Washington University in St. Louis vs. Northwestern: Which is better for studying journalism?

The biggest practical difference is that Northwestern offers a full undergraduate journalism education through the Medill School, while Washington University in St. Louis offers journalism primarily as a minor and through campus-media experience. At Northwestern, you can major in journalism, take reporting and multimedia production courses in a structured sequence, and build clips through Medill’s professional-facing programs. Its Evanston location also places students close to Chicago’s large news, broadcasting, and media market.

WashU can still be a strong place to prepare for journalism, particularly for a student who wants to combine writing or reporting with another academic field. Its journalism minor, student publications such as Student Life, and St. Louis-area internships can help you develop a portfolio, while the university’s strengths in areas like political science, science, business, and public health can give you valuable subject expertise for specialized reporting. However, you would need to be more proactive about assembling journalism training and professional experience than at Medill.

For an undergraduate whose central goal is to become a journalist, Northwestern is the clearer choice because it provides the dedicated major, reporting infrastructure, industry connections, and Chicago access that WashU does not match. WashU makes more sense if you strongly prefer its overall campus and intend to treat journalism as a complementary minor alongside a different primary field.