Application Instructions

Personal Statement

The MS in Advertising program at BU allows students to explore different areas of the field, including strategy, research, media, creative, copywriting, art direction, and account management. 

Label your responses Part 1 and Part 2. Please respond to all prompts below in a single document of no more than 750 words, double-spaced.

Part 1:

What draws you to advertising, and which area (or combination of areas) mentioned above most closely aligns with your career goals? How do you hope to develop your skills through graduate study at BU?

Tell us about the experiences, skills, perspectives, and/or interests you would bring to the MS in Advertising program. Why do they make you a strong fit for the BU community?

If relevant, you may include a link to your website, portfolio, blog, or other work that showcases your creative, strategic, or management experience.

Part 2:

Advertising competes for attention in an increasingly crowded and rapidly changing media landscape.  Tell us about a recent advertising campaign or brand communication that captured your attention. 

What do you think the brand was trying to accomplish? How did the creative idea, message, media strategy, or audience insight make it effective? Did it change how you thought about the brand or influence you to take action? Why do you think it worked?

Personal Statement

Please submit a personal statement of approximately 500–750 words describing your interest in the MS in Branded Content Production.

We’d like to learn about your creative interests, what inspires you to tell stories that connect with audiences, and why you want to pursue graduate study in branded content. Share any academic, professional, or personal experiences that have prepared you for this program, and explain how they have shaped your perspective.

Finally, tell us about your career aspirations, the skills you hope to gain at BU, and how you plan to use strategy, storytelling, and multimedia production to create content that builds meaningful connections between brands and audiences.

This program is open for fall 2027 entry to Boston University undergraduate students that will have completed their Bachelor’s degree program prior to enrollment.

Personal Statement: Please provide a brief statement (approximately 500 to 750 words) outlining your interest in Branded Content Production. In your statement, highlight your unique qualifications and motivations for pursuing this degree, relevant experience (if any), career goals, and how you plan to use your new skills to make a positive impact in the field.

We do not require a Kira Talent assessment or standardized test scores for the Branded Content Production (4+1) program.

Personal Statement: Please provide a brief statement (approximately 500 to 750 words) outlining your interest in civic science communication. In your statement, highlight your unique qualifications and motivations for pursuing this certificate, your interest in science, relevant experience (if any), career goals, and how you plan to use your new skills to make a positive impact in the field.

Upload transcript(s) within our online application from colleges and/or universities you’ve attended beyond high school. Transcript(s) must include evidence of a bachelor’s degree, such as a final transcript showing the degree conferral date.

We do not require letters of recommendation, a Kira Talent assessment, or standardized test scores for the Civic Science Communication application.

Option to enroll as a non-degree student: If you’re not ready to commit to the full certificate program, you can take individual courses as a non-degree student.

Personal Statement

Tell us about yourself and your experiences with emerging media. Why do you think you’ll succeed in Boston University’s Emerging Media Studies program and beyond? How will EMS’ training in theory and research methods be applied in pursuit of your longer-term professional goals? What are your academic research interests, and what faculty members at Boston University have research areas that parallel yours? Your statement should be no longer than 750 words and double-spaced.

Academic Writing Sample

Please attach a sample of your writing. Though it may be of any type or length, we recommend that you submit an academic writing sample of no more than 30 pages.

Personal Statement

Tell us about yourself and your experiences with film and television studies. What are your main areas of interest? Who among the Film and Television Studies faculty performs research that aligns with your interests? What would you like to do with your master’s degree? Your statement should be no longer than 750 words. (Note that this program focuses on research and analysis of media, not producing films or TV; please be sure you are applying to the program that best fits your goals.)

Academic Writing Sample

Submit two academic writing samples, each of at least 750 words in length. The samples should be essays actually submitted to recent arts or humanities courses. Essays should show the course numbers and names of the instructors and the dates of submission at the top of the first page if possible. The samples should display your writing and research abilities.

The essays need not be about film or television. Discussions of any work of art, artistic movement, or issue in literature, drama, painting, sculpture, television or film are equally acceptable. Do not submit informal, non-academic samples, such as blog posts, movie reviews, or screenplays. (Note to international applicants: both essays should be submitted in the English language, but the translation, if necessary, should be done by the candidate.) No one else is allowed to assist in the preparation or correction of the writing samples submitted, and AI writing is not acceptable.

