Medical writing is fast emerging as a lucrative career option for not just people with a background in Science, but for students of English and journalism. The average income of a medical writer at the starting level itself is as high as $54,000, according to Salary.com.

To jumpstart your career in medical writing, review this list of the top Universities and Institutes around the world that offer different courses in the field:

University of the Sciences, Philadelphia

The University offers a Masters in Biomedical writing, with courses each spring, summer and fall semester. Students can choose to pursue the MSc degree full-time or part-time. The onsite classes are conduct on weekends and in the evenings, with an average class size of just 6-10 students to allow individual attention.

Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins offers an MA in Medical Writing. Students are required to choose nine subjects, from a wide range of topics, for successful course completion. This includes techniques of science, literature of science, science-medical writing workshops and internships.

University of Chicago

Students of the Medical Writing and Editing Program of the University of Chicago can opt for several specialties in medical writing, including

• Advanced Medical Editing
• Reporting Biostatistics
• Designing Tables and Graphs
• Preparing New Drug Application
• Developing Patient Education Materials

European Medical Writers Association (EMWA)

Established in 1989, The European Medical Writers Association Professional Development Programme aims to provide educational as well as networking opportunities for medical writers. Some key subject areas covered in the course offered by EMWA are:
• basic writing skills
• pharmacokinetics
• public relations
• guidelines for the pharmaceutical industry
• accounting for freelancers
• the art of data-presentation.

Australian Medical Writers Association (AMWA)

The Professional Development Program of the AMWA is open to members as well as non-members. Each workshop costs $80-$100, and by completing eight workshops, students are eligible for the PDP certificate.