School of Film, Television, and Media Arts
Media StudiesBA
Program starts in the fall. Review deadlines.
Understand the impact that media has on all aspects of our daily lives. Emerson College’s Media Studies BA program will teach you to become a critically engaged consumer of film, television, video games, and more, while also learning how to analyze media’s wider implications, both nationally and globally, on society and culture.
At a Glance
- Study the impact of media on society, and how to critically evaluate film, television, video games, and more.
- Work with student-run film and television production organizations, film festivals, and more.
- Immerse yourself in Boston’s rich media history, with dozens of theatres, television and radio stations, museums, and art galleries.
- Spend a semester interning and studying in Los Angeles.
Explore Media’s True Impact
Media shapes how we tell stories, build communities, understand the world, and see ourselves. Emerson’s Media Studies BA program explores the relationship between media, culture, and society through the lenses of history, theory, criticism, and creative practice. You’ll study film, television, social media, streaming platforms, and other media, while developing the critical and research skills needed to understand and analyze media’s role in society today.
The program approaches the impact of media from multiple perspectives. Classes in history and theory provide a framework for understanding how various media forms develop and influence audiences, while coursework in criticism, research, and production will allow you to explore representation, identity, technology, and power. Faculty will guide you through the social, cultural, political, and economic forces that shape media industries and audiences. As you move into upper-level coursework, you’ll pursue independent research, deepen your scholarly interests, and continue contributing your own perspectives to conversations about media and culture.
You’ll gain experience working with media experts and technologies on campus; have opportunities to study and intern in Los Angeles; and engage with communities of filmmakers, critics, scholars, and creators. By graduation, you’ll leave with strong critical thinking and communication skills, and a deeper understanding of how media influences, and is influenced by, the world around us.
Take Part in Today’s Media
Media Studies students are immersed in a broad and inclusive range of media forms. You’ll participate in film festivals; work with media technologies on campus; have opportunities to intern in Boston and Los Angeles; and join communities of scholars, critics, and creators who are shaping conversations about media and culture.
Media Studies students explore media through research, festivals, internships, and opportunities well outside the classroom. You’ll have opportunities to participate in student organizations like Frames Per Second and Women in Motion, attend or contribute to on-campus film festivals, and pursue internships in Boston or Los Angeles. The program will build your portfolio of research and criticism, and facilitate relationships with filmmakers, scholars, and media professionals.
Apply for a semester at Emerson Los Angeles (ELA), where you will learn, work, and network in the heart of America’s entertainment industry. Optimizing ELA’s partnerships with industry giants such as DreamWorks Animation, Lionsgate, and Sony, we help place you in an impactful semester-long internship.
Learn from Experts in Media
Faculty in the Media Studies program are experts,scholars, critics, and practitioners in the fields of film, television, gaming, and other media.
Take a Film, TV, and Media Arts Tour
See firsthand how Emerson students study, create, and analyze media. Explore classrooms, production facilities, equipment, residence halls, and more with our student ambassadors.
Apply to Emerson
On any given day, you’re creating something. You’re writing, performing, filming, designing, or building an idea from the ground up. Whatever it is, you care deeply about the work, and you want to see where it can take you.
Our Undergraduate Admission team is here to find the path that fits your goals, answer your questions, and prepare you for a life in the ever-evolving communication and arts industries. Learn more about applying to Emerson on our Application Process page.