MS IN MEDIA VENTURES

The future belongs to the innovators - The dreamers who are also doers. It starts with creativity at the convergence of media and technology. Ideas that not only cross platforms but anticipate new ones.

But it also means knowing how to apply those ideas. That is what being a do-er is about. And what the Master’s in Media Ventures is about: our faculty teaches you the skills, strategy, and process of developing your ideas to build a successful career.

So whether you have got the next killer app or want to take a traditional industry leader to the next level, get ready to create the media’s future. And your own.

As part of the program, you will have the opportunity to complete two internships at start-ups or traditional media companies. You will gain crucial real-world experience and a network of industry contacts.

Media Ventures is a 12-month, three-semester program. Spend the fall in Boston, take classes, honour your innovation skills, and develop your thesis project. Then, in the spring, head to Los Angeles to experience innovation in the entertainment industry. During the summer semester, all Media Ventures students complete an internship and gain industry contacts in Los Angeles.

This is no passive program. Designed by leading media executives, the Master’s in Media Ventures curriculum is hands-on and career-oriented.

Start with an idea and build it out throughout the program. Learn the process of taking an idea from concept to the market. Then, pitch it to a panel of leading media executives and entrepreneurs. Media Ventures faculty, COM alumni, and biz-savvy mentors coach you through the process, one on one.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

Strategies to bring new ideas to the media marketplace.

How to use content and technology to create something original and profitable.

Practical entrepreneurial tools needed to test and refine a new venture concept or existing product innovation.

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.