MS in Media Ventures - Media Innovation
Boston University - College of Communication
Key Information
Campus location
Boston, USA
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 semesters
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
USD 30,525 / per semester *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Aug 2024
* tuition fee
Introduction
Maybe you’ve got the next killer app, or perhaps you want to take a traditional industry leader to the next level. Either way, are you ready to create the media’s future?
STEM eligible. No GRE Required.
The Boston University Master of Science in Media Ventures teaches you the skills, strategy, and process of developing your ideas to build a successful career -- and create the media’s future along the way.
After all, the future belongs to the innovators. The dreamers are also doers. It starts with creativity at the convergence of media and technology. Ideas that not only cross platforms but anticipate new ones.
But it also means knowing how to apply those ideas. That’s what being a doer is about. And that’s what the MS in Media Ventures is about, too.
One Year, Two Coasts
As part of the program, you’ll have the opportunity to complete two internships at start-ups or traditional media companies. You’ll gain crucial real-world experience and a network of industry contacts.
The MS in Media Ventures program takes 12 months over three semesters to complete. Spend the fall in Boston, taking classes, honing your innovation skills, and developing your thesis project. Then in the spring, head to Los Angeles to experience innovation in the entertainment industry. During the summer semester, all Media Ventures students complete an internship and gain industry contacts in Los Angeles.
This is no passive program. Designed by leading media executives, the MS in Media Ventures curriculum is very much hands-on and career-oriented.
Start with an idea and build it out over the course of the program. Learn the process of taking an idea from concept to market. Then, pitch it to a panel of leading media executives and entrepreneurs. Media Ventures faculty, COM alumni, and biz-savvy mentors coach you through the process, one on one.
Program at a Glance
What you will learn:
- Strategies to bring new ideas to the media marketplace.
- How to use content and technology to create something original and profitable.
- Practical entrepreneurial tools are needed to test and refine a new venture concept or existing product innovation.
Coursework includes:
- Creating new ideas
- Media in Evolution
- The Media Money Trail
- Communication Research
- Multi-platform Entertainment Promotion and Marketing
- Entertainment and Media Speaker Series
- Graduate Seminar
- Media Ventures Thesis Project
- Two Internship courses
Ready to follow in the footsteps of alums working in strategic, creative positions at places like Hulu, Apple, YouTube, Bloomberg, Twitter, and Pluto TV? Get the know-how, skills, and confidence to launch the next phase of your career.
More than 95% of COM graduate students are working in jobs related to their degree.
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.
Admissions
Curriculum
Students must complete 40 credits.
Fall Semester
- COM CM 722 Communication Research (4 cr)
- COM FT 518 The Media Money Trail (4 cr)
- COM FT 701 Media in Evolution (4 cr)
- COM FT 728 Creating New Ideas (4 cr)
Spring Semester
- COM CM 505 Entertainment Marketing and Promotion (4 cr)
- COM CM 564 Careers in the Entertainment Industry (4 cr)
- COM FT 856 Graduate Media Ventures Seminar (4 cr)
- COM FT 953 Internship (4 cr)
The Spring Semester also includes two thesis workshops. The first focuses on the steps the students must take to refine their individual thesis projects. The second is an intense workshop on presentation skills.
Summer Semester
- COM FT 825 Thesis Project (4 cr)
- COM FT 954 Internship (4 cr)
If circumstances warrant, a few select students will be allowed to complete the Spring Semester in Boston by taking the following courses. All students, however, must be in Los Angeles for the summer.
- COM FT 856 Graduate Media Ventures Seminar (4 cr)
- COM FT 953 Internship (4 cr) or CM 732 Ad Lab (4 cr)
- Elective (4 cr)
- Elective (4 cr)
Program Outcome
- Students will examine the detailed processes required to take a business from concept to successful execution. The focus is on the creation of compelling content that drives new media businesses.
- Students will develop a new media business, product, or service from concept to marketplace. Students will present their Pitch Deck and/or prototype, as their thesis project, to industry leaders.
- Students will develop a clear understanding of strategic challenges—competition, funding needs, internal resources, external resources, and environmental pressures—facing all start-ups with an emphasis on the media industry.