MS in Television

With streaming options, top-flight talent, and big budgets, we’re in the midst of TV’s golden age. Will it be your time, too?

No GRE Required.

The Boston University Master of Science in Television is a program for students who dream of a career telling stories. And with so many viewing options and rising demand for content, there’s never been a better time to pursue a career in the television entertainment industry.

COM’s graduate program over three semesters -- two in Boston and one in Boston or Los Angeles -- is one of the few programs dedicated solely to television, and it offers two distinct tracks that bring together the key elements of producing: writing and management.

• Producing/Writing: This track is designed for students who seek to become award-winning creative forces in the industry. You’ll take writing courses, certainly, but also study theory and criticism for a better, well-rounded understanding of television. Courses are led by professors who have written for some of TV’s most popular primetime dramas and sitcoms.
• Producing/Management: This track sets students on a path to becoming managers and leaders in the entertainment industry. You’ll gain an understanding of how television has changed ­and will continue to change, as well as how to thrive in such a constantly shifting industry. Courses are led by faculty with deep backgrounds in producing their own award-winning television programs.

You’ll gain the knowledge and skills necessary to tell compelling stories, develop ideas, and compete successfully in the television field in everything from reality shows and TV dramas to comedies and miniseries. You’ll also receive valuable internship experience working alongside established television professionals while having the option to finish your thesis and classes in Los Angeles for your third (and final) semester.

Scholars and Makers

COM professors, as a group, offer a rare combination of academic rigor and industry experience -- a mix that enriches student education. They are widely published in both the academic and popular press. They have written, directed, and produced feature films and national television series.

Our faculty offer years of experience teaching and mentoring new generations of television enthusiasts preparing for their careers. In the management track, you’ll work closely with a team of award-winning producers. If you’re a writer, you’ll learn from professors who don’t just know TV writing -- they’ve written for popular primetime dramas and sitcoms. We have a track record of producing executives, writers, and producers at the very highest levels of the television industry.

Reel Resources

Opportunities for experience abound. Put your skills to the test by working at your own student-operated station, BUTV10, and our own in-house, student-run agency, Hothouse Productions.

Attend Cinemathèque, a series of screenings and conversations with film- and television-makers, and enjoy full access to BU’s Kasker film and video resource center with 16mm prints and rarities at the Mugar Memorial Library on campus. Enjoy complimentary screenings, too, at the nearby Harvard Film Archive, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Brattle Theatre.

Students in the program often land summer internships with area television studios such as GBH, producers of national PBS programs, or attend BU study programs in London, Los Angeles, and Sydney.

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.