Admission

Who Should Apply?

Housed in Emerson’s School of Communication, the online Journalism and Media Innovation graduate program brings together an online community of journalists, writers, and communications professionals to collaborate on projects and share ideas. Students in the program typically have experience or an interest in the fields of journalism, media, communications, publishing, freelancing, and design. After graduation, students can seek positions in newsrooms, corporate communications, nonprofit and technical writing, social media management, freelance writing, and more.

Application Deadlines

Applicants can apply for admission for a fall, spring, or summer start.

Fall

• Priority*: March 1
• Regular: May 1
• Final: July 1

Spring

• Priority*: November 1
• Regular: November 15
• Final: December 1

*Priority Decision Advantages: priority review for admission, first consideration for scholarships, and earlier receipt of an admission decision.

For official term start dates, please review our Academic Calendar.

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Admission Requirements

• Online Application
  • After submitting your application, you will receive an email with your Admission ID. Please use your username and password to log in and check the status of your application.
• Official Transcripts
  • Review the official transcript requirements.
  • For the application process, unofficial transcripts are usually acceptable, but an official transcript is required for enrollment.
• Two Letters of Recommendation 
  • From persons best able to assess your academic and professional qualifications, including motivations and goals. These letters may be from professors, supervisors, or a professional colleague or mentor.
• Admission Essay
  • Emerson College's graduate programs form a vibrant and engaged community of creative artists, professionals, scholars, and clinicians who all believe in the power of language and communication to transform society. Your careful responses to the following prompts will help us determine if the program you are applying to is the right fit for you. Please answer each prompt as thoughtfully as possible.
    • How does the focus and curriculum of the program to which you are applying align with your experience and goals? What particular aspects of your current and/or future work do you hope to develop while in graduate school? 500 words.
    • Drawing on your personal, professional, creative and/or academic experience, please share an example of a time that you overcame an individual or collective challenge and the approach you took to address that challenge. 250–500 words.
    • The mission of Emerson College is the betterment of society through communication and the arts. With this in mind, what impact do you want your work to have? 500 words.
• Resume
  • Include your professional and educational history.
• English Proficiency: Applicants whose native language is not English must provide evidence of English proficiency by submitting official TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, or Pearson test results.

View our Graduate Admission Policies

International Applicants

• International students can complete this degree from their home country online. Emerson College is not able to issue I-20s for in-person studies as the program is fully online.
• Review our International Student Enrollment Checklist