Student Life

Part Time IMC

Degree Requirements

To graduate with a master of science in Integrated Marketing Communications from Medill, part-time students must satisfy the following requirements:

Complete 15 graduate-level courses at Northwestern University:

  • Ten (10) courses are fulfilled by the IMC core curriculum
  • Five (5) courses are electives; four (4) must be taken through Medill (graduate IMC or journalism courses); one (1) may be a graduate-level course offered elsewhere at Northwestern University;

Have a grade point average of at least 3.0 (no rounding) at the time of graduation;

Have earned no more than 2 grades of C (C+, C, C-) through the course of the program, and have earned no grades of F.

Part-time students must complete their degree requirements within five years of enrolling in the program.

IMC Core Courses

  • 450-0 Marketing Finance
  • 451-0 Statistics & Market Research I
  • 451-1 Statistics & Market Research II
  • 452-0 Marketing Management
  • 454-0 Communication Skills and Persuasive Messages
  • 455-0 Consumer Insight
  • 457-0 IMC Implementation: Managing Integration
  • 459-0 IMC Law, Policy & Ethics
  • 460-0 IMC Strategic Process
  • 461-0 Media Economics and Technology

 

Electives

Electives in the IMC Program are offered based upon faculty availability, student feedback and current issues in the industry. As stated above, at least 4 electives must be taken through Medill, which includes graduate journalism courses if available.

One elective may be taken elsewhere at Northwestern University, provided it is a graduate-level course, all prerequisites have been met and permissions obtained, and the student has completed eight (8) credits in the IMC program prior to taking the course. It is the student’s responsibility to research non-Medill courses and obtain the necessary permission to enroll. When courses are available, the Kellogg School of Management has a detailed procedure to follow that is communicated to students by the IMC Registrar. All other departments must be contacted directly by the student.

The IMC elective courses listed below are examples of courses that have been recently offered and should not be interpreted as a guarantee of offering; if scheduling conflicts or opportunities arise, the department may insert a different course or alter the schedule accordingly. Some electives have their own course numbers; others fall under the “practicum” category (IMC 498) or “Special Topics” (IMC 490).

Sample Elective Courses:

Global Communications

Customer Loyalty

Global Perspectives (includes Global Trip)

Crisis Communications

Independent Study

Independent study allows qualified students to engage in individualized study and research in an area of interest outside the available curriculum. An approved independent study project (IMC 499-0) will count as a 1-unit elective toward degree requirements. 

IMC students are allowed to pursue no more than one (1) independent study per term, and no more than two (2) overall. Students must be in good academic standing to pursue an independent study.

Students who wish to propose an independent study must complete the following steps:

1. Develop a detailed plan for the study. This will provide a basis for discussion with faculty members when searching for a sponsor.

2. Locate a full-time faculty member with the appropriate interests and expertise that is willing to sponsor the study.

3. Together, turn that plan into a syllabus. It must include the objective of the study, required and suggested reading, written assignments, week-by-week goals, and grading criteria.

4. Submit the syllabus, a Cover Form and a written statement of support from the sponsoring faculty member to the Director of Student Life no later than 5 p.m. on the Friday of the seventh week of the quarter preceding the quarter in which the student hopes to pursue the study.

Petition of Degree Requirements

Occasionally students wish to propose a change to their individual degree requirements (one example is an Independent Study, described above).  Requests to change degree requirements are called "petition of academic standards" and must follow specific procedures: Petition of Academic Standards.

Media Management

Students interested in media management may petition for permission to pursue a 3-course concentration in the subject. It features a combination of IMC and Kellogg School of Management courses. This program has limited spaces available and courses are held in Evanston. It takes place during a student’s second year in the program. Interested students should inquire during the summer after their first year in the program.

Integrity at Medill

All students at Medill are held to an Integrity Code, as well as Northwestern's Integrity Policy.