Emerson College
Boston, Massachusetts · Private, nonprofit
Graduate earnings
have graduates earning more than a typical Massachusetts high-school graduate (about $41,044 a year).
9 of 14 undergraduate programs could be assessed. The other 5 have no earnings published. The 11 graduate programs are in the table.
Average net price, all families$49,180 a year By family income
What it would cost
Net price is the yearly cost after grants and scholarships, as reported for students who received federal aid.
Average for all families
$49,180 a year
About $196,720 over 4 years, if price and aid stay the same.
This multiplies the reported yearly net price by the years you choose. It is not a quote or a prediction: it leaves out interest, price rises and the chance of taking longer to finish.
Net price for every income band
| Family income | Net price per year |
|---|---|
| Under $30k | $32,650 |
| $30k to $48k | $32,621 |
| $48k to $75k | $41,927 |
| $75k to $110k | $46,252 |
| $110k and up | $57,288 |
| All families (average) | $49,180 |
College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Bands with no figure were not reported by the school.
Program earnings
Median earnings of each program’s graduates against a typical Massachusetts high-school graduate ($41,044 a year).
17 of 25 programs could be assessed 68% have an earnings verdict
| Program | Degree | Median earnings | vs a high-school grad | Verdict | Median debt | Debt as years of gain | Recent completers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communication Disorders | Master's Degree | $74,005 | +$32,961 | above HS line | $54,435 | 1.7 yrs | 309 |
| Film and Photography | Bachelor's Degree | $49,951 | +$8,907 | clears the bar | $23,250 | 2.6 yrs | 298 |
| Theatre | Bachelor's Degree | $44,760 | +$3,716 | clears the bar | $25,000 | 6.7 yrs | 102 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $51,742 | +$10,698 | clears the bar | $23,776 | 2.2 yrs | 92 |
| Journalism | Bachelor's Degree | $63,337 | +$22,293 | clears the bar | $23,610 | 1.1 yrs | 68 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Master's Degree | $56,485 | +$15,441 | above HS line | $61,500 | 4.0 yrs | 67 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | Bachelor's Degree | $59,301 | +$18,257 | clears the bar | $23,719 | 1.3 yrs | 44 |
| Marketing | Bachelor's Degree | $76,623 | +$35,579 | clears the bar | $21,500 | 0.6 yrs | 41 |
| Marketing | Master's Degree | $93,412 | +$52,368 | above HS line | $41,000 | 0.8 yrs | 35 |
| Publishing | Master's Degree | $61,304 | +$20,260 | above HS line | $44,360 | 2.2 yrs | 33 |
| Communications and Media | Bachelor's Degree | $59,202 | +$18,158 | clears the bar | $23,717 | 1.3 yrs | 24 |
| Teacher Education (by subject) | Master's Degree | $57,493 | +$16,449 | above HS line | $41,000 | 2.5 yrs | 22 |
| Theatre | Master's Degree | $53,881 | +$12,837 | above HS line | $41,000 | 3.2 yrs | 21 |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $49,381 | +$8,337 | clears the bar | $23,500 | 2.8 yrs | 19 |
| Communications and Media | Master's Degree | $46,040 | +$4,996 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 17 |
| Journalism | Master's Degree | $48,294 | +$7,250 | above HS line | not published | not assessed | 17 |
| Communication Disorders | Bachelor's Degree | $61,496 | +$20,452 | clears the bar | $26,000 | 1.3 yrs | 9 |
| Business | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 50 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 11 |
| Teacher Education (by subject) | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 11 |
| Radio, TV and Digital Media | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 6 |
| Music | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 2 |
| Radio, TV and Digital Media | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 1 |
| Graphic Communications | Bachelor's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
| Business/Corporate Communications | Master's Degree | not published | not assessed | earnings not published | not published | not assessed | 0 |
Sources and definitions
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, release 2026-06-10. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid. Debt is federal loans only.
- The high-school line is ED’s state benchmark, $41,044 a year.
- Earnings not published: ED reports the program but no earnings figure, usually because too few graduates were measured. Nothing reported: ED lists the program with no figures at all. Neither is a judgement of the program.
- Debt as years of gain is median federal debt divided by how much more graduates earn per year than a typical high-school graduate. It is not a repayment time.
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