Admission

Who Should Apply?

Our Media Design cohort includes students from diverse professional and academic backgrounds who have majored in, worked in, or are interested in journalism, UX design, nonprofit organizations, fundraising, photography/video production, and communications. Our students aspire to work in nonprofit and public-sector industries on the local, national, or international level and value social justice as a core part of their career path through the use of media, digital art, and design. Our students often go on to pursue careers as community managers, developers, digital strategists, community relations managers, civic artists/technologists, designers, videographers, and photographers.

Application Deadlines

Fall 2024

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

*Priority Decision Advantages: priority review for admission, first consideration for scholarships, earlier receipt of an admissions 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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Application 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
  • 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. 
• Creative Sample: Choose one of the following options.
  • Writing Sample: Provide a writing sample that demonstrates your professional or academic writing skills. Examples include a scholarly research paper, essay, single-authored professional article, or professional document.
    • Length: 20 pages maximum, double-spaced
  • Visual Portfolio: Submit a portfolio that exhibits your previous work or interests area(s) in media design. Submissions may include (but are not limited to) video, online game(s), website/online platforms, graphic design samples, photography, or visual documentation of community art/media projects.
• 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 you can preview the information here. No documentation is required until after you have been admitted.
• International Student Checklist

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