Chemists with excellent writing and communication skills can be employed by scientific journals, textbook publishers, online magazines and science blogs or print/media networks, or by universities, government labs or non-profit organizations, trade journals other entities in positions that require educating the public about relevant and emerging chemistry issues. The following FRINQ, SINQ, Upper-division Cluster, and Senior Capstones are recommended for students in the Scientific Communication career pathway.
Career examples
- scientific journalist
- technical writer
- journal editor
- publisher or publications manager
- textbook sales
- public relations specialist
- development/fund-raising specialist
- grant writer
- scientific illustrator
Advanced degrees are not necessarily required, but students may pursue specialized degree programs in science communication such as this, standard research-thesis based MS or PhD programs, or training or degree programs in scientific illustration. These programs are competitive; grades, GRE scores, and experience are important.
Freshman Inquiry Courses (FRINQ)
You are required* to take one year-long Freshman Inquiry (FRINQ) course (totaling 15 credits), which must be taken in sequence. Ideally, this course should be completed during fall, winter, and spring of your first year.
*All students entering as freshmen are required to take FRINQ, with the exception of those in the Honors Program or Liberal Studies. Transfer students are required to take FRINQ depending on the number of transfer credits they have the term they are admitted to Portland State University. If you transfer with 90+ credits, the FRINQ requirement is waived.
Sophomore Inquiry Courses (SINQ)
Students are required** to take three Sophomore Inquiry (SINQ) courses (totaling 12 credits), linked to three different clusters. Ideally, these courses will be completed during fall, winter, and spring of your second year.
**Transfer students are required to take SINQ depending on the number and type of transfer credits they have the term they are admitted to Portland State University. University Studies credit will be given only for Cluster courses taken from the same Cluster.
We recommend choosing SINQ courses that are linked to the upper-division (junior) clusters listed below. Choose wisely since you are only allowed to take courses for your upper-division course requirement (below) from a cluster linked to a SINQ that you have completed.
Upper-Division (Junior) Clusters
All students are required to complete three courses (totaling 12 credits) from a single upper-division/Junior cluster (one of the three you selected for SINQ). Ideally, these will be completed during fall, winter, and spring of your third year. We recommend choosing these three courses from one of the clusters below. Choose wisely to build knowledge and experience relevant to your career pathway.
Recommended Courses within Clusters (note cross-listing) (see the University Studies website for a complete list of courses within each cluster)
Environmental Sustainability
This course introduces students to the study of environmental sustainability, and to the ways in which a wide variety of disciplines address environmental issues.
- ARCH 367U Fundamentals of Environmental Design
- EC 332U Environmental Economics
- ENG 368U Literature and Ecology
- ESM 355U Understanding Environmental Sustainability
- ESM 356U Understanding Environmental Sustainability II G
- 352U Minerals and World Affairs
- GEOG 347U Environmental Issues and Action
- HST 339U Environment and History
- PHL 310U Environmental Ethics
- PHL 375U Food Ethics
- SCI 331U Atmospheric Interactions I
- SCI 332U Atmospheric Interactions II
- SCI 335U Water in the Environment I
- SCI 336U Water in the Environment II
- SCI 338U Investigating Forest Ecosystems
- SCI 357U Sustain US/Mexico Border Region
- SOC 341U Population Trends and Policy
- SYSC 334U Modeling Socio-Ecological Systems
- SYSC 350U Indigenous and Systems Perspectives on Sustainability
- USP 313U Urban Planning: Environmental Issues
Freedom, Privacy, & Technology
Privacy and freedom are highly valued, and are to some extent protected by the U.S. Constitution. Recent rapid advance in science and technology, combined with compelling motives to use this technology to control and exploit aspects of human life.
- BI 346U / WS 346U Genes and Society
- BI 372U / SCI 372U Nanotechnology: Society and Sustainability
- COMM 312U Media Literacy
- CS 347U The Internet Age
- CS 348U Digital Media and Society
- HST 399U Environmental History
- HST 387U History of Modern Science
- PHL 320U Critical Thinking
- PS 318U Median, Option and Voting
- SCI 359U Biopolitics
- SCI 361U Science: Power-Knowledge
- SCI 363U Ethics in Science
- SCI / WS 365U Science of Women's Bodies (crosslisted with WS 365U)
Global Environmental Change
This course will provide enough content and description of the global system for students to have a conceptual framework to do further studies on global environmental change.
