Program Overview

Northwestern University Academic Catalog

Undergraduate Programs

• School of Communication
  • Communication Studies Major
    • Description: The Department of Communication Studies offers courses that explore the major media, practices, and problems of a communication-intensive society.
    • Requirements:
      • Introductory Courses (3 units)
        • COMM_ST 101-1: Communication in Context: Introduction
        • COMM_ST 101-2: Communication in Context: Analysis & Research
        • COMM_ST 102-0: Public Speaking
      • 200-Level Courses (3 units)
        • Any 3 200-level courses
      • Advanced Courses (6 units)
        • 6 additional communication studies courses at the 300 level
      • Areas of Study
        • Students must complete at least one area of study consisting of 4 courses
        • Areas of study:
          • Creative Industries & Markets
          • Digital Media: Behavior & Design
          • Health Communication
          • Media, Publics & Culture
          • Strategic & Organizational Communication
  • School Requirements (1 unit)
    • First-Year Seminar (1 unit)
      • CMN 101-0: SoC First Year Seminar: Interdisciplinary Topics in Communication Arts & Sciences
    • SoC Capstone
      • CMN 398-1: SoC Capstone: Lecture
      • CMN 398-2: SoC Capstone: Lab
  • Additional Requirements (29 units)
    • Distribution Requirements (18 units)
      • 18 units of credit outside the department
    • Electives (11 units)
      • Electives in communication and other areas
    • Concentration Outside the School of Communication
      • A field of concentration outside the School of Communication
    • Language Requirement
      • Proficiency in a classical or modern foreign language

Graduate Programs

• School of Professional Studies
  • Graduate Programs
    • Data Science (MS)
    • Global Health (MS)
    • Health Analytics (MS)
    • Healthcare Administration (MS)
    • Health Informatics (MS)
    • Information Design and Strategy (MS)
    • Information Systems (MS)
    • Liberal Studies (MA)
    • Literature (MA)
    • Prose and Poetry (MFA)
    • Public Policy and Administration (MA)
    • Regulatory Compliance (MS)
    • Sports Administration (MA)
    • Writing (MA)
  • Graduate Certificates
    • Data Science
    • Global Health
    • Health Analytics
    • Health Informatics
    • Healthcare Industry
    • Information Design and Strategy
    • Information Systems
    • Liberal Studies
    • Literature
    • Predictive Analytics
    • Public Policy and Administration
    • Regulatory Compliance
    • Sports Administration
    • Writing

The Graduate School

• Academic Policies and Procedures
  • Academic Calendar
  • Academic Integrity
  • Ad Hoc Combined Degrees
  • Certificate Requirements
  • General Registration Policies
  • Graduation and Diploma Mailing
  • Leaves of Absence
  • Master's Degree Requirements
  • Minor Requirements
  • Nondiscrimination Statement
  • Patent and Invention Policy
  • PhD Degree Requirements
  • Readmission
  • Satisfactory Academic Progress
  • Student Funding Policies
  • Student Handbook and Code of Conduct
  • Teaching
  • Withdrawal
• Programs A-Z
  • Programs offered by The Graduate School
• Courses A-Z
  • Courses offered by The Graduate School

