Indiana University Media School

What Indiana University Media School does

The Media School is an academic unit within Indiana University Bloomington, established in 2014 through the consolidation of the former School of Journalism, telecommunications, and related media programs. The school offers eight undergraduate degree programs — B.A. in Journalism, B.A. in Media (with six concentrations including Cinema and Media Studies, Fashion Media, Film Television and Digital Production, Media Management Law and Policy, Media Science, and Media Technologies Games and Culture), B.F.A. in Cinematic Arts, B.S. in Game Design, B.S. in Global Media, B.S. in Media Advertising, B.S. in Public Relations, and B.S. in Sports Media — and four graduate programs (M.S. in Media, M.A. in Media Arts & Sciences, M.S. in Media Leadership and Business, and Ph.D. in Media Arts & Sciences). The primary customers are undergraduate and graduate students seeking careers in journalism, media production, advertising, public relations, game design, and sports media; secondary beneficiaries include the media organizations, agencies, and sports franchises that hire graduates.

Core operations are anchored by Franklin Hall (800 N. Park Avenue) and the Radio-TV Building on the IU Bloomington campus. Facilities include the Ken and Audrey Beckley professional television studio, the Ed Spray Control Room, Studios 5 and 8–11, the KIX Lab radio-television production laboratory, game design labs, a professional screening room, and a student media suite. Student-run outlets — Indiana Daily Student (IDS), IU NewsNet, WIUX student radio, and the Arbutus yearbook — function as practical training channels and have won ACP Online Pacemaker Awards, CSPA Gold Crowns, and multiple SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards. Research and archival work is concentrated in the Institute for Communication Research and the Black Film Center & Archive (BFCA), which holds the Jerald Harkness Collection and received a $325,582 NEH grant in 2023 to digitize the Paulin S. Vieyra collection.

As a unit of a public state university, The Media School does not operate as a commercial enterprise and does not publicly disclose revenue. Funding flows through state appropriations and tuition integrated with IU Bloomington's structure, supplemented by external grants (Hearst Foundations $100,000 in 2025; NEH $325,582 in 2023) and donor-supported scholarships ($346,100 distributed to 126 students). No commercial products are offered; the "product surface" is academic programs, student media experiences, and research outputs distributed via partnerships with WFIU/WTIU public broadcasting and the Associated Collegiate Press ecosystem.

Name

Indiana University Media School

Legal name

The Media School: Indiana University Bloomington

Website

https://mediaschool.indiana.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Media School at Indiana University Bloomington delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in journalism, film, game design, advertising, public relations, and sports media, supported by professional production facilities and award-winning student media organizations in Bloomington, Indiana.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education — Media Studies

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Film, Television & Media Arts Colleges (EDAHAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Language Learning Media (Audio Labs, Pronunciation, Interactive) (EDAGALAE), University/College-licensed Public Broadcasting (TV & Radio) (MPABADAD), Student Media & Publications (Newspaper, Radio, TV) (EDALAHAE)

Keywords

• Media education programs
• Journalism degree programs
• Film production training
• Game design degrees
• Media research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Media School delivers higher-education instruction through eight undergraduate degree programs and four graduate degree programs spanning journalism, media studies, cinematic arts, game design, global media, advertising, public relations, and sports media. Instruction is supported by professional-grade production facilities (television studios, radio stations, control rooms, film editing labs, game design labs) and student-run media outlets that provide hands-on broadcast, print, and digital publishing experience.

