Explore Arts Disciplines

Exceptional training at a university that prizes both artistic and academic achievement.

Jump to:
Broadcast, TV and Film
Literary Arts
Music
Theatre and Dance
Visual Art and Design

Broadcast, TV and Film

Learn how Northwestern trains future media creators.

Our undergraduate and graduate programs train students who are eager to pursue careers in the journalistic and media industries as writers, directors, producers and managers who inspire, inform and impact audiences.

Explore Academic Programs

School of Communication

School of Communication programs offer students a blend of stage and screen training with a strong liberal arts foundation. Faculty expertise spans acting, directing, playwriting, design and more.

Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications

Both undergraduate and graduate journalism programs allow for a focus in video, broadcast, audio, podcast and other specializations.

Featured Alumni

Northwestern has a renowned legacy in theater, television, film and the arts, producing generations of successful industry professionals. The alumni network includes award-winning actors, writers, directors and producers who have made a lasting impact on entertainment. With top-tier faculty, cutting-edge facilities and a strong emphasis on hands-on experience, Northwestern continues to be a powerhouse for aspiring artists and storytellers.

Stephen Colbert, '86

A celebrated comedian and TV host who studied theater.

Sheineille Jones, '00

Co-host of TODAY who studied journalism.

Mike Greenberg, '89

ESPN host and sports analyst who studied journalism.

Check It Out

One of the best dramatic writing graduate programs in the country.

Learn about the MFA Program in Writing for the Stage and Screen

Over two years, students write multiple full-length scripts for screen + stage, collaborate with MFA actors, directors, and designers, connect with industry professionals in New York, LA, and abroad, and see their work produced at our brand new downtown Chicago theatre center.

Learn about the MFA Program in Writing for the Stage and Screen

Literary Arts

Writing at Northwestern includes journalistic reporting, creative and critical writing, content strategy and more.

Northwestern's programs provide close work with faculty members who writes in your area of specialization, whether that is poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, investigative reporting or another journalistic beat.

Explore Academic Programs

Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

The Department of English offers Creative Writing as a major, minor and as a masters program. The MFA/MA program in creative writing gives students time to deepen both their creative writing and their study of literature.

Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications

Journalism students get real world experience, with the opportunity to focus on beats that range from science to public affairs to sports.

Featured Faculty

Northwestern’s faculty in journalism and creative writing are leaders in their fields, bringing a wealth of professional experience and scholarly expertise to the classroom. They include award-winning journalists, editors, and media innovators who prepare students for the rapidly evolving media landscape. In creative writing, acclaimed authors, poets, and playwrights mentor students, fostering originality and storytelling excellence. With a strong emphasis on hands-on learning, research, and industry connections, Northwestern’s faculty help shape the next generation of journalists and writers.

Natasha Tretheway

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet and Professor of English. She is also director of Creative Writing and of Graduate Studies for the department.

Debbie Cenziper

Investigative reporter Debbie Cenziper is associate professor and director of investigative journalism at Medill. She won a Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting.

Rebecca Makkai

A 2022 Guggenheim Fellow, Rebecca teaches graduate fiction writing. She is the author of several books, including The Great Believers, which was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.

Check It Out

Intensive programs where you learn to think like an investigative reporter.

Learn about Medill Investigative Lab

Participants learn to think, research and write like an investigative reporters and publish groundbreaking stories. Students collaborate with a team of peers, faculty and professionals to determine story topics, develop sources, research, interview, and then write stories that shed light on critical issues.

Learn about Medill Investigative Lab

Music

Northwestern offers options in a wide range of performance and music studies fields:

Programs provide a depth and breadth of musical study to equip students with a continuing capacity to grow in their musicianship and adapt to evolving professional demands.

Explore Academic Programs

Bienen School of Music

Home to 600+ students, the school offers programs in performance— conducting, jazz, piano, strings, voice, winds and percussion—as well as composition, musicology, music cognition, music education and theory.