Important Note on Academic Integrity:
Generative AI Policy: The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Bard, DALL-E, Midjourney, Grammarly AI etc.) is strictly prohibited for the creation of any application materials, including but not limited to, your statement of purpose, essays, writing samples, and any other submitted text. All submitted work must be your original creation and intellectual property. Violations of this policy may result in the rejection of your application.

• Your writing sample must clearly display your ability to conduct research, synthesize information, and present arguments effectively.
• Your writing sample must include appropriate academic citations for all sources used. Please adhere to a recognized citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) consistently throughout your sample.

Personal Statement

Please respond to the prompt below in a single document of no more than 750 words, double-spaced.

What draws you to Human-Centered Design? Describe how your academic, professional, and/or personal experiences have shaped the way you think about solving problems for people. Then explain the impact you hope to make through human-centered design, how the MS in Human-Centered Design at Boston University will help you achieve your goals, and what perspectives or experiences you would bring to the BU community.

Formal design training is not required. We welcome applicants from a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds and value the diverse experiences and perspectives they bring to the program.

Optional Supporting Materials

Applicants may choose to submit up to 1–3 examples of work that provide additional context for their interests or experiences. This may include (but is not limited to): a portfolio link, writing sample, research or creative project, case study, blog, or independent project.

Submission of samples is not required.

MS in Journalism Personal Statement

Why do you want to be a journalist? Tell us about yourself, your skills and aptitudes as they relate to journalism, and your perspective of journalism’s role in society. Please limit your response to 750 words and double space.

Writing Sample

Please attach a sample of your own original writing. The admission committee is looking to assess your potential writing ability in the journalism field. 

• The committee recommends that your sample is at least 3 pages long and no longer than 10 pages, double-spaced.
• The writing sample must be written solely by you (i.e. not a group project).
• The admission committee will accept a wide range of samples (or a combination of samples), including but not limited to:
  •  stories written for media (for example, a student or other newspaper)
  • academic writing
  • blog
  • creative piece

Personal Statement

The Master of Science in Media Science: Marketing Communication Research (MCR) prepares students to use research and data to understand audiences, uncover consumer insights, and help organizations make more informed communication and business decisions.

Please respond to both prompts below in a single document of no more than 750 words, double-spaced. Label your responses Part 1 and Part 2. If you use outside sources, please cite or reference them.

Part 1: 

Describe an academic, professional, or personal experience that involved research, data, or analytical thinking. This might include conducting surveys, analyzing data, interpreting research findings, using tools such as SPSS, or working on a project where evidence helped inform a decision. 

What was your role? What did you learn from the experience, and how did it shape your interest in marketing communication research?

If you have limited experience with research or data analysis, that’s okay. Instead, choose a product, service, technology, brand, or organization that interests you. What questions would you want to answer about its consumers or audiences, and why? 

Part 2: 

Imagine you have been asked to conduct a marketing communication research project for an organization. You may build on the experience or example from Part 1 or choose a new one.

What questions would you want to answer about its consumers or audiences to better understand their attitudes, behaviors, or decision-making? Why are those questions important? How would you approach the project, what information would you collect, and what research methods would you use? Finally, explain how your findings could help the organization make a better communication or business decision.

Personal Statement

The MS in Media Science explores how media and communication influence people, organizations, and society. Through interdisciplinary study and research, students investigate how messages are created, shared, interpreted, and evaluated across a rapidly changing media landscape. 

Label your responses Part 1 and Part 2. Please respond to all prompts below in a single document of no more than 750 words, double-spaced. If you use outside sources, please cite or reference them.


Part 1: 

What questions about media, communication, or audiences most interest you, and what sparked that interest? (You may draw from an academic, professional, or personal experience; a communication challenge you’ve encountered; or a media trend, campaign, message, or issue that made you want to better understand how communication works and affects people.)

Explain why these questions matter to you, how graduate study in Media Science will help you pursue your academic, professional, or career goals, and what perspectives or experiences you would bring to the BU community. 

