MS in Media Science

Modern life is viewed and shaped through a kaleidoscope of media that constantly changes. Can you be the one to make sense of it all?

STEM eligible. No GRE Required.

Boston University’s Master of Science in Media Science provides you with deep expertise in the social scientific study of media, allowing them to fully explore the changing media landscape and learn the skills you need to strategically create, distribute, and evaluate media messages.

This three-semester program prepares you for careers in strategic media planning, content creation, media design, message development and dissemination, and analysis and evaluation of media messages and media campaigns. For some students, it’s a path to pursue a doctoral degree and become a leader in academia.

Challenge yourself with classes in media writing, media theory, communication research, media law and policy, and design strategy and software. Focus your studies further by choosing courses in political campaigns, health campaigns, marketing communications, or other electives to create a degree that is tailor-fit. Get involved in one of the many clubs and organizations at COM, such AdLab, PRLab, and the COMmunicator.

The MS in Media Science is a program that sends its graduates to a wide range of fields: advertising, public relations, marketing communication research, politics, healthcare, international relations -- any field where media communication is essential. Which is to say, anywhere.

Teachers, Researchers, Mentors

COM boasts faculty steeped in both research and practice, large in number, and diverse in expertise. They are internationally recognized thought leaders in the fields of advertising, public relations, media law, psychology, political communication, design, and more.

Faculty members serve as mentors for students by working alongside them in conducting original research. Together, they leverage the technology at COM’s Communication Research Center, COM’s primary research hub, and the state-of-the-art social media tools offered at the Zimmerman Family Social Activation Center. Faculty and staff also assist you in landing internships and fellowships to position them for success after graduation.

Purpose Driven

COM stands out from our peers. Our faculty offers a mix of researchers and practitioners who endorse a cross-discipline, hands-on approach to learning. Our location lies at the heart of an electric, media-savvy city.

But it may be COM’s shared values that matter most. We believe that communication requires diversity, critical thinking, and creative expression. We believe that communication must be grounded in truth, authenticity, effectiveness, and purpose. We believe that communication builds understanding among people and across society.

Communicate for understanding

Do you love films and television? Social media? News? Telling stories? Changing minds—and maybe history? Boston University College of Communication (COM) is for you.

We’ve been educating professional communicators since we offered the world’s first degree in public relations in 1947 and the first master’s and Ph.D. degrees in emerging media studies in 2015. Today, our alumni occupy the highest levels in a multitude of fields. Tomorrow? We’re training the next generation of leaders in advertising, emerging media, film, and television, journalism, media science, and public relations.

We do this because COM students, faculty, and alumni share a simple but powerful belief: communication builds understanding — among people and throughout society.

Storytelling Skills for Career Success

If you’re a student here, you’ll gain the skills, knowledge, and opportunities to turn your love of communication and storytelling into a successful career. You’ll gain a deep understanding of the many forms of media. You’ll become proficient in writing, speaking, visual communication, and digital media skills. All combined with a solid grounding in the liberal arts hone your mind and free your imagination. And you will gain practical, real-world, hands-on experience outside the classroom through our extensive internship programs and COM activities such as AdLab, PRLab, PRSSA, WTBU, BUTV10, BU News Service, Hothouse Productions, and the Daily Free Press.

Yes, our faculty teach — but also they also do. They include best-selling authors and Pulitzer-winning journalists. Others are internationally recognized thinkers and researchers in the fields of emerging media, technology, and misinformation. And others have written and directed movies and series for every major broadcast network and HBO, as well as for films and documentaries screened at film festivals around the world.

COM alumni have won numerous prizes, awards, and citations from Pulitzer to Emmy to Clio. Among them are CEOs, Hollywood directors and screenwriters, stars in television and radio, and White House staffers. In fact, our graduates sit at the top of major companies in all areas of communication. They include Bonnie Hammer, vice chairman at NBCUniversal; David Lubars, chairman/chief creative officer of BBDO; Nancy Dubuc, CEO of VICE; and Kevin Merida, executive editor of the Los Angeles Times. In all, COM has more than 30,000 alumni worldwide with far-reaching connections in every area of communication and beyond.

Our Mission

We build understanding through communication education, practice, and discovery.

We prepare students to lead, adapt, and share their voices in a transformational media world.

We generate knowledge through research and theory-building.

We integrate professional and academic experiences across communication disciplines.

We nurture a culture rich in diversity, critical thinking, and creative expression.

We champion communication grounded in truth, authenticity, effectiveness, and purpose.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

The College of Communication Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee exists to elevate and ensure a culture of inclusion in which all members of our community are valued and respected. We strive to create an inclusive and equitable environment that recruits, supports, and retains a diverse community of students, faculty, and staff. We celebrate the diversity of identity, culture, perspective, and expression in our community. As professional communicators, we have a responsibility to:

Foster an environment that cultivates diverse storytellers, Promote the value of research and telling stories in academia and the various fields of professional communication that emphasize diversity, equity, and inclusion, and; Inform, enlighten, and prepare the next generation of communicators to thrive in a diverse and inclusive world.