Degree Programs

Students in orange and blue.

The College of Media offers programs leading to a bachelor's degree, master's degree or doctoral degree.

For specific information, including official descriptions of departments, admission and graduation requirements, special programs and the course catalog, students should consult the University's programs of study on the campus Web site. An overview of degree programs and requirements is described below and more detail in the official pages on the campus Web site. (Links to each program are provided below.)

Media General curriculum

Freshmen and sophomores should speak with an adviser and follow the curriculum plans that lead to their desired majors.

All students on campus also have to fulfill General Education requirements. Students can choose from many courses in each category and can take courses that appeal to their interests and goals. Freshmen and sophomores should concentrate on general education requirements even though they have four years to complete all of the requirements.

Introductory courses

Students get a taste of the College's majors by taking introductory courses, such as the freshmen Discovery courses. These are numbered ADV199, COMM199 or JOUR199. Students meet with a major professor and fewer than 20 fellow students to explore topics of special interest. Potential Advertising and Media Studies majors also could explore COMM101 Introduction to the Media or COMM166 Media Literacy. Both courses provide general education credit. Potential Advertising majors also will want ADV300 Introduction to Advertising. Potential Journalism majors will want JOUR200 Introduction to Journalism.

Bachelor of Science in Advertising

The advertising program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is consistently highly ranked. In a well-rounded approach, advertising majors learn about advertising as a way of modeling the mind. They examine consumer behavior and consumer-oriented messages. They study the history of advertising and advertising research methods. They look at advertising as a reflection of social structure, as an art form, and even as a basis for community. Advertising majors draw on insights from psychology, sociology, history, literature and anthropology. Requirements in statistics and economics lay the foundation for advertising research.

Bachelor of Science in Journalism

Broadcast sequence and News-Editorial sequence

The Department of Journalism prepares students for varied and long-term careers in areas such as newspaper, magazine, broadcast and online journalism. The primary professional aim is to train students as public affairs journalists by providing them with the skills, knowledge and understanding required for success. The department aims to prepare broadly educated professionals who eventually assume decision-making and leadership roles.

The journalism program is highly regarded and is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. Students come from around the globe to study at Illinois. Faculty members include two Pulitzer Prize winners, an Emmy-award winning documentarian and journalists who continue to contribute to broadcasting, print and online media. Students benefit from career assistance with internships and employment. The College of Media maintains an excellent relationship with numerous print and broadcast media outlets, and it operates WILL-AM-FM-TV-Online in Campbell Hall, on the north side of campus. There broadcast students can gain experience working on all aspects of a live newscast that is broadcast on the UI7 cable channel.

Bachelor of Science in Media Studies

Students in the the media studies program develop an understanding of modern communications media from a liberal arts perspective. They explore the theory behind contemporary mass communications and telecommunications and their origins, structures and implications for our society. The development of communications media is considered in light of more general concerns about technology, culture, society and politics. Following is a sampling of media studies topics:

  • Multicultural and global issues in popular culture
  • Political implications of global multimedia conglomerates
  • Implications of commercials on public television
  • How representations of women in media affect broader cultural understandings
  • Effects of alcohol advertising on youth attitudes toward drinking and driving
  • Tabloid TV: Is "gossip" replacing news substance?
  • Implications of the way African Americans and other minority groups are portrayed in media
  • First Amendment issues: e.g., Banning "indecent" programming on cable TV
Approach and focus

The program incorporates the study of contemporary mass communications and telecommunications with related theoretical considerations. It is designed for students whose interests in communications are focused on broad background issues involving the origins, structures and implications of the media.

Communications is a burgeoning field increasingly influencing all of our social institutions. The media studies program introduces students to an interdisciplinary perspective on this dynamic phenomenon. It prepares students for many media-related positions and develops the writing and analytical skills so widely prized by employers in today's competitive job market.

