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Certificate

Medical Writing

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About the Medical Writing Program

The demand for medical writing professionals is growing steadily in many industries. And, many biomedical and life sciences PhDs need and want careers outside of academia.

Given these two facts in combination with UC San Diego Extension’s relationships with and proximity to the biotech industry (the San Diego region has the world’s third largest biotech cluster with over 100,000 jobs and annual NIH funding exceeding $1 billion, per BIOCOM) the Medical Writing Certificate Program was born.

Under the guidance of an Advisory Board comprised of seasoned professionals, this program is designed to prepare biomedical or life sciences graduates to gain the baseline knowledge and skills needed to obtain a position as a medical writer writing in the commercial sector, government agencies and/or academia.

Scientific Medical Writing vs. Non-Scientific Medical Writing
The program is not designed for those intending to communicate scientific information to lay audiences, e.g., science journalism, marketing communications or patient communications. This program is designed to equip scientists and others with a strong biomedical and/or life sciences background to write for scientific audiences in peer-reviewed journals, regulatory documents, medical education materials and/or research grant proposals.

Target Audience
The program is designed for anybody aspiring to be medical writers and/or editors. Accepted applicants will:

  • likely have degrees in biomedical or life sciences, such as biology, chemistry, pharmacy, nursing, nutrition, or public health
  • often have advanced degrees, including PhD’s (candidates with PhDs are particularly competitive for medical writing positions in the commercial sector and academic settings)

Demand and Job Prospects

  • Medical writing offers a rewarding and intellectually stimulating career, with six-figure salaries for senior writers.
  • Many medical writers manage their own freelance businesses.
  • Few Biology PhDs on university campuses will secure a faculty position or campus laboratory; medical writing provides an alternative well-paying career.
  • According to the most recent American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) data, increases in medical writers’ salaries were more than double the rate of inflation and increased through certification.
  • Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for Technical Writers in Healthcare is projected to grow nearly 27% from 2012 to 2022.

Program Cost, Duration & Expectations
Students can finish the 22-unit program in 18 months. The overall cost is approximately $4,000+/- (cost will vary based on electives taken). Students MUST earn a minimum passing grade of a B-/80% in every course of the Medical Writing Certificate Program.
 

 
Online
Remote asynchronous format
9-12 months*
*subject to instructor availability
$4,265
Approximate Cost (does not include prerequisites)

Highlights & Benefits

Key Program Highlights:

  • 100% online specialization for those with biomedical and/or life sciences backgrounds
  • Gain baseline knowledge and skills to obtain a position as a specialized medical writer​
  • ​Capstone tracks: Regulatory Writing, Journal Article and Publication Development, or Medical Education Materials (CME)

Program Benefits:

  • Gain practical hands-on training with leading Medical Writing and Editing industry practitioners;
  • Build a foundational knowledge of the role of medical writers and a variety of specific skills sets;
  • The demand for trained writers in healthcare is growing and medical writers’ salaries are more than double the rate of inflation and increase with professional certification;
  • Career offers flexibility and provides six-figure salaries for senior writers;
  • Many medical writers manage their own freelance businesses and it is an attractive well-paying alternative career path for recent PhDs who do not secure a faculty position;
  • Incorporation of new topics, medical concepts and industry best practices; 
  • Learn how to write scientific documents which are well-structured, and presented at right level for the target audience

Who should take the certificate?

Developing professionals currently working in the healthcare ecosystem who want to boost their current career or transition into a Medical Writing role. Accepted applicants will have graduate degrees in biomedical or life sciences, such as biology, chemistry, pharmacy, nursing, nutrition, medicine or public health. Postdocs and those with PhDs are particularly competitive for medical writing positions in the commercial sector and academic settings.

I hope my story is helpful to any prospective students who are uncertain about their ability to complete the medical writing certificate program. When I started the program, I did not have an advanced science degree like many of my classmates, so I was anxious and fearful that I was in over my head. In time, I learned that working hard, giving my best effort, and doggedly persisting through the challenges would help me survive. I not only survived but thrived, especially with support from a few particularly encouraging instructors, further boosting my confidence that I belonged in the program.

For years, I worked as a freelance editor for researchers from other countries by editing the English language of their peer-reviewed scientific and medical journal articles. At the time, I had revised over 1,500 of such papers, but I needed to up my game and take my professional development to a new level. So I enrolled in the medical writing program and the copyediting program. Earning certificates in both of these programs helped me consolidate a unique niche: medical copy editor. The medical writing program has added countless tools to my editor/writer toolkit, including, for instance, gaining mastery of the AMA Manual of Style, understanding the workings of the FDA and the drug development process, grasping the ethical issues of medical writing, gaining proficiency in understanding common biomedical statistical tests, and improving my understanding of research in oncology and cardiovascular disease.

