Career Outlook

Our students have graduated and gone on to successful careers as:

  • Narrative Film Production 
  • Documentary Filmmaking
  • College Professors
  • Exhibition Curators 
  • Post-Production and Sound Design 

Alumni

Our award-winning alumni have gone on to build careers as artists, teachers, and artists-in-residence who create different forms of film and media. Some of our recent alumni include:

  • Elaine McMillion Sheldon, Director, Producer, and Cinematographer, and Jeff Soyk, Art Director and Web Designer, of Hollow, their award-winning, interactive thesis project. Hollow has been awarded a Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, Peabody Award, the Tribecca New Media Fund, and was nominated for an Academy Award and an Emmy.
  • Keely Kernan, Director of her interactive thesis documentary The Mississippi: The Story of America’s River. Her project was awarded the Princess Grace scholarship.
  • Georden West, Director of their thesis project Patron Saint. Their project was awarded the Student Academy Award in the alternative/experimental category.
  • Shaka Dendy, summer 2019 Artist in Residence for the Boston Center of the Arts.

Get the Emerson Edge with our Graduate Student Benefits 

Once you commit to graduate school at Emerson, you’re automatically enrolled in our Emerson Edge program. Emerson Edge is designed to help you network with peers, alumni, faculty, and staff to ensure you’re getting what you need out of your graduate program including career exploration, resume building, financial planning, and access to exclusive events for students and alumni. 

Emerson Edge benefits:

  • Career exploration and preparedness: Work with Career Development to discuss your interests and skills to investigate different career paths. Our Career Development team reviews industry trends and updates you on emerging career paths and industries. Start with the Graduate Career Action Plan to learn about your skills, the Emerson community, industry, and network. Work with our team to craft your resume, cover letter, and portfolio and receive access to exclusive job listings.
  • Attend Graduate Student Events: Meet new friends and network with your colleagues in the graduate community at in-person and online events hosted by the Graduate Student Association.
  • Work with your Graduate Program Director: Your Graduate Program Director serves as a mentor to you and your classmates. They’ll help you connect with alumni, identify internship and career opportunities, and build a class schedule that excites you.
  • Network with Emerson Alumni: Our alumni network consists of 51,000+ proud lions. Meet alumni from around the globe through Emerson’s exclusive Emerge platform, and in-person and virtual events hosted by our Alumni Relations team. Our alumni are known for helping each other out, from mentoring opportunities to career guidance, and you’ll join one of the best alumni networks in the country.
  • Consult with our resource center to create a work-life balance plan and receive feedback on writing projects and coursework for native and non-native English speakers.
  • Find graduate housing: Work with our Off-Campus Student Services to find off-campus graduate housing, roommates, neighborhood and budgeting advice, and even learn how to sign a lease.
  • Explore our accessible resources: Coordinate with our Student Accessibility Services to receive access and support to our graduate programs and courses, activities, and services to ensure your needs are met while studying at Emerson.