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Northwestern University

Bay Area Immersion Program

Design Innovation in San Francisco.

Bay Area Immersion Program

The Bay Area Immersion Program prepares students to thrive at the intersection of design, technology, and digital media. During the immersion program, undergraduate students will learn and work together in Northwestern's San Francisco space.

If you apply and are accepted, you’ll take four courses that focus on experiential learning in, and critical thinking about, areas such as design innovation, digital communication, and the intersection of technology and culture.

Based in the Northwestern educational space in downtown San Francisco, the program takes advantage of the region’s booming tech, media, and startup scene. Accepted students will be challenged to learn from and contribute to the Bay Area’s unique culture through a customized immersion experience.

Learn more about Northwestern in San Francisco

Who Should Apply?

This program is open to rising sophomores, juniors and seniors at Northwestern. The courses have been uniquely designed for students in journalism and engineering, with a focus on design innovation that bridges the fields.

Any Northwestern undergraduate student is encouraged and welcome to apply to the Bay Area Immersion Program. However, preference may be given to students from the McCormick School of Engineering and the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications.

Applications for Winter 2025

The application for the Winter 2025 Bay Area Immersion Program will open on April 10, 2024. 

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Curriculum

Together as a cohort, students take four courses that focus on experiential learning in areas such as design innovation, digital communication, and the intersection of technology and culture. The courses have been uniquely designed for students in both journalism and engineering, with a focus on design innovation that bridges the fields.

Projected Coursework

The four courses offered in the program fall into these areas:

  • DSGN 365: Bay Area Design Practicum This course is an opportunity to immerse in a critical area of need and make the most of engaging with organizations and/or companies in the Bay Area, joining them as visionaries, thought leaders, and activists concerned with shaping our communities and world.
  • JOUR 390: Intro to Data Journalism - Data journalism is everywhere today, but what is it? Data journalism is about using numbers to tell the best story possible. This course will introduce reporters to the practice of data journalism in a busy newsroom, showcasing the importance of telling a story and how tools can help you do it
  • DSGN 306: User Experience Design - Students will apply the design innovation process to create compelling user experiences, both individually and as a team.
  • JOUR 390: Visual Storytelling for the Web - Students in this course will learn how to use web technologies to tell good journalistic stories. They will study and critique work that showcases the possibilities and limitations of the web. 

Additional Information

In addition to the courses, students participate in a required Bay Days program each Friday. This co-curricular program is designed to offer a deeper understanding of the area's culture and the Bay Area's unique business model. These are part of the academic program, and students are expected to participate.

Program Costs and Financial Aid

The Bay Area Immersion program is a full credit-bearing quarter and a part of your undergraduate experience for which you will be charged regular Northwestern tuition and fees. NU financial aid and loans can be applied to the term during which you participate in Bay Area Immersion Program. Northwestern will help offset additional room and board offset expenses. See the application for more details.

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