Yet one of the most valuable lessons I learned from the program was the ability to systematically assess and edit medical research papers, referred to as analytical editing. This includes the nuts and bolts of language and mechanical editing, but it also entails knowing how to critically analyze statistical data and findings and assessing manuscripts to ensure that they follow best-practices for carrying out and reporting evidence-based medical research.

Completing the program was like hiking to a mountain peak that allowed me to see the entire landscape of professional medical editing and writing and how it was all connected, allowing me to better understand the different fields and areas in medical writing. This allowed me to confidently search and find work in entirely new areas of editing including editing NIH grants, FDA submissions and regulatory documents, and continuing medical education materials.

For me, writing a research paper to complete my capstone project in journal article and publication development was like the moment in the Karate Kid where the main character suddenly understood that all the seemingly tedious “Wax on! Wax off!” tasks were preparing him for the ultimate challenge. Similarly, when I began writing my paper, I grappled with a tangled, confusing heap of data and ideas, but as I recalled many relevant lessons from different classes in the program, my path was illuminated, and step-by-step the words on the page came together and began to flow like music. And getting my paper accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal was a final affirmation that boosted my confidence as a medical editor and writer. Overall, I am exceedingly grateful for all the instructors who helped me along the way and for the skills I gained from the program.


Published Article
Jim Hesson, Alumnus

How to Apply

This certificate requires an application before taking any courses. There will be a $25.00 fee to apply to this program. Students will be required to pay a $95.00 fee upon acceptance to start their certificate program.

Get More Information

For detailed information, please contact our Healthcare & Behavioral Sciences department.

Medical Writing
Classroom type:
Live Online
In-Person
Online
Hybrid
Download Course List

Recommended Prerequisites

Required Courses (10 units)

Electives (6 units required)

Capstone Project (Optional)

Medical Writing Certificate Information Session

Watch an information session on earning a professional certificate in Medical Writing with program faculty at UC San Diego Extended Studies.

Conditions for Admission

Successful applicants must have relevant educational background, and native-level fluency in English with the demonstrated ability to write clear, logical, and grammatically correct sentences as evidenced by the application, official transcripts and writing samples. Accepted applicants will have degrees in biomedical or life sciences, such as biology, chemistry, pharmacy, nursing, nutrition, or public health. It is anticipated that many will have advanced degrees, including PhDs. Candidates with PhDs are particularly competitive for medical writing positions in the commercial sector and academic settings.

Certificate Guidelines

All students must either take the following prerequisites or have taken appropriate equivalents within the past five years, earning a grade of B- or better:

  • Medical Terminology FPM-40172, 1 unit online
  • Practical Clinical Statistics for the Non-Statistician FPM-40233, 2 units online
  • Grammar Lab WCWP-40234, 3 units online
  • Clinical Trials and Regulatory Writing Primer, FPM-40672, 1 unit online

Prerequisites can be waived for individuals whose work experience demonstrates foundational knowledge of these subjects. Applicants seeking this waiver should email their CV to Jessica Bradford, Program Manager, at unexhealthcare@ucsd.edu for determination in advance of their application.

Next Steps Experience

Connect your classroom education with real-world experiences through a Next Step Experience course. These specially designed classes allow students to gain hands-on experience by working closely with instructors and/or peers on real-world projects. In the Capstone course, students will apply all previously learned concepts to work through one or more projects in one of the four pre-identified Medical Writing areas.

The purpose of the Capstone is to:

  • Gain hands on experience of researching information, and analyzing, interpreting, and communicating data as would be expected of a Medical Writer. The final project(s) will be submitted for critical review by the advising faculty leader
  • Have a clear sense of the critical behaviors and practical work practices that make the student a better Medical Writer.
  • Identify areas of continued improvement moving forward to hone knowledge and skill in the evolving Medical Writing profession.

To be eligible to take this course, you must have completed all of the other courses in the Medical Writing program with a B-/80% or higher. You must select from one of the four areas of specialization to fulfill this final required component of the certificate.

Capstone: Journal Article and Publication Development (FPM-40630)

Capstone: Medical Education Materials (FPM-40627)

Capstone: Regulatory Writing (FPM-40628)

Capstone: Scientific Grants (FPM-40629)

Related Documents

Advisory Board

Noelle Demas

Medical Writer
Panorama MedWriters Group, Inc.

Timothy Mackey, MAS, PhD

Assistant Professor
UC San Diego School of Medicine

Michelle Beauclair

Medical writer and copywriter
MB Medical Writer

Tim Collinson, BSc (hons), ISMPP CMPP

Director, Global Publications
Santen Inc.

Thomas Gegeny, MS, ELS, MWC, CMPP

Director, Scientific Strategy & Partnerships
Prime Global Medical Communications Ltd.

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