College of Media at Illinois

Fall Open House

Applying to the College of Media

First-time Applicants
If you're a student who will be entering the University of Illinois for the first time, you should apply through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions (high school students, off-campus transfer students) or the Graduate College (graduate students only).

On-Campus Transfer Students
If you're an on-campus student wishing to transfer into the College or are a current College of Media student wishing to change your major, see more information at applying.

Visit the College of Media at Illinois

Off-Campus Prospective Students

You can visit the campus Monday through Friday, barring any special events as listed here. Campus visits for prospective students begin at 1:00 p.m. and will provide an overview of the University and admission information. Sessions conclude with a student panel and campus/housing tour. The College of Media welcomes prospective student visits every weekday at 3:00 p.m. (except during Orange & Blue days and Admitted Student Days). To register for general campus and College of Media visits, visit the Admissions Office Web site.

Prospective students are encouraged to attend an Orange and Blue day session.

Admitted Students

You can visit the campus Monday through Friday, barring any special events as listed here. Campus visits for admitted students begin at 10:00 a.m. and will provide information on your next steps for enrollment and information about on-campus resources. It will conclude with a student panel and campus/housing tour. The College of Media welcomes admitted student every weekday at 3:00 p.m. (except Orange & Blue days and Admitted Student Days). To register for general campus and College of Media visits, visit the Admissions Office Web site.

Admitted students are encouraged to attend the University’s Admitted Student Days. They are also invited to the College of Media’s Mediapalooza Open House.

Online Chat Sessions

Have questions about the College of Media at Illinois? Answers are just a click away. The College of Media Academic Advisers will host chat sessions throughout the year to allow prospective students the chance to chat online to College staff, faculty, and current students. During open chat times, simply login via the Live Help icon below. Our staff is just a click away, and they can even co-browse with you to bring up links to web pages with the information you need.

Current Chat Schedule with Academic Advisers:

We do not have any dates scheduled at this time but are working to set up some chats with College of Media students and staff that will work with traditional high school timelines. In the meantime, please feel free to contact us at media-SSC@illinois.edu with questions or if you would like us to host a particular chat or even have a suggestion for chat times.

 

Degree programs

The College of Media includes undergraduate degree programs in: Advertising, Agricultural Communications, Journalism, and Media and Cinema Studies. Students can also get an undergraduate minor in Cinema Studies.

There are also graduate degree programs in: master's degrees in Advertising and Journalism, a Ph.D. in Communications, and a graduate minor in Cinema Studies.

In recent years journalism students in the College have won two national Hearst Foundation writing awards, the grand prize in the college division of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards and a National Mark of Excellence Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, as well as numerous other local, regional and national honors, internships and recognition.

Career placement

Each unit in the College has a career assistance staff member who can help with internships, employment, awards and honors.

Our graduates have worked or interned at Time magazine, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Associated Press, the Arizona Republic, Rolling Stone Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Popular Mechanics magazine, MSNBC, ABC New York, WGN TV and Radio, WCIA-TV (Champaign, Ill.), WICD-TV (Champaign, Ill.), Chicago's 103.5 KISS-FM, 93.9 WLIT-FM in Chicago, Univesal Pictures in Los Angeles, DDB Chicago, Mindshare in Chicago, Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi New York, Wunderman in Chicago, Chicago's Comedy Sportz Theatre, DAV Productions, Norton Rubble Mertz in Chicago, Killian Advertising and literally hundreds more.

Distinguished faculty

Many of the College's faculty have worked at real newspapers and advertising agencies, and their students benefit from that real-world knowledge. Pulitzer Prizes and Emmy, Clio and Sundance Film Festival awards are among the many honors and reocognition the faculty have earned.

Accomplished alumni

To be a College of Media student is to walk in the footsteps of thousands of accomplished alumni. Our graduates achieve important and satisfying careers as reporters, editors and producers at newspapers, television and radio stations and networks. They work at leading advertising agencies, magazines, public service organizations, institutions of higher education and media companies. Some have gone on to successful careers as screenwriters, producers, directors and film critics.

Among the companies in which College of Media alumni hold or have held high-ranking positions are The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, CBS, ABC, CNN, Wunderman, Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, BBDO, McDonald's, Anheuser Busch and Sports Illustrated, and several have won Pulitzer Prizes and other prestigious awards.

Graduates of the College of Media have won Pulitzer Prizes; Emmy, Peabody and Clio awards; and a host of other professional and academic awards and risen to positions of prominence and influence in virtually every media-related field. They offer proof of our philosophy that we strive to prepare our students not just for their first jobs but for their last.

Scholarships

The College of Media offers a number of scholarships for undergraduate students enrolled in the College, funds that are applied toward tuition and fees and made available through the generous support of alumni and friends of the College. A Collegewide committee determines scholarship recipients.