What We Look For
Students in the graduate journalism program come from a variety of countries, schools and undergraduate majors. No specific major or prior coursework is required, but common undergraduate majors are journalism, English, communications, political science, English literature and history.
The following criteria are used to evaluate applications:
- Excellent writing, interpersonal communication and quantitative skills.
- Outstanding prior academic performance.
- Curiosity, engagement with current events and an interest in discovering and reporting stories beyond personal experience.
- Involvement with school and university publications and media, especially leadership roles.
- Evidence of the maturity and professionalism necessary to succeed in a fast-paced, intensive graduate program (e.g., work or internship experience, not necessarily in journalism; study abroad; volunteer work; campus or community leadership, etc.).
- Adaptability and willingness to learn about and use new technologies and applications.
Other important factors
Journalism requires passion. While Medill does not require a bachelor's degree in journalism or prior work experience in journalism, evidence of engagement with current events and an interest in finding and reporting stories is important. We believe these qualities are found in applicants with a broad variety of backgrounds, from those with long-held interests in journalism to those who have recently considered it.
Writing skills are also important. We look for students who not only write well, but also write engagingly.
At Medill, we prize good storytelling, and we like to see potential in that area no matter what platform an applicant has used so far.
Finally, multimedia skills, or a strong interest in developing them, are a plus. Medill's graduate journalism curriculum emphasizes cross-platform skills. Openness to the storytelling possibilities in a variety of media is essential.