All of us in Communication Studies at Emerson take great pride in being one of the Top 3 Communication Studies programs in the United States.

Communication is central to all human activity, and at Emerson we train you for leadership in this field from your first day in Boston. Whether on the campaign trail, in the boardroom, conducting a poll, leading a public relations or public affairs campaign, managing multiple social media accounts, giving or writing speeches or dialoguing with your family or friends, communication skills are fundamental to success—both personally and professionally.

Crafting a message, discovering the right words, selecting the best channel of delivery for your target audience are essential steps in raising issue awareness, motivating an audience, resolving conflicts, enhancing your leadership skills, and increasing understanding through the art of storytelling, in a rapidly changing complex world.

Today, communication is the most valuable force and asset for success, and communication always has been our essential core mission.

Our majors in Public Relations, Sports Communication, Political Communication, and Communication Studies provide distinct immersive pathways for students motivated to be leaders in their respective fields of communication.

Communication Studies, founded in 1880 and the first department in Emerson College, engages students to fully appreciate communication theory and practice in leadership roles in all walks of life. From your first day at Emerson, Communication Studies students are immersed in local, national, and global projects through coursework, teamwork, internships, and co-curricular activities such as the award winning Emerson College Polling Society, Forensics, and the Communication, Politics, and Law Association. Emerson students work with their counterparts in global hubs like Barcelona, Mexico, Chile, China, Australia, Washington, Los Angeles, as well as locally in Boston, with the Bird Street Civic Engagement Project and other civic engagement programs to make a lifelong and lasting difference as change agents and creative forces of communication.

Going Global, Acting Local

Experience the Barcelona Sports Communication Trip through this short interactive video, shot by Communication Studies student Camila Alejandra.

Our faculty members are engaged and globally renowned teacher-scholars and professional practitioners who bring a wealth of theory and immersive case study experiences to the classroom. In our tight-knit community, professors are guides, collaborators, and mentors as students explore the various fields of politics, sports, public relations, advocacy, civic engagement, nonprofit, negotiation, mediation, and crisis management as well as pre-law and public diplomacy, among others.

We prepare you for leadership on the campaign trail, in government, business, the courtroom and nonprofits, in all areas of sports communication including the emerging field of esports, as a community organizer locally and globally. Our students are strategic and effective communicators and ethical and critical thinkers who impact change at all levels of society.

Our alumni include national as well as global leaders in electoral politics, sports, public relations, polling, public affairs, public diplomacy, project management, crisis management, health communication, corporate communication, negotiation and mediation, and law, among others.

We invite you to join our team and make a difference as a creative force and change agent where the study of communication all began: Emerson College!