MS in Media, Medicine, and Health at Harvard University

The Master of Science in Media, Medicine, and Health draws on mass media, narratives, and the arts to elevate patient and community voices, improve health education, and analyze and enhance evidence-based interventions. The curriculum provides rigorous training in both theories and methods of storytelling and social medicine from Harvard Medical School faculty. The program culminates in a mentored Capstone Project in which students develop a novel media intervention.

Graduates of this program will acquire a wide range of knowledge, analytical, and practical storytelling and media skills (along with networking opportunities and career advising) necessary to create successful and impactful health programs for the multitude of health crises facing our nation and the world. Guest speakers and lecturers will provide valuable networking opportunities in various industries and storytelling modalities.

The Capstone:

The capstone course is the student’s opportunity to craft a public health intervention that represents the culmination of what they have learned in the master’s program. Students will decide on both a storytelling medium (for example, film, creative nonfiction, podcasting, or graphic design) and message (for instance, the opioid epidemic, high rates of HIV infection in Southern cities, racial health disparities and asthma, access to insulin, or preparing for a future pandemic). Students will pitch their mentors on their choice of medium and message and support their choices with reference to the first semester’s lessons on health promotion and using narrative to ignite social change. At the end of the spring semester, students will produce both a written product (that contextualizes their capstone) and a media component (that will be presented or displayed at the end of the program).