Product overview

Indiana University Media School is an educational institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of undergraduate and graduate degree programs across media disciplines. The school provides 8 undergraduate degree programs (B.A. in Journalism, B.A. in Media with 6 concentrations, B.F.A. in Cinematic Arts, B.S. in Game Design, B.S. in Global Media, B.S. in Media Advertising, B.S. in Public Relations, B.S. in Sports Media) and 4 graduate programs (M.S. in Media, M.A. in Media Arts & Sciences, M.S. in Media Leadership and Business, Ph.D. in Media Arts & Sciences). The school operates student media organizations including the Indiana Daily Student (IDS), WIUX student radio, and IU NewsNet, providing hands-on training opportunities. Facilities include Franklin Hall with multiple production studios, control rooms, and specialized labs for game design and film production. The institution does not offer commercial products but rather educational programs and student media experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• B.A. in Journalism Bachelor of Arts degree program with concentrations in News Reporting & Editing and Social and Digital Media, preparing students for careers in journalism and media.
• B.A. in Media Bachelor of Arts degree with six concentrations: Cinema and Media Studies, Fashion Media, Film Television and Digital Production, Media Management Law and Policy, Media Science, and Media Technologies Games and Culture.
• B.F.A. in Cinematic Arts Bachelor of Fine Arts degree focused on cinematic arts education and production.
• B.S. in Game Design Bachelor of Science degree program in game design, consistently ranked among top 50 programs by Princeton Review.
• B.S. in Global Media Bachelor of Science degree exploring global media landscapes and international communication.
• B.S. in Media Advertising Bachelor of Science degree with concentrations in Advertising Planning and Management and Creative Advertising.
• B.S. in Public Relations Bachelor of Science degree preparing students for careers in public relations and strategic communication.
• B.S. in Sports Media Bachelor of Science degree with concentrations in Sports Content, Sports Media Management, and Sports Production; gained final approval in November 2025.
• M.S. in Media Master of Science degree with five concentrations: Data Journalism, Documentary Nonfiction Production, Journalism, Management, and Strategic Communication.
• M.A. in Media Arts & Sciences Master of Arts degree in media arts and sciences.
• M.S. in Media Leadership and Business Master of Science degree focused on leadership and business aspects of media industries.
• Ph.D. in Media Arts & Sciences Doctoral degree in media arts and sciences for advanced research.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students consistently win SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards regionally and nationally
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Indie Boards and CardsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 May 2024Game design students gained insider perspective through playtest sessions with Indie Boards and Cards, an indie game publisher, providing real-world industry feedback on student projects.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism: USC Annenberg is one of the most prestigious private university media schools, offering journalism, communication, and public relations programs. It is comparable to IU Media School in program scope (journalism, PR, broadcast, advertising) but operates at a higher prestige tier with deeper industry placement in Los Angeles media markets.
• Northwestern Medill School of Journalism: Medill is consistently ranked as a top-tier journalism school with strong emphasis on news reporting, media research, and immersive journalism residencies. It is comparable to IU Media School in core journalism and media programs but commands higher national prestige and a deeper Chicago media network.
• University of Missouri School of Journalism: Mizzou's School of Journalism is the world's first journalism school, offering BS and MA programs with strong broadcast, news-editorial, and strategic communication tracks. It is directly comparable to IU Media School as a public university journalism/flagship-media program with comparable scale and student media operations.
• NYU Tisch School of the Arts: NYU Tisch houses film, television, game design, and emerging media programs that overlap directly with IU Media School's cinematic arts and game design offerings. It is comparable on production-oriented media arts but operates at a higher prestige and cost tier in the New York creative market.
• Syracuse University Newhouse School of Public Communications: Newhouse is a top-ranked private university school offering programs in journalism, broadcast journalism, advertising, and public relations. It is highly comparable to IU Media School in program breadth and student media infrastructure, with similar prestige-tier competition for the same media industry employer base.
• University of Texas at Austin Moody College of Communication: Moody College encompasses journalism, advertising, radio-television-film, and communication studies at a flagship public university, mirroring IU Media School's structure and mission. It is one of the closest direct peers in scale, public-university funding model, and program breadth.
• Boston University College of Communication: BU College of Communication offers journalism, film/TV, advertising, and public relations programs comparable to IU Media School. It is a private university peer at similar program breadth, competing for the same pool of media industry students and faculty in the Northeast corridor.
• University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications: UF's CJC is a top-ranked public university journalism/communication program with comparable scope in journalism, advertising, public relations, and broadcast. It directly competes with IU Media School for in-state and out-of-state public university students in the same media disciplines.
• University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts: USC's film school is one of the most prestigious cinematic arts programs globally and overlaps with IU Media School's B.F.A. in Cinematic Arts and film production concentrations. It is a leading peer in the film/media arts production space but operates at a significantly higher prestige tier.

Direct peers

• University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication: UO's SOJC is a public university media school offering journalism, advertising, public relations, and media studies. It is a closely comparable peer in scale, public-university funding model, and program mix to IU Media School, with similar enrollment and student media operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iubloomington
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/IUMediaSchool
• Facebookfacebook.com/indianauniversity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-media-school---indiana-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/iumediaschool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Indiana University Media School