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At present, there are eight schools offering a total of 19 master’s in communication programs in Massachusetts. Boston has the highest concentration of schools offering master’s in communication programs, although there are programs located throughout the state. In addition to 11 on-campus programs, there are eight online master’s in communication programs offered by schools in Massachusetts. Across all of these different programs, students have numerous specializations options including: applied communication, health communication, sports communication, political communication, corporate and organizational communication, marketing communication, and more.
All the schools listed on this page are non-profit educational institutions that have been regionally accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
Campus-Based Master’s in Communication Programs in Massachusetts
In Boston, there are four schools that offer master’s in communication programs. Boston University’s College of Communication offers a Master of Science (M.S.) in Media Science with an optional concentration in Marketing Communication Research. The M.S. in Media Science program gives students the knowledge and skills to design, implement, manage, and assess media campaigns and ongoing media strategies. Students take core courses in communication theory and research, writing for media professionals, media law and policy, social media management, media design strategy, and either a can choose from electives in political campaigns course or health campaigns course. Electives in this program cover media expression, interactive design experiences, media disruption, media effects, professional presentations, international communication, and marketing communication. The final degree requirement for this program is a professional project or a master’s thesis. The M.S. in Media Science replaced Boston University’s M.S. in Mass Communication program.
Emerson College’s Department of Marketing Communication has a Master of Arts in Strategic Marketing Communication that trains students to identify target audiences and create persuasive messaging across a variety of media. Students of this program benefit from a flexible curriculum that is comprised of five core courses and five electives that students can choose across three Professional Paths: Strategic Planning, Digital Strategy, and Brand Strategy. Courses in this program cover topics in marketing management, integrated marketing communication strategies, consumer behavior, marketing campaign planning, research methods, brand management, advertising and sales promotion, global advertising, digital marketing, behavioral economics, and creative problem solving. Students complete a Professional Applied Experience in Strategic Marketing Communication for their final graduation requirement, wherein they work with a real industry partner to develop a marketing solution.
Emerson College also offers two Master of Arts programs through its Department of Communication Studies: an MA in Sports Communication and an MA in Political Communication. The Master of Arts in Sports Communication prepares students to work in sports promotion, facilities management, sports journalism, and sports law and ethics through a combination of courses in sports communication principles, public affairs, communication technology, project and campaign management, negotiation and organizational communication, and more. The MA in Political Communication features courses in political communication principles, speech writing and persuasion, public affairs, communication technology, campaign management, strategic planning, and public diplomacy, among others. Both master’s programs require students to complete a capstone project or thesis as their culminating experience.
| Online Master's in Communication Programs that Accept Students from Massachusetts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Johns Hopkins University | Online Master of Arts in Communication with Concentrations in Public and Media Relations, Political Communication, Health Communication, Digital Communication, and Corporate and Non-Profit Communication | Program Website |
| Syracuse University | Online Master of Science in Communications with Specializations in Strategic Communications, Journalism Innovation, and Media Management | Program Website |
| Pace University | Online Master of Arts in Communications and Digital Media with Optional Concentrations in Digital Filmmaking and Media Production, and Social Media and Public Relations | Program Website |
| Southern New Hampshire University | Online Master of Arts in Communication with Optional Concentrations in New Media & Marketing, and Public Relations | Program Website |
Northeastern University offers a Master of Science in Corporate and Organizational Communication with concentrations in Social Media, Public and Media Relations, Human Resource Management, Project Management, Leadership, and Cross Cultural Communication. Students in this program complete core classes in strategic communication management, organizational culture and communication, intercultural communication, and communication networks and information management before progressing to classes specific to their chosen concentration. Examples of concentration coursework include classes in employee engagement, digital human resources platforms, digital marketing analytics, social media strategy, cultural awareness development, project quality management, cultural communications, global human resources management, and sustainable global leadership. Students design an e-portfolio that helps them develop a personal and professional brand for their career advancement.
