4+1 MA in Strategic Marketing4+1/MA

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

• Accelerated study. Accepted students will be allowed to take double-weighted master’s (600-level) courses during their senior year, which count towards the bachelor’s and master’s degrees..
• Cost savings. A maximum of 12 600-level credits can be double-counted and charged this way and your financial aid will not be affected while you’re still enrolled as an undergraduate.
• The Emerson Edge. The 4+1 format allows you to graduate with the same number of graduate credits as a normal master’s degree, earning your degree sooner.
• Priority Admission. Apply earlier with a fast track to admission with fewer required application materials. This streamlined process ensures a quicker path to enrollment, allowing you to plan further ahead for your academic and professional goals.
• Upskill Faster. Acquire graduate-level expertise in strategic marketing communication and digital marketing during your senior year to apply to real-world, client-focused experiences.

The 4+1 MA in Strategic Marketing is open to all undergraduate majors, except those graduating with a BFA. If you’re interested, you must meet with Graduate Program Director Carol Ferrara and with your undergraduate academic advisor before applying.

You’ll need to enroll in three graduate-level courses (12 credits) during your senior year. One will be taken during your first semester, and the other two in your second semester. Depending on your desired professional track, specific courses may be offered.

A potential senior-year course map may look like, by course and semester:

• MK 611 Strategic Marketing Communication and Brand Leadership: Fall Semester
• MK 636 Creative Thinking and Problem Solving: Spring Semester
• MK 669 Behavioral Economics: Spring Semester

Application requirements include:

• Graduate Admission Application
• Transcript of grades
• Resume
• One letter of recommendation from a faculty member
• No GRE required
• 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.

Admission Essay: 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 Strategic Marketing 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? 250–500 words.

If you have any questions regarding application requirements, contact Charlotte Coberley, the Graduate Admission representative for this program, at charlotte_coberley@emerson.edu.