Program at a glance
- Path: Accelerated 4+1 dual degree (BS/MS)
- Eligibility: Current BU COM juniors majoring in Film + Television, Advertising, Public Relations, or Media Science
- Graduate credits: 32, with up to 8 approved undergraduate elective credits applied toward the MS
- Duration: 1 additional year (2 semesters, full-time on-campus)
- Entry term: Fall after your senior year; apply during your junior year
- Application fee: Free with fee waiver code
- GRE: Not required
Make your fifth year count.
The 4+1 pathway is designed to help you get more out of your time at BU.
As an eligible undergraduate, you can apply up to eight credits of approved coursework toward your master’s degree. By getting a head start on your graduate coursework, you’ll have more flexibility in your fifth year to pursue professional experience, develop your portfolio, or explore additional electives.
Make room for professional experience. Use a lighter course load to pursue an internship, take on freelance work, develop creative projects, or spend more time building your portfolio.
Go deeper into what interests you. Want to strengthen your editing, production, or communication strategy skills? Explore additional electives that complement your career goals.
Expand your career options. Add strategic communication skills to your production background, or develop production expertise that complements your advertising, PR, or media science education.
Build work you can show. Through integrated coursework, career practicums, and real client projects, you’ll develop professional experience and portfolio-ready work.
Who can apply?
Current BU COM juniors majoring in
- Advertising
- Film & Television
- Public Relations
- Media Science
Applicants typically have a minimum GPA of 3.0.
How it works
- Junior year: Apply to the accelerated BS/MS program.
- Senior year: Complete your bachelor’s degree while planning your master’s coursework.
- Year 5: Finish the 32-credit MS in Branded Content Production.
- Graduate: Earn both your BS and MS.
What you’ll study
The accelerated BS/MS builds on the skills you’ve developed as an undergraduate through the same graduate curriculum as the stand-alone MS in Branded Content Production.
Your courses include:
- Practical Production
- Content & Project Management
- Writing Branded Content
- Real-World Productions
- Career Practicums
- Electives tailored to your interests
Put it all together in one year.
Your courses are designed to work together. You might write a podcast script in one class, produce it in another, and then use the finished work to demonstrate your skills to a potential employer or client.
In the fall, you’ll build your technical and strategic skills, develop your professional brand, and work on projects with organizations at BU and around Boston.
In the spring, you’ll put those skills to work through Real-World Productions, creating content for actual clients while refining your portfolio and preparing for your next career move.
And you’ll learn alongside students with different backgrounds, sharing your expertise while developing new skills of your own.
You’ve built the foundation. Here’s what comes next.
Studying Film & Television?
You know how to tell stories through film and video. But your production skills can open doors beyond traditional entertainment.
Learn how to apply your filmmaking experience to branded entertainment, marketing campaigns, documentaries, and content for organizations. You’ll add audience research, branding, and communication strategy to the production skills you’ve already developed.
Studying Advertising, PR, or Media Science?
You understand audiences, messaging, and what makes communication effective. Now learn how to produce the content behind the strategy.
Develop hands-on skills in filming, lighting, sound, editing, podcast production, and multimedia storytelling. You’ll learn how to work with production teams and bring creative concepts to life.
Already creating your own content?
Maybe you’re making TikToks, producing videos for a student organization, or building your own brand.
Learn how to take that work further with professional production techniques, creative strategy, and the skills to pitch your ideas, attract clients, and pursue new opportunities.
Career possibilities: where could this degree take you?
Combine strategic communication and multimedia production skills to pursue roles such as:
- Multimedia Producer
- Branded Content Specialist
- Video Producer
- Creative Strategist
- Content Marketing Strategist
- Brand Storyteller
Learn from faculty who do both
Your professors bring expertise from across COM, including filmmaking, advertising, public relations, writing, and digital media.
Learn visual storytelling and documentary filmmaking from Maura Smith, creative advertising and brand management from Michelle Sullivan, and corporate communication and PR strategy from Amy Shanler. You’ll also benefit from faculty expertise in video production, digital storytelling, and branded content writing.
Together, they’ll help you connect the creative and strategic sides of content production, from understanding an audience and developing an idea to bringing that story to life.
How to apply (BU undergraduates only)
The accelerated BS/MS program is open exclusively to current BU COM undergraduates majoring in Public Relations, Advertising, Media Science, or Film + Television. Most applicants have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0.
Apply during your junior year at BU. Required materials:
- Personal statement
- Resume
- One letter of recommendation
- Reel or portfolio
You can apply for free. Email COM Graduate Affairs at comgrad@bu.edu to request an application fee waiver code.
What should your portfolio show?
We want to understand what you bring to the program. That might be visual storytelling through film, video, or social content, or strategic communication through advertising campaigns, PR projects, and audience research.
Your work doesn’t need to be professionally produced. We’re looking for evidence of your creative or strategic thinking, your ability to communicate ideas, and the perspective you’ll contribute to a collaborative learning environment.
Visit the Application Instructions page.
Frequently asked questions about the combined BS/MS in Branded Content Production program
The accelerated BS/MS pathway is open exclusively to current BU COM undergraduates majoring in Film + Television, Advertising, Public Relations, or Media Science. External applicants are not eligible for this 4+1 option.
Apply during your junior year so you can plan eligible undergraduate electives that may count toward your master’s degree.
You’ll complete the master’s portion in two full-time semesters immediately following your bachelor’s degree, earning both degrees in a total of five years.
Up to 8 credits of approved undergraduate electives can count toward your master’s degree, giving you flexibility in how you complete the program.
The accelerated BS/MS helps you graduate with both strategic communication and multimedia production expertise—saving time and tuition while earning two degrees. You’ll enter the job market with an advanced portfolio and a master’s credential after just one additional year.
The accelerated BS/MS allows you to deepen both your strategic communication and multimedia production skills while saving time and tuition. You’ll graduate with two degrees, an advanced portfolio, and a competitive advantage as you begin your career.
No. The curriculum is deliberately designed to cross-train students. If your undergraduate background is in PR or Media Science, we teach you production from the ground up. If your background is in Film & TV, we teach you brand strategy, audience insight, and strategic communication from the ground up.
The MS in Strategic Integrated Communication is a fully online program for experienced communication professionals focused on leadership, integrated strategy, research, and AI. The accelerated BS/MS in Branded Content Production is an on-campus program for current BU COM undergraduates who want to combine storytelling, multimedia production, and strategic communication—from audience insight to final execution.
Also worth exploring:
- MS in Branded Content Production: Learn how to combine storytelling, strategy, and multimedia production to create content audiences choose to engage with.
- MS in Advertising: Develop bold creative campaigns and strategic brand thinking that help organizations stand out.
- MS in Public Relations: Build trust, shape reputation, and lead strategic communication across industries.
- MS in Television: Produce compelling film, television, and streaming content while developing advanced production skills.
- MS in Media Science: Understand how communication influences people through audience research, analytics, and persuasion.
- COM Graduate Admissions: Explore application requirements, deadlines, financial aid, and graduate student resources.