Emerson College Rankings by Salary Score

Emerson College is a gem, a place where I found my refuge as a nerdy and ambitious young adult after the tumultuous high school years. The year that applied to Emerson (2003), the college ranked #1 on Princeton Review's "Dodge Ball Targets" list--a point of pride for me because I had always been one and never especially sporty. If you are a person who has great ambition to work in one of the careers in which Emerson specializes--film, TV production, tech theater and stage management, political communication,... Read More and broadcast journalism, among others--this is the place. The old adage applies here just the same--"You get out of it what you put into it!"--but there are so many opportunities to try out and master emerging technologies and to collaborate with other students (who may become your future colleagues) on films, plays, or campaigns. While the classes oftentimes are not as rigorous as I might have liked, you still learn quite a lot, especially since you're able to focus on your specific major from your first quarter of classes. There are liberal arts requirements sprinkled in for good measure, but you can do a deep dive into your passion from the start. Some students would joke that they learned more outside of the classroom than in, but in the film production realm, that was primarily in helping others on their student films--required for certain classes. Ultimately, the Emerson network (dubbed the "Emerson Mafia" by many) is what cinches the school for a lot of people. You build a huge network while attending Emerson, and then once you've graduated, you are protected or interviewed by prior Emerson alum who are often embedded in the career field that you desire. Word of mouth and reputation are the keys to continuing work in the film and TV production industries, so if you get a leg up into that world through another Emerson alum, you pay it forward and help out those who come next where possible. It's a supportive atmosphere while in school and once out.

Emerson College employs talented, professionals in the publishing industry as adjunct professors, so you are learning from people who work in the field on a daily basis. These professors provide insight that is otherwise unaccessible and give you a realistic view of what it's like to work in publishing. That being said, my graduate courses were what I made of them. If you want, you can squeak by doing minimal work, but you can also take the opportunity to make some really interesting things and form contacts... Read More that will prove invaluable upon graduation as you set out job hunting.