Education
Build the skills and knowledge you’ll need to succeed.
An Unmatched Curriculum
Today’s world is molded by media and driven by storytelling—and at Emerson College, you’ll discover the confidence and skills needed to dive in and help shape it.
Ready to join the Emerson community?
Congratulations on being selected for Emerson’s incoming class––we can’t wait to help you build your future as you experience all Emerson has to offer.
Our creative learning environment combines intellectual exploration with professional training and real-world experience, guiding you and other ambitious artists and communicators from all backgrounds. You’ll explore new fields and share your ideas to inspire change in our local and global communities.
Our academic programs are housed in two schools and an institute:
School of the Arts
We are committed to educating leading professionals in the arts; to inspiring our students to be innovative and creative risk-takers; and to fostering our social, political, cultural, and civic communities.
School of Communication
We aspire to be the leaders in communication by providing challenging academics and a hands-on approach that prepares students to change the world through innovative storytelling.
Marlboro Institute
We enable students to examine the world across many disciplines, adding depth and intellectual perspective to their professional and creative studies. We deliver the foundational skills to position students for success.
School of the Arts
The School of the Arts trains students to become thinkers, makers, and citizens of a complex world by studying theory, practice, and the intellectual and artistic traditions that inform both.
Our faculty are committed to teaching students to accept stylistic and ethical responsibility for their work, placing it in the context of diverse intellectual and cultural traditions.
The School of the Arts is home to three academic departments and a cross-departmental program:
- Performing Arts
- Visual and Media Arts
- Writing, Literature and Publishing
- Comedic Arts
Our undergraduate students enroll in 13 different majors in pursuit of BA and BFA degrees.
Majors in the School of the Arts
- Acting
- Comedic Arts
- Creative Writing
- Media Arts Production
- Media Studies
- Musical Theatre
- Stage and Production Management
- Theatre
- Theatre and Performance
- Theatre Education
- Theatre Education and Performance
- Theatrical Design and Production
- Writing, Literature and Publishing
Learn by doing
School of the Arts students have an extraordinary opportunity to learn their craft in professional-level performance venues, labs, and studios.
Just a few of our outstanding facilities include:
- A costume shop with more than 10,000 pieces; the Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Design Tech and Makeup Suite; and a scene shop with spaces for scenic and prop construction, and scenic painting;
- The largest of our six theater spaces, the 1,200-seat Cutler Majestic Theatre, which is equipped with both historically appropriate stage systems and the most modern technologies for stage and video productions;
- The Di Bona Family Television Studio, which is comparable in size to network–affiliated television stations and production houses; and
- The Emerging Media Lab, which hosts curriculum in multiple areas of new media, including 3D modeling and animation, artistic anatomy and 2D animation, and virtual reality and augmented reality.
School of Communication
The School of Communication prepares students to be innovative storytellers, creative and critical thinkers, writers, and communication practitioners in an increasingly global, diverse, and digital world.
At the School of Communication, rigorous academics and a hands-on approach combine in a learning environment that values ethical decision-making, freedom of thought and expression, and equality as cornerstones of a democratic society.
There are four academic departments in the School of Communication:
- Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Communication Studies
- Journalism
- Marketing Communication
Our undergraduate students enroll in 10 different majors in pursuit of BA and BS degrees.
Majors in the School of Communication
- Business of Creative Enterprises
- Communication Disorders
- Communication Studies
- Health and Social Change
- Journalism
- Marketing Communication
- Media Psychology
- Political Communication
- Public Relations
- Sports Communication
Learn by doing
Students in the School of Communication gain in-demand technical and communication skills using our cutting-edge facilities and labs.
