The Boston University College of Communication (COM) is the communication school of Boston University (BU), a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1947, it was the first in the United States to offer a degree in public relations (PR). COM's AdLab is the first and largest student-run advertising agency. COM houses the university's undergraduate and graduate programs in advertising, film and television, journalism, media science, and public relations.
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Academics
Boston University's College of Communication comprises three academic departments: Journalism; Film and Television; and Mass Communication, Advertising and Public Relations. It also has two cross-department divisions: Emerging Media Studies and Communication. The college offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Degree Programs
Boston University's College of Communication offers five Bachelor of Science undergraduate degree programs: Advertising, Film and Television, Journalism, Media Science and Public Relations. It offers 13 graduate degree programs: Advertising (Master of Science), Emerging Media Studies (Master of Arts and PhD), Television (MS), Film and Television Studies (Master of Fine Arts), Screenwriting (MFA), Media Ventures (MS), Journalism (MS), Media Science (MS), Media Science: Marketing Communication Research (MS), Public Relations (MS), Strategic Integrated Communication (MS), and Human Centered Design (MS). It offers a combined BS/MS program in Branded Content Production and a certificate program in Civic Science Communication.
Accolades
Boston University's College of Communication is well regarded among communication colleges in the United States, listed on the Public Relations Education A-List by PR News and among Top Film Schools by Variety, and ranked by industry sources:
Notable alumni
Chet Simmons (1952) – first ESPN president, ABC Sports executive, NBC Sports president, USFL commissioner, Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2010, helped build ABC Sports into a leader in sports programming, developed Wide World of Sports
Jean Firstenberg (1958) – President and CEO of the American Film Institute (1980–2007), only woman to serve
Donald Lambro (1962) – chief political correspondent of The Washington Times
Nina Totenberg* – correspondent for National Public Radio, one of NPR's "Founding Mothers"
David Doubilet (1970) – National Geographic photographer
Joe Roth (1971) – Chairman, Walt Disney Studios (1994–2000); Chairman, 20th Century Fox (1989–1993), Caravan Pictures (1993–1994), and founder of major American film studio, Morgan Creek Entertainment
Bonnie Hammer (1971), Chairman, NBCUniversal
Lauren Shuler Donner (1971) – X-Men film series franchise producer, films have grossed around $5.5 billion
Carmen Fields (1973) – Emmy-winning journalist, Channel 7
Joseph Nocera (1974) Pulitzer Prize for Commentary finalist, columnist, New York Times
Joan Vennochi (1975) – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist at The Boston Globe, 1980 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting
Mark Thompson (1975) – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist at Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service