Watch Northwestern Students Perform

Find more videos on the Davee Media Library.

Check It Out

One of the nation’s largest music collections with unmatched strength in 20th century and contemporary classical music.

Learn about Northwestern Music Library

Explore more than 300,000 volumes of books, scores, sound recordings and journals. Special collections include the John Cage collection, including original Beatles manuscripts, the Fritz Reiner Collection, the Moldenhauer Collection and more.

Learn about Northwestern Music Library

Theatre and Dance

Students in the Theatre program are prepared tackle roles both on and off the stage:

The faculty’s expertise encompasses acting, dancing, voice, directing, choreography, stage management, playwriting, storytelling, music theatre, children’s theatre, devised theatre, theatre history and criticism and costume, set and light design.

Explore Academic Programs

School of Communication

Departments of Theatre and Performance Studies offer opportunities to explore dance, theater and performance as well as specializations in directing, stage design, musical theatre and more.

Featured Alumni

Northwestern alumni who have made significant contributions to theater, film, television and media with graduates include award-winning actors, directors, writers and producers. Many are industry leaders shaping the future of storytelling and communication. Their success reflects the school’s commitment to excellence in performance, media innovation and research.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, ‘83

An Emmy-winning actress and comedian.

Heather Headley, ‘97

A Tony Award-winning actress and singer.

Billy Eichner, ‘00

An actor, comedian and screenwriter.

Check It Out

Northwestern University’s own original musical, written, performed, and presented by Northwestern students, once called “the greatest college show in America.”

Learn about the annual Waa-Mu Show

Since 1929, Waa-Mu has become a virtual institution for budding young theatrical talent. The Waa-Mu Show provides undergraduates with the unparalleled opportunity to create an original musical each year. Students serve as leaders in every aspect of development from conception through production.

Learn about the annual Waa-Mu Show

Visual Art and Design

Training for visual artists and designers begins conceptually:

Our Department of Art Theory and Practice explores both the making of contemporary art and the ideas and theories that drive it. For students in our human-centered engineering design programs, we begin by teaching design thinking.

Explore Academic Programs

Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

The Department of Art Theory and Practice offers a range of courses that apply traditional approaches, adopt newer media or use alternative strategies.

McCormick School of Engineering

McCormick’s Segal Design Institute applies design thinking to complex, problems in product, interaction, service and business design. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs.

See Student Art

Explore some of the work created Master of Fine Arts degree candidates in the Art Theory and Practice. These works were shown in the annual MFA Thesis Exhibitions, "Half & Half" (2024) and "What am I to do with a weak mirror?" (2023), staged at the Block Museum of Art.

"spirit house," Katie Revilla, 1940 and 2023

From the exhibition "What am I to do with a weak mirror?"

Scene from the video, "Notes on the translation of El Solitario (or Preface to the English Edition)," José De Sancristóbal, 1955-2023

From the exhibition "What am I to do with a weak mirror?"

Work by Maximiliano Cervantes, Tarik Dobbs, Morisha Moodley, and Jonathon Rosemond

from the exhibition "Half & Half"

Work by Maximiliano Cervantes, Tarik Dobbs, Morisha Moodley, and Jonathon Rosemond

from the exhibition "Half & Half"

Work by Maximiliano Cervantes, Tarik Dobbs, Morisha Moodley, and Jonathon Rosemond

from the exhibition "Half & Half"

Work by Maximiliano Cervantes, Tarik Dobbs, Morisha Moodley, and Jonathon Rosemond

from the exhibition "Half & Half"

Check It Out

Northwestern's free, on-campus art museum is an engine that drives questioning, experimentation, and collaboration across fields of study with visual arts at the center.

Learn about the Block Museum of Art

Powered by a growing collection of more than 6,000 works, The Block creates shared encounters with art to deepen understandings of the world and our place within it.

Learn about the Block Museum of Art