- CH 360U Origins of Life on Earth
- ENG 368U Literature and Ecology
- G 340U Life of the Past
- G 341U Geology of The Oregon Country
- G 342U Volcanoes and Earthquakes
- G 344U Geology of National Parks
- G 345U Life in the Universe
- G 351U Oceanography
- GEOG 310U / SCI 333U Climate and Water Resources (crosslisted with SCI 333U)
- GEOG 311U Climatology
- GEOG 312U /SCI 334U Climate Variability (crosslisted with SCI 312U)
- GEOG 313U Biogeography
- GEOG 314U Severe Weather
- GEOG 322U Alpine Environments
- GEOG / PH 333U Weather (crosslisted with PH 333U)
- GEOG 340U Global Water Issues and Sustainability
- GEOG 346U World Population and Food Supply
- GEOG 347U Environmental Issues and Action
- HST 339U Environment and History
- PH 375U The Earth’s Climate and Human Life
- PHL 310U Environmental Ethics
- SCI 357U Sustain US / Mexico Border Region
- SYSC 334U Modeling Socio-Ecological Systems
Knowledge, Values and Rationality
The theme of the cluster is the nature of rationality and its emergence from the interplay of knowledge and values.
- BI 372U / SCI 372U Nanotechnology: Society and Sustainability
- PHE 444U Global Health
- PHL 307U Science and Society
- PHL 308U Elementary Ethics
- PHL 310U Environmental Ethics
- PHL 313U Life and Death Issues
- PHL 314U Computer Ethics
- PHL 316U Social & Political Philosophy
- PHL 318U Philosophy of Medicine
- PHL 320U Critical Thinking
- PHL 321U Practical Epistemology
- PHL 322U Minds and Machines
- PHL 324U Introduction to Formal Logic
- PHL 325U Introduction to Formal Logic II
- PHL 330U Language, Representation and Reality
- PHL 331U Philosophy of Education
- PHL 333U Philosophy of Law
- PHL 334U Military Ethics
- PHL 350U International Ethics
- PHL 351U Philosophy of International Human Rights
- PHL 352U Philosophy of International Law
- PHL 355U Morality and Health Care
- PHL 371U Philosophy of the City
- PHL 375U Food Ethics
- PS 325U Politics and the Legal Enforcement of Morals
- PSY 300U Personal Decision Making
- SCI 363U Ethics in Science
- SYSC 332U Darwinian Thought in Society
- SYSC 350U Indigenous and Systems Perspectives on Sustainability
- UNST 399U Experiential Pathways Cluster Course
Leading Social Change
This course will provide a foundation of leadership theory and will examine models of leadership in relation to the theory and concepts of change.
- COMM 312U Media Literacy
- COMM 313U Communication in Groups
- COMM 314U Persuasion
- COMM 323U Organizational Communication
- COMM / WS 337U Communication and Gender (crosslisted with WS 337U)
- CR 303U Consensus Building: Theory and Practice
- ELP 348U Global Political Ecology
- ESM 355U Understanding Environmental Sustainability
- GEOG 332U Urban Geography
- GEOG 346U World Population and Food Supply
- GEOG 347U Environmental Issues and Action
- GEOG 348U Cultural and Political Ecology
- PA 312U Foundations of Community Leadership
- PA 314U Special Topics: Student Leadership
- PA 315U Managing People for Change
- PA 417U Ethical Leadership
- PAH 320U Health Ethics - Contemporary Issues
- PHE 446U Community Health: Principles and Practices
- PHL 308U Elementary Ethics
- PHL 310U Environmental Ethics
- PHL 316U Social and Political Philosophy
- PHL 320U Critical Thinking
- PS 313U The Power Game
- PS 318U Media, Opinion and Voting
- PS 325U Politics and Legal Enforcement of Morals
- UNST 399U The Engaged Citizen: Social Media and Online Leadership
- UNST 399U The Engaged Citizen: Sustainability
- UNST 399U Experiential Pathways Cluster Course
- WS 306U Global Gender Issues
Senior Capstone
This 6 credit Senior Capstone course is your final general education requirement and should ideally be taken during any term of your fourth year. Choose wisely to continue building knowledge and skills relevant to your career pathway, and to gain experience with critical thinking and problem solving, communication and teamwork, self-assessment and organization, and project management.
We strongly recommend choosing a capstone from the Research, Business-Engineering-Technology, Global Perspectives, or Grantwriting theme areas such as:
- Research and Society
- Research Experience for Science Majors
- Case Studies in Environmental Problem Solving
- Grantwriting: Environmental Advocacy (supporting Multnomah ESD Outdoor School)
- Animal Aid: Grantwriting for Wildlife Conservation in Africa
- Grantwriting: Studtainability
- Indigenous Grantwriting
- Multimedia Production Team
- Media Literacy
- Mentoring & Empowerment at NAYA
- Science Inquiry in the Outdoor Classroom
- Leadership and Mentoring
- Promoting science inquiry in middle school classrooms: Water quality in freshwater habitats