The aim of the Master’s is to offer an academic training in the historical and social studies on science. It is intended to train professionals and researchers with critical capacity and up-to-date analysis methods, which can work and research in areas related to the history of science, medicine and technology; the communication and popular science; the management of scientific information, and preservation of culture heritage of science. The Master’s comprises a total of 90 training credits divided into seven modules that can be grouped into three large blocks: a block destined to offer a general introduction to the history of science and communication; a second block which will allow to deepen the analysis of scientific activity in its historical and social context, the studies of the processes of dissemination and social communication of science and the analysis of discourse and scientific information; and the third block consists of a project run by professors about a topic related to the taught subjects.

The Master’s covers a real demand for training and specialisation in a set of new professional areas related to the study of historical evolution and social function of science and medicine; the communication and spread of science; the rhetoric and scientific discourse; the management of scientific information, and the cultural heritage of science.

The need to train specialists and researches in the areas that deal with the relationship between science, medicine, history and society is justified by several socio-economic factors: the increasing importance of the social and cultural dimension of science and technology; the increasing scientific outreach and dissemination activities developed by public research organisations, universities, laboratories and R&D centres; the development of science journalism and the popularisation of science and health science in both written and audiovisual media; the publication of best-selling popular science books; and the growing importance of scientific literacy and the knowledge of the social perception of science. In short, there is a growing social, economic, media and academic interest in scientific culture, which has become a vital element in the new knowledge society.

It is becoming increasingly important for citizens to have critical knowledge about the history and social and cultural significance of science, its progress, achievements, risks, limitations and social impact. Science is now one of the cornerstones of our knowledge and cultural practices, and it plays a vital role in the economy, the public sphere and social relations. It is necessary, therefore, that universities, with Master’s such as the one we propose, train specialists in these complex problems and issues, who provide society tools for the analysis and interdisciplinary reflection on the role of science in society, its history and the issues related to social communication.