4+1 MA in Publishing and Writing4+1/MA

The 4+1 program positions you to earn your degree quicker and jumpstart your career when you graduate.

• Advanced standing. Current Emerson WLP undergraduates will be given 8 credits of advanced standing towards an MA, reducing the number of required credits for the master’s to 32 (8 classes instead of 10).
• Accelerated study. Once accepted, you can take master’s (600-level) classes during your senior year. These classes are double-weighted, counting toward both the bachelor’s and the master’s degrees, completing 4 of the 8 required MA courses.
• Cost savings. Any 600-level credits taken as an undergrad will be charged at the undergraduate tuition rate. A maximum of 16 600-level credits can be double-counted and charged in this way.
• The Emerson Edge. The 4+1 format allows students to graduate with the same MA in Publishing and Writing as those who apply for the traditional program, but for a fraction of the time and at a reduced cost—providing an edge in the competitive publishing

Current Emerson College students working toward their BA in WLP can apply for the 4+1 program at the beginning of the first semester of their junior year. The MA graduate program director and faculty will review applications and notify accepted students at the beginning of the second semester of their junior year.

Once accepted into the 4+1 MA in Publishing and Writing program, you’ll take eight graduate-level publishing courses (32 credits). These courses can include the optional MA Project (PB 698) in your senior and fifth years. You can take a maximum of four graduate courses (16 credits) in your senior year. These classes will count as part of your undergraduate degree and toward the master’s degree. Students in the program cannot count any graduate overview courses, PB 680, PB 683, PB 692, or PB 688 Copyediting, and PB 691 Applications for Print Publishing toward the MA.

You’ll need to complete all requirements for the BA by the end of your senior year, and take the following courses as part of the degree: PB 308, PB 302, PB 380, PB 383, PB 395.

If you’re interested in the 4+1 MA in Publishing and Writing, it’s recommended that you meet with Graduate Program Director Bill Beuttler and Academic Advising by the start of your junior year to see if you’re eligible and meet the prerequisite requirements.

To qualify for the 4+1 MA, you’ll need to apply during the first semester of your junior year and have completed between 64 and 79 credits. Applications from second-semester juniors (80 or more credits completed) will not be considered.

Application requirements include:

• Graduate Admission Application
• Emerson ID number
• Resume
• A portfolio of 5–10 pages of work produced during your time at Emerson
• Transcript of grades
• Students applying for the 4+1 program should have a strong academic record. If accepted, students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average at the graduate level. In addition, courses in which a grade below B– is earned will not be credited toward any graduate degree. This includes courses taken at the graduate level while enrolled as an undergraduate student.

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 4+1 Publishing and Writing program 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.

Applicants are not required to submit GRE scores or letters of recommendation.

If you have any questions regarding application requirements, contact Muzhgan Bekdas, the Graduate Admission representative for this program, at muzhgan_bekdas@emerson.edu.