Department of Journalism

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The Department of Journalism, housed in the School of Communication, offers a Journalism major, a Journalism minor, and a Master’s Degree in Journalism and Media Innovation. Emerson’s Journalism programs prepare students for a world where everything is digital-developing their uniquely entrepreneurial, journalistic mindset to stand out among peers today and in the future of news and media organizations.

Journalists work on behalf of their fellow citizens by helping them understand their world better so that they can make wiser decisions for their communities, their families and for themselves. The stories that journalists write and produce link people to their government, enable a vigorous debate of ideas, and diversify the public forum with as many voices as possible.

With the curiosity and courage to hold powerful people accountable, to reveal the truth, tell important stories in our communities and create compelling news stories for multiple media platforms, we know journalists can make a difference.

Students don’t just study journalism in the classroom at Emerson. With our experiential model, they’re immersed in the field starting on day one as student journalists. They are guided by faculty who are highly accomplished journalists and scholars, dedicated to their students’ success. Small class sizes foster close connections between students and faculty, who offer a diverse range of backgrounds and expertise.

Students study journalism at the Boston campus in the heart of the city of Boston, known for major news stories in politics, sports, medicine, art, culture, technology,  innovation and education. Along with experiential classwork, students also participate in extracurricular activities to hone their foundational journalism skills. And students can also do coursework and internships in global locations such as Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Salzburg, Barcelona, the Netherlands, Australia, and China.

Journalism Faculty

Faculty in the Department of Journalism include award-winning experts in multimedia journalism, data visualization, news documentaries, the First Amendment, interactive news, media activism and media entrepreneurship. Our faculty have decades of experience as Journalists with news organizations such as CNN, CBS, NBC, Telemundo, iHeart Media, The Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, and the Washington Post, as well as experts from global media organizations, public television and civic media entities. They guide our students-and challenge them-throughout their time at Emerson.

Undergraduate Programs

The Department of Journalism offers two undergraduate programs: the Journalism Bachelor of Science Degree, and a Journalism Minor. For information about the Graduate Program, a Journalism and Media Innovation Master’s Degree (MA Online), please refer to the Graduate Catalog.

Courses in the Journalism major and minor are designed to challenge students with coursework, practical experience and projects that progressively increase in complexity and prepare them to be professionals in emerging media jobs. Emerson student journalists are encouraged to connect what they learn in other liberal arts courses at the College to their journalism classwork and pursue story topics that interest them. All Journalism courses are founded on the notion that journalists need to be rigorous, resourceful, and open-minded researchers, interviewers and storytellers committed to accuracy, diversity, inclusiveness, equity and accessibility. They are exceptional analysts and interpreters of information who combine savvy street smarts with quantitative methods. They can explain complex issues in a way everyone can understand instantaneously. These qualities make journalists agile and versatile for any media workplace.

Co-curricular Activities

Students are encouraged to participate in on campus and professional media experiences through co-curricular activities and internships. Among those co-curricular opportunities available on the Emerson campus are The Berkeley Beacon campus newspaper and the news programs of WEBN-TV, WECB (AM), WERS (FM), EIV (Emerson Independent Video), in addition to The Independent Magazine, a student-run online publication where students cover and write stories about films outside the mainstream, including international, experimental, and independent short films.

Internships & Directed Studies

Internships in news and media organizations are encouraged to help students discover their chosen career path and begin to make good networking contacts in the profession. The Department of Journalism has a designated full-time Internship Coordinator to help students find the most meaningful internship placements for their specific journalism interests. Although students may take more than one internship, no more than 4 credits of internship or 8 credits combined of internship and directed study may count toward the major.

Advising & Mentorship

All Journalism faculty advise students in the Journalism major. Before selecting their courses for each semester, students are strongly encouraged to meet with their assigned faculty advisor. The Department is also keen to hold events each semester to bring speakers from the profession to campus to engage with Journalism students. And in both the undergraduate and graduate programs, Journalism students have direct access to hundreds of alumni in the fields of Journalism, Media and Communication in Boston and around the world.

Policies

All incoming Undergraduate Journalism students will be tested to ensure they have the necessary foundational knowledge in grammar and government required for journalistic competence. If a student does not pass the test, they will be expected to attend workshops and individual tutoring sessions to develop grammar competency.

Technology Requirement

The Journalism Department developed the CreativityKit laptop program to increase access to technology, raise academic challenge, and create a real-world experience for Emerson student  journalists in the Undergraduate Program.

All students are required to participate in the CreativityKit Program and are highly encouraged to come to campus with an iOS device (iPhone, iPad).

Journalism students are required to obtain a Safety Badge, renewable each year, before they are allowed to reserve and take out camera equipment from the EDC (Equipment Distribution Center) for classwork and projects.

Programs

• Journalism, B.S.

• Journalism Minor

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