New Master’s Program in Science Communication and Media Literacy Receives Funding

The planned degree program is intended to qualify graduates who can act as multipliers, communicating an understanding of scientific principles throughout society. These may include, on the one hand, teachers who equip pupils to distinguish between scientific data, reliable information from various sources, and merely purported facts. On the other hand, they may include individuals working in science management – for example in policy, public administration, or research funding – who engage with scientific findings, including how those findings are produced and where their uncertainties lie. Imparting such competencies is becoming increasingly important, as much information is no longer editorially reviewed by journalistic outlets, but instead spreads directly through a multitude of channels on digital platforms – often alongside deliberate disinformation. To ensure that well-founded, democratic opinion formation remains possible, the critical judgement of media users is therefore to be systematically strengthened through a range of multipliers.

The project builds on TU Dortmund University’s more than twenty years of experience in the field of science journalism – and links this with the university’s areas of strength in teacher education and continuing professional development. Over the four-year funding period provided by the Foundation, the curriculum will be developed to meet the specific needs of the relevant primary target groups: (prospective) teaching and leadership staff in schools and continuing education, as well as individuals seeking to advance their qualifications for careers in science management or science policy.

The program can also be completed as a part-time certificate program

The planned program thereby closes a gap in the educational landscape: no German higher education institution currently offers a program that integrates scientific, data, AI, and media literacy within an integrative model of “information evaluation competence.” Furthermore, the program is designed to serve as a model in another respect: the curriculum will be available not only as a full master’s degree, but also in excerpted form as a part-time certificate program. To this end, TU Dortmund University intends to make use of a planned amendment to the Higher Education Law in North Rhine-Westphalia that will promote corresponding “micro-credentials,” thereby reinforcing the university’s role as a site of lifelong learning.

The project is led by Professor Holger Wormer of the Chair of Science Journalism, together with Professor Bernadette Gold for the area of teacher education, and Professor Uwe Wilkesmann and Professor Cornelius Schubert, who contribute their expertise in continuing education, science management, and the sociology of science and technology. Additional academic partners include the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) and the Rhine-Ruhr Center for Science Communication Research. From the practitioner side, collaborations are planned with, among others, Wissenschaft im Dialog (Science in Dialog), the Science Media Center Germany, and the Wissenschaftspressekonferenz (Science Press Conference).

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