Man and woman smiling at each other as they sit at the Northwestern Medill anchor desk overlooking Lake Michigan.

Master of Science
in Journalism

Advance your journalism career with Medill

Join one of the best and most prestigious graduate journalism programs in the world. Learn enduring professional skills and values as well as new techniques to succeed in today's fast-paced, digital media landscape.

Experience real-world reporting in local, national and international environments.
Benefit from the reputation of Northwestern, a top 10 university.
Choose a specialization to develop expertise in an area you’re passionate about.
Join a high-quality network of more than 18,000 alumni working in journalism, media, communications and other industries all over the world.
Get job search support from Medill Career Services with workshops, networking events, and one-on-one coaching.
Learn from a mix of academic scholars and experienced professionals who have won some of the top prizes in journalism for their work.
Hear from an unmatched array of guest speakers who work across the media landscape.
Explore and learn in different cities with our coast-to-coast campuses.
Receive STEM-designation through the MSJ program.

Request info

Program quick facts
Length
1 Year
Location
Chicago
Students in Class
154
Average Work Experience
1.5 Years

Our Graduates Go On To Work For Top Media Outlets and Companies

Specializations for the Master's in Journalism

As a Medill journalism master’s student, you will select a subject area or reporting method specialization. In addition to strengthening your journalism skills in the MSJ program, these specializations allow you to develop a deep expertise in a specific area that interests you.

A group of students standing beside the CBOE opening bell.

Business, Economics and Money

Learn how to uncover financial stories and present them in ways that help your audience understand their critical importance.

Explore Business, Economics and Money

Health, Environment & Science

Follow your passion for medicine, healthcare, science and the environment as you pursue stories anywhere in the world, from medical research labs to environmental hot spots.

Explore Health, Environment & Science

Media Innovation And Content Strategy

Combine your love of journalism with your entrepreneurial spirit and learn how to lead, launch or build digital media businesses.

Explore Media Innovation And Content Strategy

Medill Investigative Programs

Work side-by-side with veteran journalists on investigations of national importance. The investigative skills you learn in these specializations – one entirely in Chicago and one with time in Washington, D.C. – will serve you well in your career no matter what area of journalism you pursue.

Explore Medill Investigative Programs

Student reports from in front of the Capitol.

Politics, Policy and Foreign Affairs

Learn to cover politics and policy and the latest in foreign affairs as a credentialed reporter in the nation’s capital.

Explore Politics, Policy and Foreign Affairs

Magazine

Learn how print and digital magazine content is assembled and published. Write, edit and conceptualize stories and gain an understanding of strong narrative storytelling.

Explore Magazine

Social Justice and Solutions Journalism

Use your journalism skills to shine light on injustice and inequality. Learn how to make a difference in the lives of those who are disenfranchised, vulnerable or oppressed.

Explore Social Justice and Solutions Journalism

Student reports on a baseball game while overlooking the field.

Sports Media

Go beyond game coverage by learning to tackle commentaries, profiles and analyses that sports fans love. Your training will take you onto the field and behind the scenes at sporting events.

Explore Sports Media

Student interviews woman from behind the camera.

Video and Broadcast

Develop your skills in areas such as TV news, video storytelling and documentary. Use our state-of-the-art video equipment and studios to hone your craft.

Explore Video and Broadcast

Master's In Journalism Exclusive Opportunities

Medill Explores

Through Medill Explores, you will have access to a variety of week-long learning and reporting adventures, many of which include domestic or international travel.

Learn More About Medill Explores

Guest Speakers

We offer access to an unmatched array of guest speakers who work in a wide variety of media. These speakers share their expertise and network with Medill students while visiting campus.

Explore Guest Speakers

A group of students in front of Wrigley Field

Medill Fridays

On Fridays throughout your first quarter, you'll hear from industry expert visitors, attend workshops to learn about specific topics and connect with your fellow Medill students in an informal setting.

Explore Medill Fridays

Curriculum

The MSJ curriculum provides you with a solid foundation in the principles of modern journalism and then allows you the flexibility to select a specialization area that matches your interests and career goals.

Explore Curriculum

Students pose for photo in the BBC newsroom in London.

