Overview
Established in 1851, Northwestern is one of the nation's major private research universities. More than 7,500 undergraduates and 5,200 graduate and professional school students study full-time on the Evanston and Chicago campuses with 1,600 full- and part-time faculty members.

Medill enrolls 175 graduate students per year. These individuals represent more than ninety liberal arts institutions and come from all over the world. The average age of the students is 25. Currently, more than 90 percent of the School's graduates find immediate employment in a variety of settings in the news and mass communications fields.

The Community
Medill's main campus is located in Evanston (population 70,000), which is just north of Chicago. In Evanston, Medill's McCormick Journalism Center is located in Fisk Hall, a few steps from Lake Michigan. The School has a newsroom at Clark and Adams Streets, in the heart of downtown Chicago. It also has a newsroom in Washington, D.C., where students serve as Washington correspondents for newspapers and broadcast stations across the country.

Programs of study and degree requirements
With its emphasis on professional training, the Medill School of Journalism enjoys a strong reputation in all the communications media it serves: broadcast, magazine, newspaper, new media, advertising, sales promotion, public relations, and direct, database, and e-commerce marketing. Two distinct programs are offered: journalism and integrated marketing communications.

Medill offers a Master of Science in Journalism degree with emphases in broadcast journalism, magazine publishing, new media, and reporting and writing. In Medill's highly lauded M.S. journalism program, students receive classroom training in addition to covering the same beats as professional reporters in Chicago's suburbs, in downtown Chicago, and in Washington, D.C. Generally, journalism programs require nine or twelve months to complete and, for the convenience of matriculating students, the school offers fall, winter, and summer starts. Global journalism, offered as an additional fifth-quarter, is available to those interested in practicing journalism in Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world. Medill has also launched a series of fifth-quarter programs that provide students with in-depth instruction in specific areas of knowledge, including biomedicine, sports, religion, and investigative journalism.

The School is looking to the future of journalism and communications, which demands critical thinking and interdisciplinary work in addition to practical training. Courses include studies in media ethics and law, computer-assisted reporting, new media, visual journalism, and management techniques. Medill's Media Management Center brings together experts from business, advertising, and editorial journalism to train and sharpen the abilities of current and future leaders in the profession.

A Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) degree is offered with specializations in advertising and sales promotion; public relations; direct, database, and e-commerce marketing; and general studies. In the nationally recognized Integrated Marketing Communications program, students take a practical approach to learning by developing advertising campaigns and marketing strategies. The curriculum concentrates on three areas of study: research, strategy, and management. The full-time IMC program requires fifteen months and begins in September. The part-time IMC program requires 24 months of part-time study.

Facilities & Resources
Medill is one of eight schools located on Northwestern's Evanston campus. The others are the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Education and Social Policy, the Graduate School, the J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, the School of Music, the School of Speech, and the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science of the Technological Institute. The Chicago campus accommodates the School of Law, the Medical School, the Dental School, the School of Continuing Studies, and the McGaw Medical Center.

Medill students have free access to the Internet and obtain e-mail accounts upon enrollment. The full resources of Northwestern University are available, including libraries on both campuses holding more than 3 million volumes and 1,000 international and domestic newspapers. Current editions of sixty newspapers from across the nation, as well as more than fifty consumer, academic, and trade publications, are available in Medill's Media Resource Center, located in Fisk Hall. Fisk also houses smart classrooms, newsroom labs, a broadcast facility, and administrative and faculty offices. The IMC faculty members are located one block from Fisk Hall at 1908 Sheridan Road.

Faculty
The full-time faculty at Medill has combined teaching experience of more than 500 years here at Northwestern – and even more years of combined professional experience. In addition to the full-time faculty, Medill attracts top working professionals from media outlets such as the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, the National Public Radio station in Chicago, Jet magazine, Business Week, and more. Our IMC faculty are leading edge experts, many of whom hold positions at some of the many Fortune 100 and 500 companies based in Chicago and nationwide.  Read more....

Multicultural Students
Northwestern is a university with a longstanding commitment to increasing the number of minority students pursuing graduate degrees. Minority students at Northwestern have the opportunity to study with eminent scholars and to benefit from the resources of a major metropolitan area. But beyond opportunity, Northwestern is dedicated to creating an educational environment congenial to all students and faculty to that minority students admitted to graduate programs will successfully complete their degrees.

Northwestern encourages minority applicants to visit the University. The Graduate School provides funds toward the cost of travel for eligible minority applicants. Arrangements for a campus visit should be made by calling the department of program of interest.

The Graduate School provides special minority fellowships and tuition scholarships from University-appropriated funds for U.S. citizens who are American Indians, African-Americans, Mexican Americans, and Puerto Ricans. No separate application is required for University awards.

Northwestern also administers a number of award programs for which minority students admitted to The Graduate School may apply. Information on any of these programs may be obtained from the Coordinator of Minority Affairs in The Graduate School.

International Students
The International Office provides expert advising services to international students and scholars of Northwestern University. The primary function of the International Office is to provide comprehensive advising services to international students and visiting faculty concerning their non-immigrant legal status in the United States.

Expenses and Aid
Costs: For the 2007-–08 academic year, tuition is $9828 per quarter for editorial students and $10,280 per quarter for full-time IMC students. Other quarterly costs (estimates) include books, $423; transportation, $527; and personal expenses, $1026.

Financial Aid: Approximately 80 percent of Medill students receive some form of financial assistance. Financial aid packages comprise a combination of loans (self-help), Federal Work-Study awards, and grants or scholarships. The amount of the financial aid package is based on the student's current financial need as well as the availability of grant, scholarship, Federal Work-Study, and loan funds.

Housing/Living Expenses: The University acts as a resource in finding suitable accommodations. Graduate housing is readily available on both the Evanston and Chicago campuses. Estimated costs for room and board are $16,140 for twelve months (four quarters).

How to Apply
Medill seeks graduate students with academic promise, outstanding career potential, and a proven interest in the field. Applicants are required to submit a graduate admission application form, including essay questions; three letters of recommendation; transcripts from all postsecondary institutions attended; the results of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), or the Law School Admission Test (LSAT); and a $50 nonrefundable application fee. International applicants must submit results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) within twelve months of applying. Priority application deadlines are January 15 for September enrollment; September 1 for January enrollment; and December 1 for June enrollment.

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