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IMC Full-Time Master's

Advance your career with Medill's Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications

Medill’s prestigious IMC Full-Time program is tailored to launch your career in the marketing communications field with an intense five quarters that prepare you to understand and engage consumers, solve marketing challenges and build strong brands in the digital age.

  • Gain real-world experience working with industry leaders.
  • Benefit from the reputation of Northwestern, a top-10 university.
  • Be a part of a STEM-designated program.
  • Join a high-quality network of more than 18,000 alumni.

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What is IMC?

Integrated marketing communications (IMC) is a strategic, innovative approach through which organizations drive performance by engaging, serving and communicating with consumers and other constituents.

IMC combines qualitative understanding of consumers with large-scale analytics to develop strategic communications and content that build and maintain strong brands. Grounded in advertising, public relations and direct media communications, IMC has emerged as the premier way for organizations to manage customer experiences in the digital age.

  • Program quick facts
  • Length
    15 Months
  • Total Students
    125
  • Average Age
    24
  • States Represented
    23
  • Countries Represented
    13
  • Graduates Employed Within 9 Months Of Graduation
    96.3%

OUR GRADUATES GO ON TO WORK FOR TOP COMPANIES:

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Join us for our info sessions.

How is IMC different from an MBA?

The Medill IMC master’s program is distinct and uniquely prepares you to excel in marketing communications in any industry. Everything you learn at Medill will be centered on consumer understanding.

The master's program that is right for you depends on the skills you want to develop for your future career path. See what sets the Medill IMC program apart from Other Master’s Degrees.

Discover The Difference
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15 Months Full-Time Integrated Marketing Communications Master's Program

  • Learn through core courses

    You’ll understand the foundations of integrated marketing communications

  • Explore through sequences

    Take a deep dive in to an area of marketing you choose

  • Put your learning to work

    Our experiential opportunities will help you apply what you’ve learned

Explore the IMC Curriculum

The integrated marketing communications (IMC) curriculum is designed for you to cultivate breadth and depth of expertise and strategic thinking in four core areas of integrated marketing communications. You will choose more than one sequence to build your base of knowledge.

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Marketing Research

Marketing Research provides an overview of the marketing research process and goes into depth on basic statistical analysis. Students learn to define the research problem and select an appropriate research design.

Explore Marketing Research
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Financial Accounting

Financial Accounting provides an overview of the principles of corporate finance including financial statement analysis, business performance measurement, budgeting, long-term forecasting, and investment analysis.

Explore Financial Accounting
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IMC Strategic Process

IMC Strategic Process covers the principles and practices of Integrated Marketing Communications. The course begins by discussing the definitions, scope and phases of IMC as a strategic process for managing the communications between an organization and its stakeholders.

Explore IMC Strategic Process
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Consumer Insight

Consumer Insight is a foundational course for developing a consumer centric, IMC perspective. The course focuses on understanding how individuals, families, and groups acquire, consume, and dispose of goods, services, ideas, brands, and experiences.

Explore Consumer Insight
A student gives a marketing strategy presentation

Marketing Strategy

Marketing Strategy introduces students to the fundamentals of strategy that they will be regularly using as a marketing practitioner. The course will familiarize students with different types of business strategies and models.

Explore Marketing Strategy
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Consumer Insights and Analytics

Hone your qualitative and quantitative skills to understand customers and analyze complex big data sets of consumer behaviors.

EXPLORE
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Brand Strategy

In Brand Strategy courses, you identify strategic brand opportunities and use consumer insights to measure brand awareness and equity, lead business decisions and shape perceptions.

EXPLORE
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Strategic Communications

Through the Strategic Communications sequence, you learn to deliver messages across platforms and audiences, all while integrating public relations and corporate social responsibility.

EXPLORE
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Media

Learn to implement integrated marketing communications in an evolved media world and engage with consumers through paid, owned and earned media channels.

START YOUR CAREER WITH IMC

Work 10 Weeks For A Top Company

As part of the curriculum, you'll work with a team of IMC students at a top company for 10 weeks during Immersion Quarter. You will tackle a company’s current marketing communications challenges and provide solutions that make a lasting difference.Explore Immersion Quarter
IMC students meeting with an employer

Explore The World & Gain Hands-On Experience

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Build Leadership Skills in London

Take an IMC course in London to learn about leadership in a global context.

Explore London
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Immersion Quarter

Tackle a company’s current challenges and provide solutions that make a lasting difference. Gain hands-on experience and apply what you learn in the classroom to real-world marketing communications challenges.

Explore Immersion Quarter
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Learn About Technology In San Francisco

Experience the convergence of marketing communications with technology and examine the key roles data and analytics play in brand communications in the Bay Area. 

Explore San Francisco
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The Medill IMC Network

Leslie Taylor
Anthony Fleet
Younghee Lee
Melissa Grady Dias
Mike McGrew
Akash Pathak
Leslie Taylor
Leslie Taylor (IMC12)
Principal, Global Director of Marketing & Communications, Gensler
Anthony Fleet
Anthony Fleet (IMC17)
Critical Communications Manager, United Airlines
Younghee Lee
Younghee Lee (MSA90)
Chief Marketing Officer, Samsung Electronics
Christiana Stewart (IMC15)
North America Director of Email Marketing, Nike
Melissa Grady Dias
Melissa Grady Dias (IMC98)
CMO, Cadillac
Mike McGrew
Mike McGrew (IMC97)
EVP, Chief Communications and CSR Officer, Constellation Brands
Akash Pathak
Akash Pathak (IMC06)
Associate Vice President, Marketing, Humana

Leslie Taylor (IMC12)Principal, Global Director of Marketing & Communications, Gensler

"When I reflect on my career to date, I can point to the impact the Medill IMC program has had on the marketing leader I've become. I have been able to grow teams based on the IMC "way of thinking," serving as an ambassador for the art and science of integrated marketing."