Part 2: 

Choose one of the following current issues related to media that most interests you: artificial intelligence in content creation, social media use (e.g., impact on mental health), media consolidation, political disinformation (including issues related to elections, public health, climate, or AI-generated content), or digital privacy.

Explain why this issue matters, either on a societal or individual level. If you could investigate this issue through Media Science research, what question would you investigate and why? How could a better understanding of this issue inform or influence communication, policy, or decision-making?

Personal Statement

Why do you believe the Master’s in Media Ventures is the right graduate program for you? What are your goals for the future and what do you hope to accomplish with this degree? Limited to 750 words.

Case Study

Everyone is familiar with companies such as Apple, Snapchat, Facebook, and Google and recognize the innovations these brands have made in shaping how consumers create, share, and consume content. However, in all parts of the world, other companies and innovators are also creating meaningful innovations in media, technology, and communication, but perhaps are lesser known.

We’d like to hear from you about a company, brand, or individual that you believe is making an impact by bringing together content and technology in ways that are important. Describe what the company is doing and how it is using technology and content to position itself as a leader to better serve its audience and customers or community. How is it innovating and making a difference? How is the company giving itself a competitive advantage within its market segment or, if you’ve chosen a non-profit, how are they creating impact within the community? Limited to 1,000 words.

Personal Statement

Public relations professionals build relationships, shape understanding, and help organizations communicate strategically with the people and communities they serve. As the field evolves, successful practitioners need strong communication skills, sound judgment, adaptability, and an understanding of how emerging technologies can support–and complicate–their work. 

Label your responses Part 1 and Part 2. Please respond to both prompts below in a single document of no more than 750 words, double-spaced. If you use outside sources, please cite or reference them. 

Part 1:
Describe two or more experiences that have shaped your interest in public relations. These might come from your coursework, internships, employment, volunteer work, student organizations, or other personal or professional experiences you’ve had.

What did you learn from these experiences about communication, audiences, relationships, or reputation? How have they prepared you for graduate study in public relations and for your career beyond the program? What perspectives or strengths would you bring to the BU community?

Part 2: 

Choose an organization, brand, nonprofit, institution, public figure, or cause that interests you. Describe a communication challenge or opportunity it currently faces.

Before recommending a strategy, what questions would you want to answer? What would you need to understand about its audiences, stakeholders, goals, reputation, or communication environment? How would that information shape your recommendations?

Finally, describe how you would begin to address the challenge, including any communication approaches, channels, or tools (such as AI, if relevant) you might consider.

Explain the reasoning behind your approach rather than simply describing what you would do.

Personal Statement

Tell us about yourself and your experiences with screenwriting. Why do you think you’ll succeed in the BU graduate program and beyond? Your statement should be no longer than 750 words and double-spaced, please.

Two Fictional Writing Samples

Submit one or two original writing samples, totaling a maximum of 20 pages. They may be a portion of a screenplay, teleplay, short script, or play. On the cover page of each sample, please identify the type of sample you are submitting and include a logline and brief paragraph synopsis (three sentences maximum).

Personal Statement

Tell us about yourself and your experiences (academic, professional, or volunteer) that sparked your interest in strategic communication and cross-channel integration. Why is the online MS in Strategic Integrated Communication the right next step for you, and how do you plan to use this degree to create meaningful impact in your future career or community? Please limit your response to 500–750 words and use your own authentic voice.

TV Producing/Management

Personal Statement for the MS in Television: Tell us about yourself and your experiences with television production, such as undergraduate courses, extracurricular activities, internships, and/or jobs. What area(s) and positions in the TV/film industry do you feel would best suit your talents and personality? What do you see as your strengths you’d like to build upon and your weaknesses you’d like to improve upon? Your statement should be no longer than 750 words and double spaced.

Writing Sample: Tell us about a film or TV show that has had a big impact on you. Discuss how it has resonated with you, shaped your perspective, and influenced your interests. Then, what would you envision as a sequel, prequel, or spin-off of that work? Your statement should be no longer than 750 words and double spaced.

It is also possible that, based upon your writing sample, you may be required to have a Zoom conversation with a television professor. This will not apply to all applicants.