An education that works for you
Expand your knowledge and practical skills in a specialized area of the media industry. The Media School’s professional master’s degree will provide you with a comprehensive set of technological and practical tools to launch you to the next level of your career.
The Master of Science in media is ideal for media practitioners seeking new skills, recent college graduates ready for the next level of training, and nonmedia professionals looking to make a career change.
Choose one of five concentrations
No matter which concentration you choose, your coursework will combine hands-on experience in our state-of-the-art facilities with the study of the latest theories, techniques, and trends related to your chosen field.
- Data journalism
- Documentary/nonfiction production
- Journalism
- Management
- Strategic communication
Data journalism
Boost your watchdog credentials with data science
Gain competency in storytelling using data science tools and technology. In the data journalism concentration, you'll gain proficiency in coding, data visualization, ethics, interviewing, journalistic research methods, machine learning, and web scraping.
This interdisciplinary concentration — offered in collaboration with the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering — allows you to expand your skills and knowledge to complement your existing levels of education and expertise, preparing you to enter newsrooms and other creative spaces where fluency in data science principles and numeracy are highly prized alongside writing and story ideation. Like other journalism programs in The Media School, data journalism at IU retains a strong emphasis on writing and visual communication.
You’ll graduate with a portfolio, pursue a high-level industry internship, work alongside peers in the Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism and grow as a critical thinker.
Documentary/nonfiction production
Hands-on training in documentary filmmaking
Makers of documentary and other nonfiction media are a vital cornerstone of social engagement. They give visual life to stories about science, history, and politics. Their films extend the reach of musicians and artists. They give voice to the voiceless, they enlighten, and they inform. They foster a civic conversation that can help us see the world, our communities, and ourselves in new ways.
Enhance the quality and scope of your documentary storytelling with a concentration in documentary/nonfiction production. Whether you aspire to create short or feature-length content for broadcast, web, or social media, you'll gain the aesthetic, conceptual, business, and technical skills you need to achieve your vision. And you'll connect with world-class experts in the sciences, humanities, arts, and industries who can increase the importance and depth of your work.
Journalism
A career with purpose
Join the ranks of the journalism industry’s most revered professionals by launching your career as an investigative journalist. The Media School’s M.S. concentration in journalism offers specialized training in watchdog reporting with hands-on opportunities to produce meaningful public service journalism as a fellow in the Michael I. Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism.
Management
Take charge of your career
Navigating the world of media is a daunting prospect, but a concentration in management will give you an understanding of the broad industry-level mechanics and the specific intricacies of each field. You’ll become a proficient communicator and manager in the overlapping and complicated worlds of media and management.
Media leaders are innovators and improvers. Whether you’re managing projects at a media company or running your own, you’ll leave with a foundational understanding of the industry and the entrepreneurial spirit to advance it.
Strategic Communication
A communication skill set every employer needs
Top-notch communication skills are vital across today’s industries. With a concentration in strategic communication, you’ll cultivate the tools you need to be an efficient communicator and an effective storyteller. Whether you want to orchestrate major campaigns for corporations or aid nonprofits in cementing a brand and getting the word out, our M.S. concentration in strategic communication is the place to start.
We’ll train you to write on deadline, cultivate an eye for strong visuals, conduct in-depth research and develop best practices in communication campaign management.