Suffolk University’s College of Arts and Sciences offers a Master of Arts in Communication with concentrations in Public Relations and Advertising, as well as Integrated Marketing Communication. Both concentrations have the same two core courses in both applied communication research and marketing communication research. From there, courses for the Public Relations and Advertising concentration cover topics in strategic marketing, public relations, campaign management, negotiation, crisis communication, content management, branding and visual identity, intercultural communication, organizational communication, and more. The Integrated Marketing Communication concentration features courses in marketing research, foundational marketing strategies, advertising, integrated marketing, crisis communication, public relations, health communication, global marketing communication, customer centricity, and social media.
Outside of Boston, schools in Worcester and other cities also have master’s in communication programs with a variety of concentrations. Clark University’s School of Professional Studies in Worcester offers a Master of Science in Communication with optional specializations in Digital Literacy and Public Relations. Core courses in this program cover responsible communication, marketing and communication strategies, multi-channel communication, intercultural communication and supporting cultural diversity, cultural competence, public relations in the digital age, and stakeholder management. The Digital Literacy concentration consists of courses that cover digital citizenship, digital communication ethics, coding and disruptive technologies’ impact on communication, and the information society. Students of the Public Relations concentration take courses such as crisis communication, brand journalism, public relations in the digital age, stakeholder management, and effective storytelling. Electives in this program are diverse and include classes on freelance writing, global talent development, advertising, political communication, and marketing analytics. In order to graduate, students must fulfill a non-credit internship, as well as a team capstone project that allows them to address a real organizational communication challenge.
Lasell College’s Graduate and Professional Studies in Newton has a Master of Science in Communication program with concentrations in Health Communication, Corporate Communication, Public Relations, Digital Media, Strategic Communication, and Negotiations and Conflict Resolution. This program offers online and campus-based classes that cover topics such as organizational communication, media relations, public opinion and persuasion, conflict resolution and negotiation, public relations writing, communication research, leadership in communication, communication ethics, and integrated marketing communication. Students also have the option of taking their classes entirely online, or to develop a hybrid curriculum that combines both on-campus and online courses. For their culminating experience, students can choose a professional internship, a master’s thesis, a special study project, or a comprehensive exam.
Lasell College also offers a Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communication that prepares students to develop comprehensive marketing and branding brands for a variety of organizations. Students in this program take courses in digital media analytics, digital storytelling, social media, communication ethics and society, consumer behavior, media relations, advertising, and integrated marketing communications planning and implementation. Students also choose an elective from three courses in persuasion and public opinion, global marketing, and digital marketing. As with the MS in Communication, students of the MS in Integrated Marketing Communication can choose from four different capstone options: a comprehensive examination, a master’s thesis, a special study project, and a professional internship. This program is offered in both hybrid (partly on-campus and partly online) and fully online formats.
Regis College’s School of Business and Communication, located in Weston, offers a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication with optional degree tracks in Nonprofit Communication and Sports Communication. The program provides students with knowledge of and skills in digital communication technologies and developing content strategies and campaigns that engage a wide range of audiences. Students have flexibility in selecting the courses that comprise their degree program. After taking core courses in diverse communication, health communication, data analytics and research methods for communication, fundamental communication theory, organizational communication, and new multimedia, students take courses according to their chosen track in areas such as grant writing, non-profit communication, public and private crisis communication, sports reporting, sports marketing and advertising, and corporate social responsibility. The final graduation requirement for this program is a capstone project.
Online Master’s in Communication Programs for Residents of Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, there are currently six schools that offer online master’s in communication programs. An online program may be a good option for students who do not live near a campus-based program or who cannot commute to campus for weekly lectures and classes. This is especially important for students who live in Western Massachusetts (e.g. Pittsfield), in Amherst or Northampton (UMass Amherst only offers doctorate programs in communication), in Lowell or Salem (UMass Lowell does not offer a master’s in communication program), or for students who live in Southeast Massachusetts (e.g. Plymouth or Brockton) who cannot commute to Boston for a campus-based program.
