You begin with an idea. Three months later you have a published, nationally distributed magazine and a Web site, as well as budget and circulation projections and a completed advertising campaign. In the process you gain an intimate understanding of what it takes to create and manage a magazine. Whether you are devising a concept "from scratch" or working with a real media company to revamp an existing title, this kind of publishing experience is unique to Medill.

Real Experience, Real Magazines

Medill produces magazines twice a year — and magazine writers and editors daily. Our students have contributed to the growing number of consumer and trade magazines found in bookstores, grocery stores and mailboxes. But we produce more than magazines at Medill — we produce outstanding magazine writers, editors and publishers. Students who choose the distinctive Magazine Publishing sequence begin with Magazine Writing and Magazine Editing, two courses that allow them to find their voice by crafting informative, moving, nuanced and useful or fun pieces.

For the fall 2006 project, the students worked with a real media company to revamp an existing title, Reader's Digest.

View the Prototypes

Professors and numerous guest professionals are there to offer guidance throughout the project. The professors who teach these courses have been on the staffs of a wide range of magazines — everything from Rolling Stone to Car & Driver. Visiting instructors include Alex Kotlowitz, the award-winning author of “There Are No Children Here” and “The Other Side of the River.”

Program Requirements
Information about schedules and classes.

Magazine Project Faculty

Magazine Publishing Project
Magazine students produce a magazine twice a year.