At the George Polk School of Communications, we’re taking a dynamic and imaginative approach to providing students the skills they need to succeed in a variety of Communications-related fields. Building on the revered legacy of intrepid journalist George Polk, in whose honor the prestigious Polk Awards have been awarded by LIU for over fifty years, the Polk School sits at the heart of all of the various intertwined fields that make up Journalism and Communications in the 21st Century. Our goal is to give the students of today the skills they will need tomorrow to tell stories that count, whether as journalists, filmmakers, writers, producers, or creators of computer graphics and more. Make it your story at the Polk School. More about the George Polk School





Upcoming Events
Polk Professional Series
In the Polk Professional Series, faculty and students from the MFA in Writing and Publishing interview people whose careers have made a difference in Media, Publishing, Journalism, Writing, Science, human rights, and other fields in which communication skills are paramount. Through our accompanying podcast series, “How Do I Become You?”, we demystify the sometimes circuitous paths that the careers of many successful professionals have taken.
Polk Alumni Series
In the Polk Alumni Series, the illustrious alumni of the Polk Programs of both Post and Brooklyn lead workshops for our students and share stories of them time at LIU and the ways in which they have made their way in the fields of Journalism and Communications. Our inaugural Alumni series were kicked off by LIU-Brooklyn Journalism alum and prolific and widely-known journalist, Curtis Stephen, and by Josh Margolin, alum of LIU-Post Journalism and Chief Investigative Reporter for ABC News.
Bachelor’s Degree Programs
B.A. in Journalism
In the Journalism program, students engage in high-quality research, reporting, interviewing, editing and writing in order to shape individual narratives and to tell stories that count across different formats. Under the guidance of experienced and caring teachers, mentors, and alumni, students gain valuable experience through special workshops, internships so that they can enter the professional world with the skills needed to excel in the ever-changing digital media landscape.
Students also have the opportunity to edit and write for the student newspaper, Seewanhaka. Here, student journalists produce stories that are not only fair, huimanizing and evidence-driven, but are welcoming and accessible to a far broader audience – opening a window onto the LIU campus community, or onto New York City, or even onto America itself.
For more information and a personal response from one of our award-winning faculty members, please contact: Polkschool@liu.edu.
Location: Brooklyn
Department: Journalism and Communications
B.F.A. in Journalism
In the Journalism program, students engage in high quality research, reporting, interviewing, editing, and writing in order to shape individual and collective narratives, and to tell stories that count across different formats. Along with these skills, students also have the opportunity to be by committed faculty and illustrious alumni, and have access to life-changing internships in the media capitol of the world. It’s this kind of individual attention and concern gives students the boost they need to succeed in an ever-changing media landscape.
Students also have the opportunity to work on LIU Post’s award-winning newspaper, The Pioneer. Here, students cover stories that highlight the achievements, activities, and pressing topics within our communities. Precision and thoroughness are the hallmarks of the Pioneer staff, skills needed to succeed as journalists and in communications-related fields.
For more information and a personal response from one of our award-winning faculty members, please contact: Polkschool@liu.edu.
Location: Post
Department: Communications and Film
B.S. in Communications
The Bachelor of Science in Communications is designed to provide the knowledge and skills needed for careers in today’s expanding media world.
Graduating with the Bachelor of Science degree will prepare you for employment in a wide range of private and non-profit sector businesses that increasingly require a diverse set of communications skills. These could include broadcast and film production organizations, publishing and public relations firms, and internet and social media companies.
The program provides technical experiences in the creation of digital moving images, electronic journalism, audio technology, as well as the fundamentals of researching, reporting, and writing, across many media platforms. The project-based curriculum is structured to develop creative capacities in both individual and group work, foster critical thinking, and cultural awareness, helping to prepare students to live in today’s multi-faceted society.
For more information and a personal response from one of our award-winning faculty members, please contact: Polkschool@liu.edu.
Location: Post
Department: Communications and Film
B.A. in Communications
The study of communication is vital for our public life as a nation, for our individual careers and for our interpersonal relations. Communication studies empowers students to become effective communicators, resulting in improved social interactions, greater academic success and the realization of career goals.
The program provides technical experiences in the creation of digital moving images, electronic journalism, audio technology, as well as the fundamentals of researching, reporting, and writing, across many media platforms. The project-based curriculum is structured to develop creative capacities in both individual and group work, foster critical thinking, and cultural awareness, helping to prepare students to live in today’s multi-faceted society.
For more information and a personal response from one of our award-winning faculty members, please contact: Polkschool@liu.edu.
Location: Brooklyn
Department: Department of Journalism and Communications
B. A. in Media Arts
Located in the media capitol of the world, students in the Department of Media Arts learn an array of skills to become the content creator of your dreams. Through Social Media Content Design, Digital Art, Animation, Video Games, AR and VR, Digital Audio Production and Sound Design, Film, Television, and Photography, Every generation innovates the artistic media that tell the stories of their time, and Media Arts students are at the forefront of the stories that count for this generation.
For more information and a personal response from one of our award-winning faculty members, please contact: Polkschool@liu.edu.