Boston University’s College of Communication and Metropolitan College collaborated to create an online Master of Science in Health Communication with optional concentrations in Healthcare Promotion, Media & Marketing; and Visual & Digital Health Communication. This program provides students with an understanding of how human biology and disease, public health and nutrition communication, and America’s health care system interact with each other to bring about certain health care outcomes. Students learn how marketing, digital media, public relations, and health education impact patients’ access to care and quality of care through courses that cover the biology of disease, epidemiology for health communication professionals, health care marketing and public relations, research methods for health communication, writing for health, media relations for health communication professionals, visual communication for the digital health age, social media strategies for health care, and the politics of American healthcare.
Clark University offers an online Master of Science in Professional Communication program that has the same specialization options, curriculum, and graduation requirements as its on-campus program. Similarly, both Lasell College’sMaster of Science in Communication and Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communication are available fully online. The curricula for both of these programs are equivalent to their campus-based counterparts.
Emerson College offers an online Master of Arts in Digital Communication Leadership that is 100% online and asynchronous. The curriculum for this program consists of core courses on organizational change leadership, project management through effective communication, inclusive leadership, conflict management, and team leadership. After the core courses, students choose from electives in areas such as online content strategy, emerging communication technologies, cross-platform audiences, digital crisis communication, user experience design, and digital analytics. This program also features an Executive Format that allows working professionals who have at least five years of relevant experience in digital communication to waive one elective.
Fitchburg University’s School of Graduate, Online, Continuing Education offers an online Master of Science in Applied Communication through its Communications Media Department. This program, which has a concentration in Social Media, prepares students to design and implement social media campaigns, apply research methods to collect and analyze communication data, and oversee the ongoing production of social media content for a variety of organizations and industries. Students in this program take core courses in qualitative and quantitative research methods, intercultural communication, communication ethics, and visual communication and design before progressing to courses in social media theory, emerging media, data and analytics, social media marketing, and integrated social media. All students complete a capstone project that enables them to integrate what they have learned in the program and apply it to a real-world social media campaign or solution for an organization.
Northeastern University gives students the option of completing its Master of Science in Corporate and Organizational Communication program online. Students of the online program have access to the same concentration options as students of the campus-based program, which are Social Media, Public and Media Relations, Human Resource Management, Project Management, Leadership, and Cross-Cultural Communication. The curriculum and requirements for the online program are also equivalent to those of the campus program.
Students residing in Massachusetts also have the option of applying to out-of-state online master’s in communication programs. Prospective students of online programs should note that not all out-of-state schools accept students from Massachusetts. Furthermore, some online programs require students to attend one or more on-campus sessions during the program. Students are typically responsible for the travel costs associated with attending these events. To learn more about online programs, including state restrictions and on-campus visits, please reference our Online Master’s in Communication Programs page, which contains a comprehensive directory of online programs.
Directory of Master’s in Communication Programs in Massachusetts
| Featured Online Master's in Communication Programs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Johns Hopkins University | Online Master of Arts in Communication with Concentrations in Public and Media Relations, Political Communication, Health Communication, Digital Communication, and Corporate and Non-Profit Communication | Program Website |
| Syracuse University | Online Master of Science in Communications with Specializations in Strategic Communications, Journalism Innovation, and Media Management | Program Website |
| Pace University | Online Master of Arts in Communications and Digital Media with Optional Concentrations in Digital Filmmaking and Media Production, and Social Media and Public Relations | Program Website |
| Southern New Hampshire University | Online Master of Arts in Communication with Optional Concentrations in New Media & Marketing, and Public Relations | Program Website |
| Arizona State University | Online Master of Arts in Communication (Organizational/Workplace Communication) | Program Website |
| Georgetown University | Online Master of Professional Studies in Public Relations & Corporate Communications | Program Website |
All Master’s in Communication Programs in Massachusetts
Campus programs, 
Campus/Hybrid programs, 
Online programs (fully online to 2 campus visits per year), Hybrid-Online programs (3 to ~5 campus visits per year)
Boston University
(Boston)College of Communication and Metropolitan College
