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Emerson College


About

Emerson College draws independent minds from diverse backgrounds around the world through its highly regarded academic programs in communication, the arts, and the liberal arts. Energized by engagement with the creative life of Boston, Los Angeles, and the Netherlands, our students are creative thinkers and doers who develop their own personal voice and expertise in professions that profoundly shape society and culture in the 21st century. Our alumni populate theaters, newsrooms, movie sets, comedy clubs, and digital media platforms worldwide. They’ve emerged as leaders in publishing, advertising, entertainment, public relations, academia, and other engines of culture and enlightenment, as well as in industries of disruption and innovation. Wherever people collaborate to generate ideas and to inspire action, you will find Emersonians. Whether the result is a “bravo” or a “let’s print this” or a “that’s a wrap,” the work of Emerson-schooled professionals gets out there to make hearts beat fast and minds think deeply.

Emerson College draws independent minds from diverse backgrounds around the world through its highly regarded academic programs in communication, the arts, and the liberal arts.

Energized by engagement with the creative life of Boston, Los Angeles, and the Netherlands, our students are creative thinkers and doers who develop their own personal voice and expertise in professions that profoundly shape society and culture in the 21st century.

Our alumni populate theaters, newsrooms, movie sets, comedy clubs, and digital media platforms worldwide. They’ve emerged as leaders in publishing, advertising, entertainment, public relations, academia, and other engines of culture and enlightenment, as well as in industries of disruption and innovation.

Wherever people collaborate to generate ideas and to inspire action, you will find Emersonians. Whether the result is a “bravo” or a “let’s print this” or a “that’s a wrap,” the work of Emerson-schooled professionals gets out there to make hearts beat fast and minds think deeply.

Fast Facts

1880

The year Emerson College was founded

3831

Undergraduate students

633

Graduate students

Mission Statement

Emerson College educates students to assume positions of leadership in communication and the arts and to advance scholarship and creative work that brings innovation, depth, and diversity to these disciplines.

This mission is informed by core liberal arts values that seek to promote civic engagement, encourage ethical practices, foster respect for human diversity, and inspire students to create and communicate with clarity, integrity, and conviction.

Vision

Our vision is to educate leading professionals in the arts and communication; to inspire generations of students to think boldly and creatively; and to make sure that all we do—as students, faculty, and staff—brightens the cultural, social, political, and civic life around us.

Values

Underlying and infusing all we do are these inspiring, non-negotiable values:

  • Respect and equal treatment for all people of all backgrounds, orientations, beliefs, and physical capabilities
  • Appreciation for diverse ideas and the free expression of them
  • Academic excellence in formal settings such as classrooms and libraries and in workshops, internships, labs, studios, and all other collaborative environments
  • Critical and creative thinking that inspires audiences; improves the arts and communication; and advances social justice, global responsibility, and environmental sustainability in our institution, communities, nation, and world

Emerson Life

107+

Student organizations at Emerson

359+

Student organization events last year

14

Division III Intercollegiate athletics teams

When you come to Emerson, you become part of a creative force. You add your voice to a community of independent minds searching for new ways to learn, to share, to engage with the world—and to change it for the better.

Our classrooms are settings for exploration and debate as well as scholarship. They are not just desk-filled rooms; they are also studios, stages, and even sidewalks, all places for self-discovery.

As an Emerson student, you will immerse yourself in experiences that extend across campus. You will discover places where you can laugh, play, or lounge. It’s all here—a complete life at Emerson—where you will find other wonderful and unique people to both learn from and inspire.

Explore Emerson Life

Boston Campus

At Emerson, the city is your home—but you’ll also find the reassuring feel of a caring campus community. Living in our on-campus residence halls will give you the opportunity to build your personal network and develop lasting friendships. Resident assistants and residence directors are here to guide you.

With more than 100 student organizations on campus, students truly shape our community. Join like-minded friends in sponsoring events, putting on productions, attending workshops, and running publications. You’ll gain real-life, hands-on experiences while honing your leadership skills and embracing campus life.

More than 200 Emerson student-athletes compete on one of our 14 NCAA Division III sports teams. Watching a basketball game or cheering on our lacrosse team is a great way to show your Lion pride. Our fitness center, group classes, and intramurals are also available.

All this buzz of activity takes place in a collaborative setting, where Emerson students share experiences of a lifetime.

Los Angeles Campus

Imagine taking a screenwriting course or studying film with the Hollywood sign in the background, or interning at HBO, Paramount Pictures, or the Los Angeles Times. At Emerson Los Angeles, you can do that and more. With so many of our students and faculty excelling in the fields of film, media arts, and performing arts, it’s no wonder that we have an established presence in LA. Our West Coast home is located on Sunset Boulevard in a sustainable LEED-certified facility, which houses up to 215 Emerson students each fall and spring semester.