Undergraduate Schools

• Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music
  • Composition and Music Technology
  • Conducting and Ensembles
  • Jazz
  • Music Cognition
  • Music Core
  • Music Education
  • Music Studies for Nonmajors
  • Music Technology
  • Music Theory and Cognition
  • Musicology
  • Piano
  • String Instruments
  • Voice and Opera
  • Winds and Percussion Instruments
• School of Communication
  • Communication Sciences and Disorders
  • Communication Studies
  • Dance
  • Human Communication Sciences
  • Interdepartmental Communication Options
  • Performance Studies
  • Radio/Television/Film
  • Theatre
• School of Education and Social Policy
  • Elementary Teaching
  • Human Development in Context
  • Learning and Organizational Change
  • Learning Sciences
  • Secondary Teaching
  • Social Policy
• Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Architectural Engineering and Design
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Computer Engineering
  • Computer Science
  • Design Engineering
  • Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Farley Center for Entrepreneurship
  • General Engineering
  • Human Computer Interaction
  • Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences
  • Machine Learning and Data Science
  • Materials Science and Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Segal Design Institute
  • Robotics
• Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications
  • Integrated Marketing Communications
  • Journalism
• Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences
  • Advanced Expression
  • African Studies
  • American Studies
  • Anthropology
  • Arabic
  • Art History
  • Art Theory and Practice
  • Asian American Studies
  • Asian Languages and Cultures
  • Astronomy
  • Biological Sciences
  • Black Studies
  • Business Institutions
  • Catholic Studies
  • Chemistry
  • Chicago Field Studies
  • Chinese
  • Classics
  • Cognitive Science
  • Comparative Literary Studies
  • Computer Science
  • Critical Theory
  • Data Science
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences
  • Economics
  • Empirical and Deductive Reasoning
  • English
  • Environmental Policy and Culture
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Ethics and Civic Life
  • French and Italian
  • Gender and Sexuality Studies
  • General Liberal Arts
  • German
  • Global Health Studies
  • Greek
  • Hebrew
  • Hindi
  • Historical Studies
  • History
  • Humanities
  • Integrated Science
  • International Studies
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Jewish Studies
  • Korean
  • Latin
  • Latin American and Caribbean Studies
  • Latina and Latino Studies
  • Legal Studies
  • Linguistics
  • Literature and Arts
  • Materials Science
  • Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences
  • Mathematics
  • Middle East and North African Languages
  • Middle East and North African Studies
  • Molecular Biosciences
  • Native American and Indigenous Studies
  • Natural Sciences
  • Neurobiology
  • Neuroscience
  • Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
  • Philosophy
  • Physics and Astronomy
  • Political Science
  • Portuguese
  • Psychology
  • Religious Studies
  • Russian
  • Science in Human Culture
  • Slavic Languages and Literatures
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Sociology
  • Spanish & Portuguese
  • Statistics and Data Science
  • Swahili
  • Turkish
  • Urdu
  • Writing Program

Additional Baccalaureate Options

• Accelerated Bachelors
• Certificates
  • Kellogg Certificates
  • McCormick Certificates
  • Medill Certificates
  • Programs & Centers Certificates
  • SESP Certificates
  • SoC Certificates
• Minors
  • Bienen Minors
  • Programs & Centers Minors
  • SoC Minors
  • McCormick Minors
  • WCAS Minors
• Second Majors
  • Bienen Second Majors
  • WCAS Second Majors

Dual Graduate & Undergraduate Degrees

• Honors Program in Medical Education
• Premedical Scholars Program

Dual Bachelor's Degrees

• BA/BS in Liberal Arts and Engineering
• BA/BMus in Liberal Arts and Music
• BA/BS or BS/BS in Communication and Engineering
• BA/BMus, BS/BMus, BA/BAMus, or BS/BAMus in Communication and Music
• BSED/BMus or BSED/BAMus in Education and Social Policy and in Music
• BS/BMus or BS/BAMus in Engineering and Music
• BSJ/BMus in Journalism and Music
• BSED/BSJ in Education and Social Policy and in Journalism

Study Outside Northwestern

• Undergraduate Research
• Special Programs & Courses
  • College Transition Programs
  • Innovation in News and Storytelling
  • Military Programs
    • Naval Science

Academic Calendar

• Academic Integrity
• Academic Support

Honors in Communication Studies

• The Undergraduate Honors Program in Communication Studies
  • Description: The Undergraduate Honors Program in Communication Studies offers an opportunity for highly motivated Communication Studies majors to conduct original scholarly research.
  • Requirements:
    • Each student works closely with faculty to produce an original research project in an interest area determined by the student.
    • Seniors who successfully complete the program will be eligible to graduate with departmental honors.