This brief reviews the market landscape for graduate science journalism programs through analysis of the websites used to represent those programs and recruit applicants.

1. COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS BRIEF
University Graduate Programs in Science Journalism
Prepared by Gary Schroeder

2. Competitive Analysis Brief - Introduction
Direct Competitors
Boston University
Mass. Institute of Technology
New York University
Indirect Competitors
University of California Sana Cruz
Johns Hopkins University
Laurentian University
Our value proposition is that the Stony Brook University School of Journalism,
with its close ties to the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science and the
Program in Public Health, offers unique and affordable educational
opportunities including teachers with real-world experience, a modern $1.3
million newsroom, proximity to New York City which gives students access to
valuable internships, and a wide range of visiting lecturers all at a lower cost
than private universities.
Our team conducted competitive research (see spreadsheet in Appendix) to
review and compare universities offering graduate degrees in journalism that
explicitly emphasize skills and experience useful in science and technology
reporting. The goal of this analysis is to evaluate the current offerings for the
customer segment that includes individuals with journalism backgrounds and
those with science or health backgrounds looking to either enter the field of
science/technology journalism or expand their options within the field.
While many graduate journalism degree programs exist, a significant problem
for this customer segment is identifying a school that offers an attractive and
affordable graduate program specifically in science and technology journalism.
The current marketplace for graduate science writing is very limited and
includes just a few schools in direct competition. Indirect competitors for this
segment include schools which offer less intensive certificate programs in lieu of
a full Masters degree.
This review was conducted February 2016.

3. Direct Competitors
Value Proposition
Offers an intense curriculum leading to a
Masters degree, in which students develop
the skills necessary to succeed in the
competitive and rapidly evolving science
communication industry.
Pros
Co-director is a veteran science,
environment and medical writer with a
number of science-related published books
to his name. 2nd Co-Director writes about
science and public policy for several
notable national magazines.
Cons
The program website includes no student
profiles or faculty profiles beyond the co-
directors.
Value Proposition
Offers a chance to work closely with a
distinguished core faculty of award-
winning journalists, authors, and scholars
within one of the most exciting scientific
communities in the world.
Pros
Provides students with opportunity to work
with academics at one of the world's most
prestigious technical universities. Website
carries student profiles.
Cons
Overall, a surprisingly weak website with
thin content and outdated design. Serves
as a poor ambassador for their program.
Value Proposition
Faculty bills themselves as storytellers with
a passion for science. The Science, Health
and Environmental Reporting Program at
New York University is one of the world’s
oldest and most successful science
journalism training programs.
Pros
Boasts a Director with strong science
writing credentials. Offers students
opportunities for relevant field trips,
conference attendance, and fellowships.
Cons
No obvious weaknesses. This program is
well represented online and looks very
competitive in the segment of interest.
Boston University MIT New York University

4. Direct Competitor – Science Journalism M.S.
Boston University
http://www.bu.edu/com/academics/degree-programs/ms-in-science-journalism/
The BU website has an attractive, fresh design with
a clear call to action right on the home page that
immediately engages the prospective student.
Course offerings are easy to find, complete, and clear.
They’re linked directly from the “see what you’ll learn”
button on the home page.
The website emphasizes the program’s two co-directors
above almost everything else. Unless the student is familiar
with their names, this might be a poor choice. Other faculty
profiles are available, but they’re buried and are every
easy to miss.

5. Direct Competitor – Science Journalism M.S.
New York University
http://journalism.nyu.edu/graduate/programs/science-health-and-environmental-reporting/
The website avoids making the program look like a
mysterious black box by carrying both faculty and
student profiles, putting an inviting human face on
the program.
Features a clear list of appealing internship
opportunities. Easy to find via clear navigation.
While the copy on the website is well written and makes
the program seem exciting, the presentation of the content
is dry and inefficiently delivered. Too much information is
served up on a single page, draining its energy and
fatiguing the reader.

6. Indirect Competitor – Science Journalism
University of California Santa Cruz
http://scicom.ucsc.edu/about/
This website clearly lays out what it is
that a student is potentially signing up
for. Third-party validation of the quality
of their program is included.
Unlike some Direct Competitors, the designers
of this site chose to clearly emphasize
internship opportunities, something especially
important in a field as competitive as science
journalism.
The quality of the program is further
promoted by including references to
articles written by alumni that have been
published in objectively prestigious
magazines.
An indirect competitor because they do not offer a full Masters degree.

7. Indirect Competitor – Science Journalism
Johns Hopkins University
http://advanced.jhu.edu/academics/certificate-programs/science-writing/
The Johns Hopkins science writing graduate certificate may
actually be a fine program, but their website does a poor
job of making the prospective student feel any enthusiasm
for it. The entire pitch for the program is made via one
long wall of text that few would have the stamina to plow
through.

8. Influencers in Website Design
Boston University
http://www.bu.edu/com/academics/internships-opportunities
In the highly competitive field of science journalism, internships can be particularly important to
prospective students. And while many science communications sites reviewed list internship
opportunities, most don’t do it well. The Boston University website features an excellent user
interface for navigating internship possibilities starting with an obvious call to action button
followed by easy-to-navigate options for browsing on-campus and off-campus opportunities, both
within the U.S. and abroad.

9. Competitive Analysis Brief - Summary
Direct Competitors
Boston University
Mass. Institute of Technology
New York University
Indirect Competitors
University of California Sana Cruz
Johns Hopkins University
Laurentian University
Current Marketplace
There are many universities in the U.S. currently offering graduate degrees in
journalism, but few of them specialize explicitly in science and technology
journalism. Other universities that do offer instruction in science journalism offer
only certificate programs and not full masters degrees. Most programs,
regardless of whether they offer a certificate or a degree host fairly small
class sizes--sometimes as few as ten per graduating class.
Opportunity
Given these facts, there is a clear (though limited) market space in which a
major university can offer a financially viable science journalism masters
degree program. We know from our market research that a field of potential
students exists for such a program. While that applicant pool exists, we also
know from our research that it’s a small one. Any university offering a graduate
science journalism degree is unlikely to see enormous financial returns.
Recommendations
We learned from our customer survey and competitive analysis that Stony
Brook University has two strengths in its favor with regard to a graduate
science journalism program: its proximity to New York City (considered a prime
location for opportunities for communications professionals) and its ownership of
a high-tech communications studio outfitted with modern hardware. SBU should
continue to emphasize these factors in its future recruitment campaigns. On the
converse, we learned that the connection with the Alan Alda Center for
Communicating Science may not be a significant deciding factor for prospective
students in which case it should either be de-emphasized in future efforts or its
benefits should be better explained.