Michigan State or Indiana University for a journalism major? Any current students or alums here who can share what the programs are like, including about classes, internships, and the student community?
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When comparing Michigan State University and Indiana University for journalism, both schools offer strong programs with distinct advantages. Michigan State's School of Journalism, housed within the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, provides extensive hands-on experience through its award-winning student newspaper, The State News. The program emphasizes multimedia storytelling and digital journalism skills, preparing you for the evolving media landscape.
Indiana University's Media School combines journalism, media studies, and cinema production, offering a more comprehensive media education approach. The Indiana Daily Student, IU's student newspaper, has won numerous national awards and provides valuable real-world experience. The program's location in Bloomington also offers unique opportunities to cover Big Ten sports and regional news stories.
Internship opportunities differ between the schools. Michigan State leverages its proximity to the state capital, Lansing, providing access to political reporting and government journalism opportunities. The university's strong alumni network in Detroit and Chicago helps students secure prestigious internships at major media outlets. Indiana University benefits from strong connections to media organizations in Indianapolis and Chicago, with many students landing internships at regional newspapers and broadcast stations.
The student community experience varies between campuses. Michigan State's journalism program typically maintains smaller class sizes, fostering closer relationships with professors and peers. The school's Journalism Living Learning Community allows first-year students to live and study together, creating a tight-knit community of aspiring journalists. At Indiana University, the larger Media School environment exposes you to students studying various aspects of media, creating diverse networking opportunities and collaborative projects.
Both programs require similar core journalism courses covering writing, ethics, and media law, but Michigan State places greater emphasis on specialized reporting tracks, while Indiana University offers more flexibility to combine journalism with other media disciplines. Your choice might ultimately depend on whether you prefer MSU's focused journalism approach or IU's broader media studies environment.
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