We at the McCormick School are pleased with the number of exceedingly talented students who enroll here each year. To meet their needs we have put together the honors and other specialized programs that are described here. As you read about each program, we encourage you to consider the advantages it offers and how well it serves the depth and breadth of your own educational goals and interests.
McCormick is proud to have cross-school programs with five other schools/colleges within Northwestern University. These programs help promote engineering and reflect how engineering connects with and has an impact on other fields.
These programs are listed below and include links to further information and application instructions and downloadable applications as available.
Honors Program in Engineering and Journalism—Medill School of Journalism
Combined BS / MS Program—Graduate School
Honors Program in Medical Education—Medical School
Engineering and Music Combined Degree Program—School of Music
Honors Program in Engineering and Journalism
The Honors Program in Engineering and Journalism is intended to prepare exceptional students for communications careers emphasizing engineering, science, and technology. The honors program offers deferred graduate admission to the Medill School of Journalism with a unique opportunity to take journalism course work as part of your undergraduate engineering humanities requirement.
Students will also be expected to take advantage of journalistic opportunities as a part of their extracurricular activities. A faculty panel will evaluate student's progress during the program.
You need to apply to the Honors Program in Engineering and Journalism at the same time you apply for undergraduate admissions by requesting an application from the McCormick School. The deadline for application is January 15.
To apply to this program follow these application instructions.
Combined BS / MS Program
Imagine being able to earn a bachelor's and a master's degree in the next four years. If you are talented, highly motivated to do graduate-level work, and have earned the advanced-placement credit to complete your bachelor's degree requirements in less than four years, you don't have to imagine it. You can do it in the combined BS / MS program.
The combined BS / MS lets you work simultaneously on your undergraduate and graduate degrees. During your junior year of undergraduate study, you apply to the Graduate School, submitting an outline of the course work you intend to complete for the BS and MS. Your department advisor will help you select the courses necessary to fulfill both degree requirements. The Graduate School will then review your credentials and make its admission decision.
If you are not a U.S. citizen, you may have difficulty in moving from a bachelor's degree program to a master's degree program in this fashion. If you are interested in the combined BS / MS program, talk with your departmental advisor at the end of your sophomore year about eligibility.
Honors Program in Medical Education
If your goal is a career in medicine or medical research and you are prepared for the challenge of accelerated, intensive study, consider the Honors Program in Medical Education (HPME).
Entering HPME first-year students are admitted simultaneously to the McCormick School and to Feinberg School of Medicine (FSM). If you successfully complete the first three years of undergraduate study, you may be qualified to matriculate to FSM to begin four years of medical study. Participation in the HPME can reduce the amount of time necessary to complete the formal academic requirements for a BS and MD by a year. HPME students receive their bachelor's degree in medical engineering from McCormick School at the end of their second year of medical school. Students will receive an MD from FSM after successful completion of four years of medical school.
You must apply to this program as you apply to the University. There is a place on the Northwestern University undergraduate admission application to note that you are applying to this program. Visit the Office of Undergraduate Admission website to obtain an application for undergraduate admission.
Further information can also be found at the HPME website.
Engineering and Music Combined Degree Program
At McCormick, you don't have to choose between music and engineering; if you have the ability and the commitment to pursue both, we encourage you to consider the five-year engineering and music program. In it, you can earn a bachelor of science in your chosen field of engineering from the McCormick School and one of two degrees from the School of Music: the bachelor of arts in music or the bachelor of music.
Admission to this double-degree program requires concurrent approval of the School of Music and the McCormick School; you may apply at the time you apply for admission. If you are already a Northwestern student, you should apply no later than the beginning of your sophomore year through the office of undergraduate affairs in either school.
There is a place on the Northwestern University undergraduate admission application to note that you are applying to this program. Visit the Office of Undergraduate Admission website to obtain an application for undergraduate admission.