Anthony Fleet (IMC17)Critical Communications Manager, United Airlines

"Medill introduced me to a bigger and broader world of highly intelligent and ambitious people. During my time as a student, I gained valuable experience both inside and outside of the classroom that directly contributes to my success as a communication professional."

Younghee Lee (MSA90)Chief Marketing Officer, Samsung Electronics

"Medill IMC helped me become a good leader. In the midst of a rapidly changing world where consumers are getting more segregated, respecting diversity and being open-minded are key to being a global leader, and I thank Medill for this."

Christiana Stewart (IMC15)North America Director of Email Marketing, Nike

"Medill truly taught me what it means to put the consumer at the center of all your marketing strategies - how they think, what they want, when we should talk to them. Not only that, I came out with a lifelong network of friends and colleagues that look out for eachother across the industry."

Melissa Grady Dias (IMC98)CMO, Cadillac

“The IMC program was where I discovered my passion, and I was able to really learn new skills and hone my knowledge in a tangible way that was the foundation for my career moving forward.”

Mike McGrew (IMC97)EVP, Chief Communications and CSR Officer, Constellation Brands

McGrew oversees the company's communications efforts, including internal and external global communications, brand public relations, corporate branding and reputation, investor relations and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Akash Pathak (IMC06)Associate Vice President, Marketing, Humana

Pathak is the Marketing Leader at Humana and a performance and brand marketing expert. He is experienced at implementing business growth strategies for brand and e-commerse campaigns.

Vijay Viswanathan
Jacqueline Babb
Michelle Weinberger
Danielle Robinson Bell
Ernest Duplessis
Nancy Hobor
Ed Malthouse
Ashlee Humphreys
Lan Nguyen Chaplin
Frank Mulhern
Vijay Viswanathan
Vijay Viswanathan
Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani Professor of Integrated Marketing Communications and Associate Dean of IMC
Jacqueline Babb
Jacqueline Babb
Senior Lecturer and Director of IMC Full-Time Program
Michelle Weinberger
Michelle Weinberger
Associate Professor
Danielle Robinson Bell
Danielle Robinson Bell
Assistant Professor and Director of the IMC Professional Program
Ernest Duplessis
Ernest Duplessis (IMC96)
Associate Professor
Nancy Hobor
Nancy Hobor
Associate Professor
Ed Malthouse
Ed Malthouse
Erastus Otis Haven Professor
Ashlee Humphreys
Ashlee Humphreys
Associate Professor
Lan Nguyen Chaplin
Lan Nguyen Chaplin
Professor
Frank Mulhern
Frank Mulhern
Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani Professor of Integrated Marketing Communications, Associate Dean of Research and Executive Director of Academic Programs in San Francisco

Vijay ViswanathanHamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani Professor of Integrated Marketing Communications and Associate Dean of IMC

Vijay Viswanathan's research focuses on consumer decision making, especially in the realm of branding, pricing, cross-media consumption and social influence. His research has important implications for the economic impact of managerial decisions related to marketing communications.

Jacqueline BabbSenior Lecturer and Director of IMC Full-Time Program

Jacqueline Babb is a committed and experienced marketing professional and educator with 20 years of experience. She teaches courses in marketing strategy, IMC strategy and digital marketing.

Michelle WeinbergerAssociate Professor

Michelle Weinberger’s research takes a sociological approach to understanding consumers, stakeholders and marketplace actors. She studies socio-cultural aspects of consumption and the role of various forms of marketing communications in creating meaning for stakeholders.

Danielle Robinson BellAssistant Professor and Director of the IMC Professional Program

Danielle Robinson Bell’s area of expertise is strategic communications and its impact on business outcomes for organizations, brands and executives. She specializes in work that advances efforts related to culture, equity, inclusion, women and BIPOC in the workplace.

Ernest Duplessis (IMC96)Associate Professor

Ernest Duplessis was formerly senior vice president of corporate communications and government affairs at Mondelēz International. His career includes over 25 years of public relations, internal and external communications, investor relations and government affairs experience spanning corporate America and the U.S. Military.

Nancy HoborAssociate Professor

Nancy Hobor is an associate professor in Medill’s Integrated Marketing Communications graduate program and has more than 30 years of experience helping companies strengthen their reputations and position themselves internally and externally. Within strategic communications, she has a passion for investor relations and employee engagement.

Ed MalthouseErastus Otis Haven Professor

Ed Malthouse’s research interests center on media marketing, database marketing, advertising, new media and IMC. He develops statistical models and applies them to large data sets of consumer information to help managers make marketing decisions.

Ashlee HumphreysAssociate Professor

Ashlee Humphreys is an associate professor at Medill. Trained as a sociologist, she examines core topics in consumer behavior and marketing strategy. Her research investigates the role of legal and cultural institutions in creating markets, the influence of language on consumer judgments of legitimacy, and the process of consumer co-creation.

Lan Nguyen ChaplinProfessor

Lan Nguyen Chaplin's research focuses on branding, materialism and children’s consumer behavior, and she has published and spoken extensively on these areas.

Frank MulhernHamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani Professor of Integrated Marketing Communications, Associate Dean of Research and Executive Director of Academic Programs in San Francisco

Frank Mulhern holds the Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani Professorship. He is also executive director of academic programs in San Francisco and associate dean of research at Medill. Mulhern specializes in research on the economics of marketing, the impact of new media technologies on marketing communications and the measurement of advertising and promotion effects, particularly in retail environments.

Integrated Marketing Communications Master's Program FAQ