Location: Brooklyn
Department: Department of Media Arts
B.F.A in Broadcasting
The 120-credit Bachelor of Fine Arts in Broadcasting opens students to the world of digital radio, digital video, webcasting and multimedia. This major prepares students for careers as varied as documentary producers, television writers, web video producers, news anchors, writers, radio broadcasters, and interview hosts. Courses cover the technical and creative aspects of this field, including new technologies, digital audio and video production and editing as well as narrative development and cultural dimensions of media. Students will work behind the scenes, writing scripts for broadcasts and operating television and radio equipment, and also practice on-air skills through work at LIU Post’s TV station, PTV, and radio station, WCWP. Students develop an understanding of a variety of storytelling styles and formats in both radio and television. LIU Post students intern at some of the nation’s top media organizations, including CBS, MTV Networks, NBC TV, Z-100, WBAB, W WFAN Radio, HGTV, and News 12, Long Island.
For more information and a personal response from one of our award-winning faculty members, please contact: Polkschool@liu.edu.
Location: Post
Department: Communications and Film
Polk Scholarships and Polk Scholars Program
Undergraduate Journalism and Communications majors who have achieved a high level of academic excellence are eligible for Polk Scholarships. In addition, Polk scholars, with or without an attached scholarship, are eligible for special events with alums and industry professionals.
Master’s Degree Programs
M.F.A. in Creative Writing and Publishing
LIU’s MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing prepares students to tell stories that count (and non-narratives that count, too!) with multi-disciplinary courses in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and hybrid forms. With an emphasis on world literature and a practical focus on publishing, our MFA aims to teach students how to be professional writers and visionary literary citizens. Situated in the heart of Brooklyn, LIU’s MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing prepares students for careers in creative writing, academia, translation, and publishing, all at a cost well-below that of many if not most MFA programs. During their two-year program, students have the opportunity for internships in the center of the publishing world and to see what it takes to be a writer in New York City.
The MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing also offers an online option for students who can’t pick up and move to New York, but still want to earn an MFA.
For those with MFA degrees in hand, the Writing Program also offers a Certificate in Manuscript Preparation, a 12-15 credit program primarily intended for post-grad students who want the guidance, mentorship and space to get their first manuscript in order and published.
We also offer a Certificate in Translation for those interested in working directly with literature in languages besides English.
For more information and a personal response from one of our award-winning faculty members, please contact: Polkschool@liu.edu.
Location: Brooklyn
Department: M.F.A. in Creative Writing and Publishing
M.F.A. in Writing and Producing for TV
LIU’s acclaimed TV Writers Studio (TVWS) is a one-of-a-kind writing practicum. Pure and simple, the goal of the TVWS is to educate and to develop highly skilled, experienced professionals with strong portfolios who will be prepared to begin careers in the television industry as writer/producer/entrepreneurs.
Each year, the TVWS has two cohorts running side-by-side: one in its first year, the other in its second and final year. The students invited to participate in the TVWS become part of an intensive, two year curriculum of study during which they function collaboratively like the staff of an ongoing television series; and independently, as writer/creators of their own TV series pilot and web series.
Upon completing the 48 credit program, each student will graduate with an M.F.A in Writing and Producing for Television which. Classes are held at the state-of-the-art Steiner Studios, a 305,000-square-foot Hollywood-style production and support facility in the historic Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Visit tvwritersstudio.com for more information.
Location: Brooklyn
Department: Department of Media Arts
Steiner Studios
Advanced Certificate Programs
Certificate in Translation
The study of translation allows writers to broaden their skill sets for possible employment in the field of publishing as translators (as many working writers are also translators). In addition, the study of translation hones one’s own writing craft by the careful focus on language and grammar, as well as a means of better understanding one’s own work in the context of global literature.
The Certificate of Translation offers post graduate students and current graduate students the opportunity to understand and practice the theory and craft of translation as well as the opportunity to study world literary forms. Prior language training is helpful but not necessary.
For more information and a personal response from one of our award-winning faculty members, please contact: Polkschool@liu.edu.
Location: Brooklyn
Department: M.F.A. in Creative Writing and Publishing
Certificate in Manuscript Preparation
Students who have already earned an MFA degree as well as current graduate students in the MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing program can pursue a Certificate in Manuscript Preparation in order to gain the expertise and skill-sets necessary to revise and prepare their book manuscripts for publication within an intensive and supportive learning environment.
For more information and a personal response from one of our award-winning faculty members, please contact: Polkschool@liu.edu.
Location: Brooklyn
Department: M.F.A. in Creative Writing and Publishing
Distinguished Alumni in the Spotlight
Faculty in the Spotlight
Confrontation Magazine
Confrontation Magazine, began operation in 1968 with the mission of bringing new talent to light in the shadows cast by well-known authors. Open to all submissions, each issue contains original work by famous and by lesser-known writers.
Among the authors we’ve published are Nobel prize winners John Steinbeck, Derek Walcott, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Joseph Brodsky, Nadine Gordimer, S.Y. Agnon; and Pulitzer and other prize winners W.H. Auden, Arthur Miller, Ned Rorem, Ed Bullins, Joyce Carol Oates, T.C. Boyle, and Lanford Wilson.
The magazine has also published the work of a 14-year-old talented writer, college students and writers beginning their career. Cynthia Ozick, Paul Theroux, Walter Abish, and Susan Vreeland all published work in the magazine before they achieved wider fame. Confrontation is eclectic; eclecticism is in fact our mission.