What Schools, Majors, and Degree Programs Does Emerson College Offer?

Emerson College is a private college in Boston, Massachusetts, and describes itself as the only college in the U.S. dedicated entirely to communication and the arts. Its academic offerings are organized into three schools, and the college reports 42 undergraduate and graduate majors, plus 4 certificates and 30+ minors. If you are looking for a school where creative and communication work is the whole curriculum rather than a side track, this structure is the main thing to understand.

The three schools

Emerson groups its programs under three schools:

• School of Film, Television, and Media Arts
• School of Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies
• School of Communication

Each school anchors a different kind of creative work — screen and media production, arts and cross-disciplinary study, and communication-focused fields.

Majors and degree levels

Emerson offers 42 undergraduate and graduate majors, so the same subject area can often be studied at more than one degree level. The college also lists 4 certificates and 30+ minors, which let students add a second area without committing to a full second major.

Student spotlights on the site show the range of degree types in practice, including:

The pattern worth noting: Emerson awards both BFA degrees (studio-intensive, e.g., Theatre, Acting, Media Arts) and BS degrees (e.g., Communication Studies), and students can combine two programs — Kendel Dawson’s dual BFA/BS is an example of that.

What the curriculum emphasizes

Emerson frames its approach as “learn by doing — from day one.” The site highlights hands-on access to professional-level studios, stages, and labs, mentorship from people working in the industry, and study locations beyond Boston, including Los Angeles and the Netherlands. For a prospective student, that means the choice is less about picking a traditional liberal arts major and more about which production- or communication-centered program matches the work you want to make.

How to decide if it fits

• Choose Emerson if you want a college where communication and the arts are the entire focus, you value studio and production experience early, and you want access to industry-connected locations like Boston and LA.
• Look elsewhere if you want a broad range of unrelated majors (engineering, natural sciences, business) alongside the arts, or if you prefer a large university with a wide general-education core.

To see the full, current list of majors, minors, and certificates, check Emerson’s official academic programs pages, since the exact catalog can change by year.