Immersion Quarter

Summer Immersion is much more than an internship. During your fourth quarter in the IMC program, you combine hands-on learning with the guidance of Medill faculty to tackle a real-world problem with an IMC solution. You come away with demonstrable experience to add to your resume and apply to any industry you decide to pursue after graduation.

During your summer immersion, you work with a small team of IMC students and faculty to apply your learning. You tackle real-world challenges and provide measurable solutions that achieve business objectives.

Throughout the quarter, you will collect and leverage qualitative and quantitative data to develop insights and strategies to achieve measurable financial results. At the end of the quarter, your team will present its strategic recommendations to company leaders and faculty.

Your summer immersion is a required part of the IMC curriculum, and you will earn credits for completing it.

Students in discussion in a conference room

What you learn

Some of the skills you practice, develop and demonstrate during Summer Immersion include:

Brand planning and strategy analytics
Competitive analysis
Customer insight
Digital/mobile marketing
Strategic communications and public relations
Primary and secondary research
Media strategy and management
Social media analysis
Team communication
Content marketing
Shopper marketing
Strategic thinking
Project planning and management
New product marketing
Creative solutions and problem solving
Presentation skills
Confidence to work with senior executives
Networking within an organization

Success stories

"Immersion Quarter working at Abbott, showcased the value of IMC foundations by enabling me to apply research, insights, and strategic frameworks to solve real-world challenges. This hands-on experience taught me how to translate data into actionable strategies and deliver a compelling storytelling that connect business goals with consumer needs. It reinforced the importance of aligning strategy, creativity, and analytics to create impactful, consumer-focused campaigns. This was particularly evident in crafting strategies to connect with U.S. Hispanics, where understanding cultural nuances and values was essential for creating authentic campaign idea and strategy. By bridging theory and practice, it reinforced the power of IMC to build stronger brand connections and deliver impactful, consumer-centric marketing strategies." - Sofia Rojas (IMC 24)

Helen Matsumoto (IMC20) and her team worked at Salesforce creating a machine learning model to segment Salesforce customers. “We had so much support from Northwestern professors and advisers. I was so thrilled [when I was offered a full-time job with Salesforce after the project]. I hadn’t been seriously considering pursuing a job in data before, but Immersion Quarter helped me discover that I really loved it and learned that I have a knack for analysis. It’s changed my entire thinking on what kind of career I want to have.

“I was at Igloo Products Corp during the Immersion Quarter where we put together a retail optimization recommendation to drive incremental sales. I always refer back to this opportunity during interviews since it not only provided me valuable hands-on experience but also challenged me to take being a team player to the next level.” - Cindy Chang (IMC18)

“During my Immersion Quarter, I was given the opportunity to work for Anheuser-Busch InBev. Our team was tasked with developing a customer relationship management (CRM) program and a longterm email strategy for its six priority brands. I'd never had experience building a CRM program from the ground up, so it was definitely a valuable learning opportunity for me. The insights I gained during Immersion Quarter also made for useful anecdotes during my job interviews.” - Brandon Lin (IMC20)

“During Immersion Quarter, I worked as a marketing consultant for YMCA of Metro Chicago. It was such a pleasure to develop a comprehensive IMC plan that will work to deepen family engagement across the Chicagoland area. The amazing individuals at the Y supported us throughout our project, and my awesome teammates made it the experience of a lifetime.” - Janna Prowell (IMC19)