Admission

Who Should Apply?

Emerson’s Political Communication graduate program enrolls a cohort of students from diverse backgrounds who share interests in politics, social advocacy, and citizen engagement. Housed in the School of Communication, the program enrolls students who majored in, work in, or have a passion for the political landscape. Our students go on to pursue careers in communications, polling and analytics, political campaigning, event planning, social media, content writing, or talent and brand management. We encourage students from all academic and professional backgrounds with an interest in politics and writing to apply regardless of experience level.

Application Deadlines

Applicants can apply for admission for a fall or a spring 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, earlier receipt of an admission decision, and additional time to find housing and for international students to secure their visa.

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.
• 2 Letters of Recommendation
  • From persons best able to assess academic and professional qualifications, including motivations and goals.
• 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

This program supports the issuance of an I-20 for the full duration of the on-campus portion of the 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.