Specializations and Elective Concentrations
At Medill, we are committed to helping you learn the skills and information you need as you prepare for the career you want.
To do that, you will choose a specialization when you apply. These are topic areas or storytelling methods you want to explore deeply. During your time at Medill, you’ll work with a faculty member who leads your specialization and have many of your classes with the students who also are in the specialization. Options for specializations are listed below.
In addition, Medill offers students the opportunity to leverage their electives to take advanced courses in their chosen specialization, in another specialization or select from one of three elective concentrations. These elective concentrations are two-class sequences that offer you a richer understanding of a topic area or storytelling approach. Students from a variety of specializations can be a part of these optional elective concentrations.
Specializations
Health, Environment and 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.
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.
Media Management and Leadership
Combine your love of journalism with your entrepreneurial spirit and learn how to lead, launch or build digital media businesses.
Medill Investigative Labs
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.
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.
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.
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.
Elective Concentrations
Audio and Podcast Journalism
Audio platforms are an important and growing storytelling method. Learn how to report and produce audio pieces, including podcasting and long-form narrative audio series.
Business Journalism
Money plays a role in almost every story you read or see. Understanding how to follow that money trail leads to some of the most dynamic and interesting stories out there. This concentration will show you how to find and tell the stories that affect everyone.
Data Journalism
Unlock the power of data-driven storytelling. In journalism today, data serves as the bedrock for many narratives across various disciplines. Employers actively seek graduates adept at deciphering and presenting complex data. Discover the art of crafting compelling stories through data interpretation and gain invaluable skills that will set you apart in the competitive job market.