Master's Communication and Innovation

About Communication and Innovation

You can contribute to a better world through social change and innovation. This always goes hand in hand with communication. In this specialisation, you will focus on the societal challenges in the domain of the life sciences. These challenges can be: poverty, climate change, water scarcity, obesity, and environmental degradation. You will learn to address them with relevant skills and knowledge. In the first place by integrating communication science with problem-solving and innovation. Also by understanding the role of communication in processes of individual and collective change.

Appropriate responses to societal challenges need insights from all kinds of disciplines and stakeholders. These insights need to become integrated into technological, organizational  and policy strategies. In practice, however, such integration is often difficult to achieve. Different people tend to  frame problems and underlying causes differently. As a result they pursue different solutions and strategies.

Become a communication and innovation expert by:

• Analyzing communication among different communities and interest groups. Why and how they may lead to either conflict, or to collaborative problem solving and learning.
• Building bridges between various communities. Such as the life science disciplines and society; government and citizens; the private sector and non-profit organisations.
• A wide range of roles for communication and innovation professionals. Including process management, strategic communication, knowledge brokerage, demand articulation, mediation, persuasion and the facilitation of interdisciplinary communication and collaboration.

An inside view on Communication and Innovation

- Unfortunately, your cookie settings do not allow videos to be displayed. - check your settings

Courses

For timetables, courses and course content of this specialisation and the common part of the master's you can read the Study Handbook. To get a better overview of the structure you can also download the programme Communication & Innovation.

Life Science Courses

During the specialisation of Communication and Innovation students need to make a choice between four different 'Life Science Courses'. Read more about the Student experiences of these Life Science Courses here and find out if you have similar interests. You can chose one of the following courses:

• Agriculture & Nature
• Climate change
• Nutrition & Food
• Sustainability & Environment

Student experiences

The best way to get to know a place is by getting to know the people. Students share their experiences with you about the master's programme and student life in Wageningen on the page Student experiences.

Science communication is a challenge, but having an opportunity to build bridges among different stakeholders gives me much satisfaction and contributes to solving the world’s most stubborn challenges.

Career prospects

There is a need for communication professionals who are specialised in the field of health, food production, water management or viable environments. Graduates of the master's specialisation Communication and Innovation work for governments, consultant agencies, non-profit organisations, media companies or at knowledge institutes. Visit future career for the stories and career paths of alumni.