engagement is one of today’s most necessary skills for healthcare professionals.

With BU MET’s Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Promotion, Media & Marketing, you’ll learn how to frame points of view and create powerful messages using print, broadcast, social, community, and organizational media in creative ways to influence and educate diverse audiences. With a focus on workplace-ready skills, you’ll develop campaigns, search-optimized content, and materials—while understanding the importance of ethics, privacy, and regulatory considerations. You’ll also gain essential knowledge in brand, reputation, and crisis management. This certificate will prepare you for a professional communication role within consumer- and business-facing corporations, government agencies, healthcare organizations and hospitals, PR and marketing agencies, nonprofit organizations, and other employers seeking to advocate for, educate, and influence audiences about health and wellness.