Pulitzer Center and Medill Post-Graduate Reporting Fellowship

Medill partners with the Pulitzer Center to offer grants to select students proposing important immersive journalism projects in the U.S. or abroad.

Explore

Chicago

Take classes at our space in downtown Chicago, located in the Loop among top media companies and with easy access to journalists, many of whom are Medill alumni.

Explore Downtown Chicago Campus

San Francisco

Study design thinking and examine the intersection of technology and innovation at our San Francisco campus, right in the middle of the Bay Area’s entrepreneurial culture.

Explore San Francisco Campus

Washington, D.C.

Train at Medill’s D.C. campus and work as a credentialed journalist reporting on Congress, the White House, politics and national security.

Explore Washington Campus

Your Medill Journalism Network

Pradnya Joshi (BSJ93, MSJ94)

National Weekend Editor, The Washington Post

Natasha Alford (MSJ14)

Vice President of Digital Content & Senior Correspondent, theGrio

Drake Hills (MSJ19)

Sports Reporter, Tennessean

Rahel Solomon (MSJ13)

Correspondent, CNN

Christine Brennan (BSJ80, MSJ81)

Sports Columnist, USA Today

Pradnya Joshi (BSJ93, MSJ94)National Weekend Editor, The Washington Post

"I was fortunate that many places I’ve applied to have had many great, hard-working Medill graduates. Several of my bosses have been Medill graduates, although that didn’t mean I had it easier than other co-workers. Before applying to any job, you should use any network you have to research the position, the company culture and expectations of the job. The Medill network usually steps up."

Natasha Alford (MSJ14)Vice President of Digital Content & Senior Correspondent, theGrio

Natasha S. Alford is an award-winning journalist, digital host, and millennial media executive. As Vice President of Digital Content and a Senior Correspondent at theGrio, she leads a national team in reporting the most critical news and issues impacting the African-American community. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, and Oprah Mag, and she's been a guest contributor on CNN, MSNBC, The Breakfast Club, and Sirius XM.

Drake Hills (MSJ19)Sports Reporter, Tennessean

"I've developed a core belief: find your niche and cultivate it with your skillset. Our niche reflects our brand and our brand reflects our purpose. We are not simply happy to be there. We are built at Medill to stand out."

Rahel Solomon (MSJ13)Correspondent, CNN

Rahel Solomon is a correspondent covering global business news for CNN International and CNN. She was previously a general assignment reporter for CNBC Business News. Prior to CNBC, Rahel was a morning news anchor for CBS3 in her hometown of Philadelphia, Pa.

Christine Brennan (BSJ80, MSJ81)Sports Columnist, USA Today

“I feel so fortunate and so lucky to be able to give back to the university and the school that gave me everything. If I didn’t go to Medill, am I doing all this? Maybe, but I don’t know. I will never thank Northwestern enough. I will never thank Medill enough. I will never thank all the professors who helped me and taught me enough.”

MSJ Alumni

Ava Thompson Greenwell

Professor

Karen Springen

Assistant Professor

J.A. Adande

Associate Professor and Director of Sports Journalism

Craig Duff

Professor

Elise De Los Santos

Lecturer

Chris Benson

Associate Professor

Ceci Rodgers

Assistant Professor and Director of Global Journalism Learning

Arionne Nettles

Lecturer and Director of Audio Journalism Programming

Jeremy Gilbert

Knight Professor in Digital Media Strategy

Ava Thompson GreenwellProfessor

Ava Thompson Greenwell teaches reporting classes at Medill. A Chicago native, she is the director/producer of Mandela in Chicago, a documentary film about the city’s anti-apartheid movement. She is also author of Ladies Leading: The Black Women Who Control Television News.

Karen SpringenAssistant Professor

Karen Springen leads the graduate journalism Magazine Specialization, and teaches undergraduate and graduate reporting and writing classes. She advises several student groups, including the student-run North by Northwestern magazine.

J.A. AdandeAssociate Professor and Director of Sports Journalism

J.A. Adande has worked in sports media for over two and a half decades, including multiple roles at ESPN and 10 years as a sports columnist at the Los Angeles Times, in addition to jobs at The Washington Post and Chicago Sun-Times. He has covered a broad array of sports and events, including 20 NBA Finals, Super Bowls, the World Series, the Stanley Cup finals, the Olympics, the World Cup, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Masters. He continues to appear on ESPN’s “Around The Horn,” where he has been a panelist since the show’s beginning in 2002.

