A new Northwestern master’s degree program will give old professionals a chance to learn new tricks.

The track will combine courses from the Medill School of Journalism’s journalism and Integrated Marketing Communications programs and the Kellogg School of Management’s media management major. The pilot program will begin in the fall.

The new track is aimed at professionals who have either been laid off from their jobs or want to come back to “re-tool and grow” their journalism skills, Medill Dean John Lavine said.

“It’s scary to look at what’s happening across the economy – not just for journalism and media, but for every sector,” he said.

Students can choose among a mix of interactive and multimedia classes in journalism, consumer insight, database analysis, marketing finance and e-commerce from Medill’s IMC program and Kellogg’s media, sports and internet marketing classes.

“We are uniquely positioned to already have in place the journalism, the digital, the online, the e-commerce and the media management that experienced professionals may want,” Lavine said.

The new track will allow professionals to receive training that undergraduate Medill students receive today, said Michael Smith, executive director of Kellogg’s Media Management Center.

“There’s a lot happening in the media and the workplace that some people are feeling left behind,” he said. “Here’s an opportunity for people in the workplace to make them employable in the future.”

Just a week after the program was announced, the response has shown the idea of the program has “hit a nerve,” Smith said.

Aside from the target audience, “there is also a group of people that may have left the workforce, such as women professional journalists who have stepped away to raise a family and want to come back,” he said

The track also appeals to journalists who want to delve deeper into a certain field or to those who may have “graduated with a pen and pencil” and want to explore multimedia, Lavine said.

“We’re focusing on what is the future: How do you find stories that help people lead a better life and how do you tell them in a way that is engaging?” he said.

The technology side of learning journalism is important, but it’s not everything, Lavine said. The new track will maintain Medill’s commitment to quality reporting, good storytelling and integrity, he said.

“We have always been passionately committed to quality journalism and quality marketing and working with enterprises and individuals who make this happen,” he said.

– Kirsten Salyer