Career Fellowships in Science Journalism and Writing
On this page, you'll find a list of early and mid-career fellowship opportunities for science journalists.
The KSJ Fellowship Program at MIT
Link: MIT
About: “Every year, the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT offers academic-year fellowships to 10 science journalists, to give them an opportunity to explore science, technology, and the craft of journalism; to concentrate on a specialty in science; and to learn at some of the top research universities in the world.”
UC San Diego Health, Bruce V. Bigelow Memorial Science Communications Fellowship
Link: UC San Diego Health
About: “The Bruce V. Bigelow Memorial Science Communications Fellowship is a full-time, paid, nine-month interdisciplinary science communications fellowship based in UC San Diego Health Sciences. 2019 was the inaugural year.”
University of Colorado Boulder Center for Environmental Journalism, Ted Scripps Fellowship
Link: University of Colorado Boulder
About: “The CEJ focuses on the professional development of working journalists, student education, and research on media, environment and society. To that end, the Ted Scripps Fellowships serves as a lynchpin, bringing working journalists to campus for a full academic year. And for students, the CEJ offers a master's degree with an emphasis in environmental journalism as well as a doctoral community for students interested in researching media and the environment, media and scientific communication, risk communication, and corollary fields.”
The Emerson Collective Fellowship
Link: The Emerson Collective
About: “Often structured as one year of direct support, the Emerson Collective Fellowship is designed to help a remarkable individual advance a new project. With minimal ongoing programming, the fellowship gives individuals the autonomy to advance their current work, pursue exciting new chapters with unknown destinations, and make lasting breakthroughs. Emerson also works directly with Fellows to help their work reach greater exposure and impact.”
CASW’s Taylor/Blakeslee University Fellowships
Link: CASW
About: “The Council for the Advancement of Science Writing offers fellowships of $5,000 to working journalists and students of outstanding ability who have been accepted for enrollment in graduate-level programs in science writing. Science writing includes writing about science, medicine, health, technology and the environment for the general public. Fellowships are not available to those intending to pursue careers in technical writing.”
CASW’s New Horizons Travel Fellowship
Link: CASW
About: “The Council for the Advancement of Science Writing offers travel fellowships to cover the cost of attending the annual New Horizons in Science briefings for journalists. The maximum reimbursement provided is $1,200. The annual briefing, part of the ScienceWriters conference, brings together top-rank scientists and leading science reporters for an in-depth look at seminal developments in science, medicine and technology that are likely to make news in the coming months. Fellows will also have the opportunity to participate in the day-long professional workshops sponsored by the National Association of Science Writers that immediately precede the briefing. The fellowships are intended primarily for reporters from smaller metropolitan print and broadcast news outlets, freelancers and webcasters with a demonstrated interest in science writing. They offer a unique introduction to science reporting that will prove of long-term benefit to the individual and the profession. CASW will, upon request, assign a veteran science writer to serve as personal mentor to the fellowship recipient.”
AAAS Diverse Voices in Science Journalism Internship
Link: AAAS
About: “This summer program is designed for undergraduate students who are deeply committed to diversity and interested in pursuing journalism as a career. Interns spend 10 weeks working in the newsroom at Science magazine, covering the scientific and technological issues that shape our global community.”
Grist Fellowship Program
Link: Grist
About: “The Grist Fellowship Program is a paid opportunity to hone your skills at a national news outlet and deepen your understanding of environmental issues. We’re looking for early-career journalists and media professionals with a variety of skills, from traditional reporting to multimedia whizbangery. We will offer real-world experience at a fast-paced news site, training in a variety of skills key to a journalism career, exposure to the leading sustainability thinkers and theories of our time, and of course, the occasional homemade croissant.”
High Country News Internship/Fellowship
Link: High Country News
About: “Want to join our award-winning editorial team? Every year, High Country News offers six internship positions, each six months long, starting in July and January. We provide a $600 bi-weekly stipend for interns who will work remotely from within the Western United States. We offer an additional $125 bi-weekly work-from-home allowance and a one-time signing bonus to help with IT equipment. Our interns are a key part of the HCN team, developing, reporting and writing stories that matter. As we continue to broaden our coverage of the West, we encourage emerging journalists from BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities to apply, to help us tell a more complex, complete story of the West.”
