Academic leaders and employers throughout the United States recognize the high quality of Northern Illinois University's undergraduate degree in Communication and Journalism and graduate program in Communication studies.

Alumni regularly rate our program highly. Their success in varied professions and the high rate of their acceptance to prestigious graduate programs are other indices of the quality of departmental programs.

Graduates secure communication-related jobs in business, industry, and government. Some of these positions in the private sector include corporate video producer, web designer, public relations specialist, corporate training specialist, retail store manager, human resources specialist, multi-media producer, script writer, television station manager, and personnel development.

In addition to more traditional kinds of courses, last summer six NIU students participated in the first Summer Film Study program offered by the Department of Communication. Accompanied by faculty member, Laura Vazquez, students spent five weeks working on the new Anthony Hopkins' film, Slipstream which was produced by NIU alum Robert Katz. To read more about their amazing experience on location with the cast and crew, please visit NIU in Hollywood.

Media faculty and teach and produce documentaries include Professors Jeffrey Chown and Laura Vazquez who are currently collaborating on a documentary on Abraham Lincoln and The Black Hawk War. Both professors have produced award-winning documentaries. Vazquez won a Gold Aurora Award in the Documentary Division for her work entitled "Ruth Weisberg: On the Journey" (2003) about the art and artistry of contemporary painter and printmaker, Ruth Weisberg.

Chown produced "Barbed Wire Pioneers (1998) which tells the story of barbed wire, from its invention in the 19th century to its lasting legacy today. It won 2nd Place in the Biography Division at the Silver State Documentary Film Festival.

Chown's "John Peter Altgeld: The Eagle Remembered" a historical documentary which examines Illinois' famous, progressive governor from 1892-1896. this documentary wont 1st Place in the Biography Division of the Silver State Documentary Film Festival.

The Department offers courses in audio and video and new media production. Undergraduate students can learn state of the art digital editing in a Macintosh computer based Pro-Tools audio lab complete with sound-proof booths. Digital video editing is taught using Final Cut Pro Mac-based systems. The Department also recently opened a state of the art twenty station Telematics Lab.