Craig DuffProfessor

Craig Duff is a professor at Medill and also the graduate journalism Video and Broadcast Specialization leader. He is an award-winning video journalist and documentary television director, producer and writer, specializing in multi-platform storytelling and solo journalism.

Elise De Los SantosLecturer

Elise De Los Santos is a lecturer at Medill and the editor of Medill Reports. She teaches undergraduate and graduate classes on reporting and writing.

Chris BensonAssociate Professor

Christopher Benson, a journalist and lawyer, is an associate professor of journalism. As a professional journalist, Benson has worked as Washington editor for Ebony magazine, city hall reporter in Chicago for WBMX-FM, and as a contributor for The Chicago Reporter, writing a weekly online column on justice, race and media issues. Additionally, he has contributed feature articles to Chicago, Savoy, and The Crisis magazines, and has contributed commentary to The Huffington Post, the Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Ceci RodgersAssistant Professor and Director of Global Journalism Learning

Ceci Rodgers is an assistant professor and director of global journalism learning at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and president-elect of the Faculty Senate. Rodgers teaches business and economics reporting courses, as well as video journalism and basic writing and reporting to graduate and undergraduate students. She is the faculty adviser for the student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and leads the school’s global academic programs

Arionne NettlesLecturer and Director of Audio Journalism Programming

Arionne Nettles is a lecturer and director of audio journalism programming at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications.

Jeremy GilbertKnight Professor in Digital Media Strategy

Jeremy Gilbert is the Knight Professor of Digital Media Strategy. Both his work and teaching focus on the content and revenue strategies of existing and emerging media companies. He explores the intersection of technology and media, examining how new tools and techniques will affect the creation, consumption and distribution of media.

MSJ Faculty

An artist’s rendering shows the scene at the airport in Guinea in 2020 when, according to U.S. authorities, two prominent businessmen flew to Lebanon with money bound for the terrorist group Hezbollah.

Shadow Diplomats: The Global Threat of Rogue Diplomacy

In 2022, the students at the Medill Investigative Lab worked with ProPublica and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists to investigate the backgrounds and activities of hundreds of consuls in a first-of-its-kind investigation.

Read Shadow Diplomats

The fieldwork camp at Allan Hills, Antarctica.

As Antarctic Fieldwork Ends, a Sexual Harassment Reckoning Looms

Christian Elliott (MSJ22) reports for Undark about sexual harassment in Antarctica.

Read Elliott's article

Scottie Scheffler hugs his wife Meredith after winning the WM Phoenix Open for the second straight year at TPC Scottsdale.

Oh Canada! Fans follow countrymen to top of WM Phoenix Open leaderboard

Jonah Dayton (MSJ23) writes for azcentral about the Phoenix Open during his Medill Explores trip.

Read Dayton's article

A door with the words Pilsen Wellness Center.

Chicago Organizations Look to Expand Mental Health Services, Diversify Available Therapists

Antonia Mufarech (MSJ23) reports for WTTW on expanding mental health services in Chicago.

Watch Mufarech's report

Journalism Graduate Programs FAQ

Is a Master’s in Journalism STEM certified?: Medill’s Master of Science in Journalism (MSJ) degree is a STEM-designated program structured to give you the skills and training needed to help you launch your career in journalism, media, communications and other industries all over the world. A STEM-designated program is an academic program that is under at least one of the categories approved from the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
How long is a Master’s in Journalism?: On average, students take about 18 to 24 months to complete a Master’s degree. However, Medill’s Master of Science in Journalism (MSJ) degree program is one year. Students start the academic year in either June or September depending on the specialization they would like to study.
What’s the difference between an MA and an MS in Journalism?: An MA is a Master of Arts and an MS is a Master of Science. Both graduate degrees differ in the topics and types of courses you take. The main difference between an MA and MS degree is that an MA applies to arts and humanities degrees and an MS applies to programs that may have more research and technical studies.

Master of Science
in Journalism

Advance your journalism career with Medill

Our Graduates Go On To Work For Top Media Outlets and Companies