Some of these facilities include:
- The FACE Lab, which utilizes infrared motion capture and eye-tracking technologies to analyze how individuals with autism spectrum disorders produce and process facial expressions and tone of voice during verbal interactions;
- The Journalism Production Center, which consists of a newsroom, multimedia suite, evolving media suite, and post-production editing suites;
- The Levy Focus Group Room, which is a marketing research suite with a fully equipped control room, eye-tracking technology, and a two-way mirror; and
- The Robbins Center, which has provided evaluation and treatment for children and adults with communication problems since 1953. It is the primary clinical training facility associated with the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Marlboro Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies
The Marlboro Institute’s liberal arts curriculum and programming enable students to examine the world across diverse disciplines, adding depth and intellectual perspective to their professional and creative studies.
The liberal arts offer enduring lessons and deliver the foundational skills and knowledge that will position students for success in a variety of careers.
Building on Emerson’s strong foundation in the liberal arts and Marlboro College’s long-standing legacy of self-designed education, the Marlboro Institute offers an Interdisciplinary Studies major. This major is available for students who seek to carve their own interdisciplinary paths and design their own unique program of study in close collaboration with faculty across the College.
Expanding the Boundaries of Academic Courses of Study
The Marlboro Institute encourages students to pursue more sophisticated work in their chosen field by declaring a Liberal Arts minor. There are 20 different topics to choose from, including Art History, Integrated Sciences, Latin American and Latinx Culture, and Psychology.
Another program hosted by the Marlboro Institute is the Honors Program. This intellectual and creative community provides a four-year, interdisciplinary, collaborative learning experience for academically motivated incoming students from all communities. The Honors Program supplements study in a student’s chosen major with a challenging liberal arts curriculum composed of interdisciplinary seminars, collaborative research projects, and faculty-directed independent study.
Students are selected for the Honors Program based on their past academic achievements, creative accomplishments, and demonstrated leadership in academic or community spaces. To be considered for the Honors Program, students must apply as they enter the College as first-year students or as rising sophomores.
Active Professionals, Dedicated Educators
Our 650+ faculty members are leading practitioners and scholars in their fields—recipients of Guggenheim, Mellon, and Whiting Fellowships and Fulbright scholars. Throughout their careers, they have worked at leading news organizations, founded PR films, written for award-winning films and television shows, and conducted research funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
A 15:1 student to faculty ratio in the classroom guarantees more personalized instruction and meaningful opportunities for collaboration. Our faculty emphasize both theory and practice, often inviting students to assist with research or join them in professional projects. These hands-on experiences help differentiate you among your peers after graduation.
Our 650+ members are leading scholars and practitioners in their fields. Emerson faculty have received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, American Council of Learned Societies, Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, Fulbright Program, Creative Capital, American Association of University Women, and the Institute for Citizens and Scholars. Throughout their careers they have worked at leading news organizations, founded PR firms, written for award-winning films and television shows, and conducted research funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation.
Emerson faculty are more than just teachers—they’re mentors, guides, and creative advisors. They’re here to teach you, to challenge you, and to prepare you for the next step in your professional journey.
A Global Perspective
All Emerson students are encouraged to explore their academic goals and expand their cultural knowledge in a global setting. At Emerson, we offer more than study abroad opportunities—we provide access to enriching cultural experiences that will guide you on the path to becoming a global citizen.
Build REAL-WORLD Skills in Hollywood and at a dutch Castle
Many Emerson students take advantage of our unique study-away semesters at our campuses in Los Angeles and the Netherlands. Students who enroll in our Los Angeles program intern at media and entertainment companies while taking courses at our campus in the heart of Hollywood. Interested in exploring Europe? You can participate in our transformational Kasteel Well program, studying at our 14th-century castle in the Dutch village of Well.
partner programs: Global Studies on (Almost) Every Continent
Through global partnerships with Paris College of Art and Franklin University Switzerland, the College offers three joint global bachelor’s degree programs. We also offer a semester-long program in Washington, DC, and multiple exchange programs with international universities. Our Global Pathways programs allow you to utilize a summer or intersession to earn course credits, gain a global perspective, and apply your classroom learning to a real-world context.
