Emerson College’s online Journalism and Media Innovation Master’s program reimagines Journalism today to include every aspect of modern journalism and media across multiple platforms. Students learn to be expert multimedia storytellers, do interviews on the fly, write for different audiences and master new technology, pitch news stories and documentary ideas, investigate leads using data and analytics, and be ready to enter the field of journalism or communication with a professional work portfolio. Goals might be to work at a news agency, become a freelance journalist or digital communications professional, or earn a promotion in their current job. Students will take courses with that progressive approach and they will have access to electives ranging from law, design, community engagement, entrepreneurship and more to achieve those professional goals.
This Graduate Program is entirely online and asynchronous, making it convenient to graduate students who tend to also be working full-time or part-time jobs and wish to take courses from anywhere and at any time that fits into a busy schedule. The curriculum in this program is built in such a way that a student can take one, two or three courses per semester, depending on the student’s choice for pacing.
Students complete 32-credits for the Master’s Degree. There is also a 28-credit option for students with at least 5 years of relevant work experience or students with a bachelor’s in journalism, who can waive the 4-credit core course, Foundations of Journalism and Media Creation. Students can complete their degree in one year full-time or 2 years part-time.
The following Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) drive the Journalism and Media Innovation Graduate Program’s curriculum. Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the role of journalism across multiple media platforms, serving many audiences.
- Apply journalistic skills and values with professional standards of accuracy, clarity and fairness.
- Develop the ability to contextualize news and information with empathy.
- Recognize innovation and new opportunities within media organizations.
- Embrace storytelling with curiosity, confidence and entrepreneurialism
Mentoring Program
Each semester, a small group of students is paired with a professional mentor to provide career guidance made available to help students better conceptualize and apply what’s learned in these courses to the real world of media and communication. This mentoring benefit is not for credit, however it is designed to help students network professionally and accomplish their goals confidently.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must meet the College’s admission standards, including TOEFL scores if applicable, official transcripts, two letters of recommendation, an essay, a professional résumé, and examples of written/published work. This Program enrolls students for the Fall and in the Spring semesters.
Degree Requirements
32-credits are required for the Master’s Degree and can be completed full-time in one year or part-time in two years. The curriculum consists of these requirements:
- 4 Core courses (16 credits)*
- 3 Elective courses (12 elective credits)
- 1 Capstone or Internship course (4 credits)
- 1 Group mentoring program (0 credits)
Please see the full list of the program’s courses below. Students may also choose course electives from other Emerson Graduate Programs including Media Design, Business of Creative Enterprises, Publishing and Writing, Communication Studies, and Writing, depending on course availability each semester.
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