Media Management and Leadership
A degree for media entrepreneurs, strategists and innovators
The digital transformation of media has created new career opportunities for people interested in building a more vibrant, sustainable and resilient media industry. The specialization helps you develop skills in the disciplines that are quickly becoming essential in the news media sector, including media product management, audience development, business strategy, human-centered design, interactive storytelling, analytics and change management.
About the specialization
As a student in this specialization, you'll not only learn how to find and tell great stories, but also learn how to design and launch these storytelling experiences backed by viable business models and calibrated to consumer behavior in today’s digital-first culture. You'll learn how to create and build digital media products that satisfy the needs of consumers and devise practical strategies for engaging and growing audiences through product design, business model innovation and audience development. In your final quarter, you will participate in internships sourced by Medill, as well as immerse yourself in the innovation and technology culture of Silicon Valley through a Bay Area immersion experience where you will learn from and network with experts in technology and media.
Why Media Management and Leadership?
Today’s digital-first information ecosystem is challenging and competitive. Media organizations must compete for attention with social networks, brands, and even independent creators. In this dynamic and fragmented context, media organizations – be they mass market news organizations or consumer-facing publishers – must evolve at the speed of technology to stay in synch with consumers wants and needs. To that end, media organizations of all sizes – from startups to large, established companies – are looking for people who understand all the dimensions of developing media products. They want professionals capable of leading strategic programs that operate at the intersection of business, technology, audience and content – i.e., people who not only have the training and sensibility of storytellers, but who are also capable of taking ideas to execution through effective collaboration, management and leadership.
What will I learn?
- Human-centered design: a proven process based on creating value for customers driven by qualitative research, which delivers insights into human behavior to drive the development of a digital media product.
- Business model design: Hands-on experience building digital products with interdisciplinary teams including computer scientists and software engineers to help you gain collaborate effectively within modern product teams.
- Audience development and analytics: Learn how to use quantitative and qualitative data to identify patterns, and engage, retain and grow audiences.
- Digital media product management: Manage the complex process of developing digital media products with an emphasis on cross-functional product leadership – a highly coveted skill.
- Media innovation: Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams in the Knight Lab Studio where you will work at the intersection of storytelling, design and technology to innovate across every part of the media-making process to produce cutting edge digital work, research and thought.
Watch an overview of the Media Management and Leadership specialization below:
Your Medill Experience
Unique Student Experiences
The Media Management and Leadership specialization provides unique experiences for students—from building and launching new products and services, to visiting innovative media companies in New York City (pictured here), to visiting Medill alums at companies such as Google. These experiences help grads land jobs at companies across the country.
Curriculum
You’ll learn foundational journalism skills–research, reporting and multimedia storytelling–while also developing a deep understanding of digital technologies, business principles and the art and science of product development.
Learn about the curriculum
Chicago and Evanston
You’ll spend your first three quarters in Chicago and Evanston. You’ll learn how media businesses work and build your understanding of digital publishing and audience engagement. Working with teammates, you’ll develop prototypes for a new publication or media product.
Learn about the Chicago newsroom
San Francisco
You’ll spend a week immersed in the Bay Area’s technology and innovation ecosystem taking courses, networking and visiting some of the world’s leading media and technology companies.
Learn about Medill in San Francisco
Knight Lab
Learn about the Knight Lab
Medill Fridays
Learn what it’s really like to work as an innovator and disrupter by hearing from Medill alumni and other guest speakers who’ve done just that during their careers. Medill Fridays offer regular programming opportunities on a variety of subjects, so you can broaden your learning beyond the classroom.
Learn about Medill Fridays
Career Services
Companies are looking for people who understand journalism, technology, audience behavior and the business side of journalism. Your education at Medill will open up new career paths in media and non-media organizations. Take advantage of the Medill alumni network as you make connections to further your career.
Learn about Career ServicesOur Faculty
Ashir Badami
Badami brings deep expertise in content strategy, product marketing, and user experience design acquired from more than 15 years of professional experience across a range of industries and organizations including publicly-owned and venture-backed companies.
Mary Lou Song
Based in the San Francisco area, Song is an adjunct lecturer at Medill. She joined eBay in 1996 as the company’s third employee. Since then, she has worked at and founded several start-up companies.
Jeremy Gilbert
Jeremy Gilbert is the Knight Professor of Digital Media Strategy. Before that, he was The Washington Post’s director of strategic initiatives, where he helped lead the transformation of the Post to an international, digital-first news organization. His work and teaching focus on content and revenue strategies for media companies.
Our Alumni
Melissa Bell (MSJ06)
Publisher
Bell is the Publisher of Vox Media and co-founder of Vox.com. She leads Vox Media's Growth and Development team. Prior to Vox Media, Bell oversaw digital platforms at the Washington Post. She was also one of The Post's most-read bloggers and a columnist for the Style section. Before joining The Post, she helped launch Mint, a Wall Street Journal subsidiary in India.
Jordan Monroe Schultz (MSJ13)
Head of Audience Development
As the head of audience development, Schultz is based in New York City where he oversees distribution, social media, data analysis and more for Atlas Obscura, the definitive guide to the world's hidden wonders.
Jessica Hilberman (MSJ05)
Integrated Marketing Lead
As a lead on Google's employment marketing team, Hilberman manages the product and content for careers.google.com and implements strategies for online hiring via owned, social and paid media. She has also lectured at Medill San Francisco.