Admission

Who Should Apply?

Emerson’s hybrid Political Communication graduate certificate program is designed for students from diverse professional and academic backgrounds who aspire to learn skills for executing campaign leadership, social media, and content strategies and gain experience with speech writing and crisis communication planning. Housed in the School of Communication’s Department of Political Communication, the program is designed for working professionals. Courses are offered in the evening with a blend of in-person and online courses, allowing students the flexibility to manage your schedule. 

Application Deadlines

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

Fall

• Priority: March 1
• Regular: May 1
• Late: July 1

Spring

• Priority: November 1
• Regular: November 15
• Late: December 1

Summer

• Priority: February 1
• Regular: March 1
• Late: May 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.
• 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 do the focus and curriculum of the program 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

This program supports the issuance of a new “initial” I-20 for entry to the US or the transfer of an “active” SEVIS record. The I-20 will be issued for the full duration of the on-campus portion of the program. Please note that due to the short-term nature of our graduate certificate programs, Emerson College is not able to support applications for F-1 reinstatement or change of status for this program. To learn more about applying for an I-20, review the International Student Enrollment Checklist. No documentation is required until after you have been admitted.