Non-Credit Certificates Online

Healthcare Communications

Curriculum

Health Communications That Can Make a Difference in Patient Care

The new Healthcare Communications certificate at UChicago offers training in the most prevalent specialized writings of health communications. There is increased awareness of the importance of communicating health information effectively to the public across platforms within this growing industry. This flexible, online program will cover patient education; various marketing and promotional platforms and regulations; healthcare audiences; ethical and legal standards; communication principles; and increasing audience literacies.

After certificate completion, you will be able to:

  • Develop compelling collateral within the highly regulated advertising environment.
  • Apply the principles of medical copywriting within real-world scenarios.
  • Implement strategies for creating effective healthcare content deliverables.
  • Apply knowledge learned about accreditation requirements to design educational materials for health professionals.
  • Build upon your healthcare career to focus on this growing industry.
  • Qualify for entry-level jobs in pharma, hospital systems, research, grant writing, and specialized marketing agencies.
  • Change your career within healthcare to specialize in medical writing.
  • Expand freelancing opportunities.

Join the Growing Healthcare Communications Industry

Bring Health Literacy to the Forefront of Medicine

Core healthcare communication courses

Courses in the Healthcare Communications program will strengthen your understanding of communication types, audiences, platforms, regulations, and best practices, for constructing clear, ethical, patient-centered communications to multiple audiences.

  • The program consists of three core requirements with a flexible sequential course progression.
  • Students can complete the certificate in as little as nine months to three years.
  • Class sizes range from ten to twenty students per course.
  • Classes are offered remotely with live, interactive, synchronous sessions.
  • After successful completion of core requirements, participants will receive a credential certified by the University of Chicago.

Flexible, online healthcare communications course format

  • Each course is seven weeks in length.
  • Synchronous sessions are conducted through Zoom.
  • Attendance to synchronous sessions is mandatory.
  • All online courses begin on a Monday with a full week of self-study activities in Canvas, our learning management system.
  • Weekly, self-paced learning and materials are time-sensitive and must be completed within required time frames.
  • Weekly, self-paced learning in Canvas leads to one synchronous session per week.
  • When registering for a course, “online self-paced” refers to the course's beginning and end dates, and “online fixed dates” refers to synchronous sessions.