The media studies major examines and responds to pressing concerns about the power of media, communication, information and persuasion; the need for critical analysis of propaganda; the need for ethical and reasoned policies guiding the development of communication industries; and the need to ensure democratic access for all citizens. Race and ethnicity are crucial components in the study of media.

Media studies majors gain a broad education that sets a foundation for graduate school or careers in numerous professions.

Master of Science in Advertising

Students pursuing graduate study in advertising at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have the opportunity to learn under a faculty distinguished in scholarship and professional knowledge, in a curriculum long admired for its seamless blending of concept and practice, and within the exhilarating environment of a world-class university, with one of the largest library collections anywhere.

The Graduate College and the Department of Advertising consider for admission only those applicants who will hold before admission a bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. institution or from an institution of recognized standing abroad.

The application deadline for fall admission is Jan. 15.

Master of Science in Journalism

Students pursing graduate study in the Department of Journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are immersed in an intense, 12- to 16-month program guided by a prestigious faculty that includes Pulitzer Prize winners and successful journalists. Separate tracks are available for those with or without undergraduate or professional journalism experience.

Students learn practical methods, acquire a broad understanding of communications theory and prepare for careers of responsible professional leadership. Small classes allow maximum opportunity for individual improvement.

Students without a journalism background receive highly concentrated training in the methods of print journalism (reporting, editing and design) or broadcast journalism (reporting and editing for television and radio). The emphasis is on news rather than technology. Students with substantial journalism experience may develop, to a large extent, a specialized course program.

The master of science degree ordinarily is awarded after one full year of graduate study and practice — fall and spring semesters followed by summer session for news-editorial students and fall, spring and following fall semesters for broadcast students. Both sequences finish with a master's project.

The department provides financial assistance to qualified master's candidates for the two to three semesters they participate in the program.

The application deadline for fall admission is Feb. 1.

Doctor of Philosophy in Communications

Students pursuing doctoral study in communications do so through the Institute of Communications Research. The program is strong in all areas that measure excellence and effectiveness, including reputation among peer programs, acceptance rate, quality of applicants, scholarly productivity, teaching excellence, graduate job placement and reputation of graduates.

The ICR has one of the most renowned communications Ph.D. programs in the world. Students examine such topics as media economics, organization and structure; media policy; political economy of the media; new technologies and new media; telecommunications; advertising and consumer research; media ethics, media and communications history; social and cultural studies of science and medicine; popular culture and film; race ethnicity and gender; democracy and the media; and global/international communications. Recent Ph.D. dissertations have addressed a wide range of topics, from intellectual property and cultural production in Africa, to the history of sound technology, to Chilean television infrastructure and policy, to advertising regulation in China.

The ICR attracts many international students, and graduate students have been extremely successful in securing research grants and fellowships, both on campus and nationally. Recent graduates are employed internationally in institutions such as McGill University, the University of California at San Diego, Rutgers, the University of New Hampshire, City University of New York at Queens, the University of Chicago and Texas A&M.

Today nearly everyone recognizes the importance of knowing everything possible about communication. Information technologies, media mergers and computer marvels are daily convention. Intellectually significant research on communication is not commonplace, however. Work of enduring quality develops from comprehending the gravity and stature of the subject; and communication is among the most challenging and fascinating areas that humankind has been inspired to address.

Its proper study crosses the boundaries of established academic disciplines and draws upon a holistic intellectual heritage grounded in the liberal arts, in the traditions of social scientific research and cultural interpretation and in a spirit of critical inquiry. This conceptual pursuit of the highest order requires preeminent standards of imagination, academic rigor and historical awareness.

These are qualities the Institute has nurtured in establishing its distinctive reputation. The Institute encourages innovative doctoral work, while striving to appreciate more deeply why the study of communication has endured through human history. You can gain a richer understanding by discussing with faculty members and doctoral students how their special interests may relate to your own. We encourage you to do that, either through a phone call or a personal visit to the University of Illinois campus.