At Emerson Los Angeles, our mission is to develop and prepare students to successfully embark on a path to positions of leadership in communication and the arts. When you spend a semester here, you’ll take courses in your desired field of study and complete an internship at one of LA’s iconic organizations in entertainment, media, communication, or the arts. You can network with industry leaders on and off-campus. And if you decide to stay in LA to pursue your career, you’ll become part of an extensive and supportive alumni community.

Around the World

Emerson is a campus without borders. We believe producing inspired work requires a global perspective, which is why the Emerson experience isn’t limited to one city or even one country. As a global hub of arts and communication in higher education, we strive to provide our students, faculty, and staff with opportunities to connect and collaborate across countries and cultures.

From our Global Pathways Programs to our castle in the Netherlands and beyond, we offer more than opportunities for students to study abroad—we provide access to enriching cultural experiences that will guide you on the path to becoming a global citizen. Our Global Portals offer new flexible models for providing an Emerson education to students around the world, and we’re constantly looking to reach new locations around the globe. We also infuse our campus with these ideals by working to advance diversity in internationalization, hosting international scholars and visitors, and internationalizing our curriculum.

From media arts to political communication to creative writing, the disciplines we study transcend national borders and cultural limitations. We invite you to explore our global programs and opportunities. As an Emerson student, you’ll get the chance to step outside your comfort zone, meet new people, and become immersed in different cultures—all in the pursuit of becoming your own creative force.

  • Kasteel Well, the Netherlands
  • Sydney, Australia
  • Paris, France
  • Lugano, Switzerland
  • Valencia, Spain
  • Washington, DC
  • Los Angeles, CA

History

Since 1880, the visionary leaders who built Emerson College have been inspired by the highest educational aspirations. They have envisioned higher education as more than pure scholarship, but rather an immersive preparation for meeting human needs and launching brilliant artistic careers.

Think about this: Emerson was founded as a school of oratory, elocution, and dramatic art—and now marvel at how the College has flourished over the years as a hub of educational innovation. Emerson offered the first collegiate-level program in children’s theater (1919), created the first course of journalism in the 1920s, offered professional training in speech pathology in the ’30s, developed one of the first undergraduate programs in broadcasting and broadcast journalism, launched the first educational radio station in the 1940s, and later added a television station in the 1950s.

All of these innovations enrich students’ understanding of how people reach other people—teaching them about the means, the media, the creative impulses, and the institutions that communicate, inform, and inspire.

Emerson extended this philosophy to Los Angeles in 1986 with an internship-based program and later opened its magnificent campus in the heart of Hollywood, where students are energized by the power of LA’s scintillating artistic and cultural scene. Today, Emerson’s Los Angeles campus encompasses 100,000 square feet and houses more than two hundred students each fall and spring.

Extending Emerson’s reach worldwide began with the purchase of Kasteel Well in the Netherlands. Today it includes Emerson-sponsored programs in Paris, France; Lugano, Switzerland; Washington, DC; and many other places around the world including Spain, Mexico, Austria, China, and others.

Over the years, Emerson has evolved from a small New England school of oratory to a multifaceted college with an international reputation. The Emerson approach has always been compelling—you learn by doing complemented by a study that deepens your understanding. The goal has remained constant—equipping students to explore the power of human communication, generate ideas, and be a creative force for change.

Preservation

Over the past generation and beyond, Emerson has played a major role in reviving downtown Boston’s famed Theatre District—thus reenergizing the cultural life of Boston and New England. In 2003, the College opened its Tufte Performance Production Center at 10 Boylston Place, an 11-story steel-and-glass building that houses Emerson’s Performing Arts Department and includes two theaters, television studios, makeup and costume labs, faculty offices, and an exhibition area. Also in 2003, the renovated Cutler Majestic Theatre was re-opened as one of the main stages for Emerson performers and outside professional productions.

An entirely new residence hall opened in 2004, a facility with residential suites, athletic facilities, offices and meeting rooms for student organizations, gathering places for off-campus students, spaces for small-group rehearsals and performances, and dining facilities.

In 2005, the school purchased the historic Paramount Theatre; restored its dazzling art deco marquee; and expanded the complex to offer stage productions, an experimental black box theater, a screening room, sound stage, scene production shop, rehearsal studios, practice rooms, classrooms, and offices.

Most recently, Emerson has built a beautiful new residence hall and dining hall on Boylston Place; is completing the restoration of the historic Little Building residence hall, and has restored the legendary Emerson Colonial Theatre on Boylston Street in partnership with the Ambassador Theatre Group.

In all, since the early 1990s, Emerson’s investment in high-energy student life and culture in downtown Boston has shown Emerson’s commitment to the ideals of its founders. And, happily, for generations to come, it will benefit the cultural and civic life of Boston, New England, and the nation.

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  • Boston

    120 Boylston Street, , Boston

Questions

Emerson College