Certificates
Online

Non-Credit Certificate Program in Medical Writing and Editing Training

Master the fundamentals and best practices of crisp, clear, and sophisticated medical communications.

Enroll Today Customize for Organizations
Medical writer doing technical writing on a laptop.

At a Glance

Enrollment:
Part-time
Length:
~9 months total
Format:
Online
Continuing Education Credits:
Autumn 2025
Investment:
$1,490 /core course
$1,640 /writing course
$9,090 /certificate
Also offered in:

Write the Future of Healthcare

The demand for skilled medical communicators continues to grow. Training with leading experts at UChicago and obtaining a rigorous education in the essential principles of medical communication drives career advancement and fosters lasting job satisfaction. This multipronged program allows for a level of flexibility to advance at one’s own pace and as the field evolves.

Elevate medical communications

This essential discipline helps bridge the gap between complex medical research and its practical application, ensuring that important information reaches healthcare professionals, patients, and policymakers in clear formatted context. From developing scientific manuscripts and regulatory documents to creating patient education materials and health campaigns, medical writers and editors facilitate the flow of medical knowledge and contribute to improved outcomes across the healthcare field.

Designed For

Designed for professionals with a background in science who want to expand writing skills to pivot or advance their roles, as well as those with a background in writing or editing who want to gain the skills and resources to focus their work in medical communications.

A High-Demand Career Within a Flexible Job Landscape

UChicago’s comprehensive and specialized Medical Writing and Editing Training Certificate program equips you with the core principles of medical communications, best practices in writing and editing, and the ethical grounding needed to produce clear, accurate, and sophisticated medical content in a rapidly evolving field. The program emphasizes mastery of the AMA Manual of Style and hands-on work with manuscripts, publications, and data, all taught by expert medical publishing professionals.

Stand Out with a Personalized UChicago Certificate

This premier program allows you to gain essential skills and obtain the necessary knowledge to be successful.

Tailor your experience by:

  • Choosing a writing concentration to focus your skills.
  • Pursue a microcertificate in Regulatory Writing.
  • Take additional standalone focused course work to learn more specific areas of medical communications. 

Our program offers a variety of paths to get you where you want to be. 

While you receive this comprehensive training, you will benefit from outstanding networking with credentialed peers, accomplished instructors, and industry partners at an elite research university.

5 Core Courses:

  1. Medical Copyediting
  2. Fundamentals of Substantive Editing and Publishing Ethics
  3. Fundamentals of Writing and Research Ethics
  4. Preparing Tables, Graphics, and Figures
  5. Interpreting and Reporting Biostatistics

Plus 1 Writing Concentration Course. Choose From:

  • Introduction to Regulatory Writing
    • Optional: add Regulatory Intelligence to earn a microcertificate in Regulatory Writing.
  • Writing for Patient Education
  • Writing for Healthcare Advertising

Standalone Course Options (Outside Certificate)

The standalone course portfolio is being continuously developed to address important areas around new technologies, data transparency, and other evolving industry leads.

  • Medline and Beyond: Medical Research Databases
  • Freelancing in Medical Writing and Editing

Preparing for the Medical Writing and Editing Profession 

Our certificate program combines foundational courses in medical writing and editing with a selection of specialized writing concentrations. This program is designed for a diverse audience of medical communicators, including those seeking entry-level positions, career advancement, or career pivots and reboots. 

Learners will: 

  • Build strong editing competencies, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and adherence to professional and ethical standards.
  • Strengthen writing, research, and ethical foundations to responsibly synthesize and present scientific and medical information.
  • Apply visual communication strategies to make complex data accessible across diverse audiences.
  • Accurately interpret and communicate statistical findings in ways meaningful to clinicians, regulators, patients, and the broader healthcare community.

Fast facts:

  • A comprehensive certificate program with writing concentrations that suit your interests.
  • Build a portfolio of work during the program.
  • Three writing concentration options.
  • Courses are taught by industry experts.
  • Gain more advanced knowledge on relevant topics through standalone courses outside the certificate program.
  • Certificate courses start on a Monday with self-paced activities.
  • Self-paced learning leads to one synchronous session per week.
  • Certificates do not need to be paid upfront; instead, our programs allow you to pay for tuition at the time of each course registration.
  • Current members of certain professional associations are eligible for 10% off tuition.
Businesswoman making phone call, writing notes, and consulting a client.

Discover the Possibilities of Medical Communications.

Enroll Today

Program perks:

  • Onboarding and advising services.
  • Career services.
  • Monthly job posting notices.
  • Support of the Professional Development Programs Student Advisory Board.
  • Alumni Scholarship program.
  • Community building with extracurricular activities, events, and webinars.
  • Networking opportunities.
  • Access to UChicago resources.
  • Instructors are experts in their field.
  • Direct learning, practice, and feedback.
  • Applicable content and quick skill building.

Earn a Credential in Medical Writing

Participants who successfully complete the entire online program are awarded credentials in Medical Writing and Editing Training certified by the University of Chicago. Upon meeting all certificate requirements, students receive a certificate of completion, and a digital course badge is awarded at the successful completion of each individual course.

dfgdfg

Unite Your Love of Writing and Science

Choose a Career in Medical Writing

A career in medical writing and editing offers a unique opportunity to combine a passion for science with the art of communication. As a medical writer, you'll play a critical role in translating complex medical research into clear, accessible content that can impact patient care, advance scientific knowledge, and support healthcare innovation. With a growing demand for professionals who can effectively communicate medical information across diverse platforms—from scientific journals to patient education materials—this field provides a dynamic and rewarding career path with significant opportunities for growth and specialization.

Build core competencies and your expertise in a growing field

For those drawn to the fusion of science and communication, our program offers a skill boost to excel in this thriving field. In as little as nine months of part-time study, you can gain the essential skills needed to thrive in medical communications. The program’s interactive curriculum, led by industry experts like Barbara Gastel—the 2024 recipient of the American Medical Writers Association President’s Award—covers technical writing, editing, data reporting, and analysis, while also providing networking opportunities and career support.

$ 136 k

According to Glassdoor, the salaries of both medical writers and editors start around $136,000. Explore career opportunities in medical writing.

Close up of nurse showing brochure to senior couple.

Advance Your Skills in This Rewarding Field

Enroll Today
A professional working in her office on a laptop.

Flexible Format, Competitive Cost

Enroll in competitively priced, part-time, online courses in medical writing designed to fit seamlessly into your schedule.

View Tuition Details
Business professionals collaborating with each other in an office.

By Professionals, for Professionals

Our instructors are active practitioners in their fields who have an average of fifteen years of industry experience.

Meet Your Instructors