The MS in Media Science with a concentration in Marketing Communication Research (MCR) requires a minimum of 48 credits completed over three terms (Fall, Spring, Fall). Students complete 8 core courses (32 credits), 4 strategic electives (16 credits), and a non-credit final degree requirement.
What you’ll master in the Marketing Communication Research track
- End-to-End Insights Pipeline: Learn to take on a complex business or client problem, design an empirical research project, execute the data collection, and translate raw analysis into a compelling narrative that corporate stakeholders can confidently act on.
- Advanced Quantitative Proficiency: Gain deep hands-on mastery of SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) utilizing clean, real-world marketplace datasets. Technical methods covered include descriptive statistics, correlation, multiple regression, t-tests, ANOVA, and factor analysis.
- Measurement Design: Master how to build, validate, and scale diagnostic questionnaires and measurement indexes used to evaluate consumer attitudes, implicit beliefs, media consumption patterns, and purchasing behaviors.
- Applied Strategic Positioning: Prepare directly for career tracks as consumer insights managers, data analysts, research consultants, and UX research specialists across media networks, corporate advertising departments, PR agencies, and public policy think tanks.
Required core courses (8 total courses | 32 credits):
Writing Courses (2 courses | 8 credits)
- COM CM 703 Basic Media Writing (Must be taken in the Fall)**
- COM CM 707 Writing for Media Professionals (Must be taken in the Spring)
**The CM 703 Waiver Exception: If you are formally waived out of CM 703 by your advisor, you must take CM 707 in your first Fall semester. You will be required to take an additional 4 credits of electives (bringing your elective total to 20 credits) to meet the overall 48-credit university graduation minimum.
Core Methods + Theory (6 courses | 24 credits)
Elective courses (4 courses | 16 credits)*:
Students must complete four graduate electives (16 credits). At least 2 courses (8 credits) must be selected directly from the specialized communication list below. The remaining 2 courses may be filled by any 500-level or higher course offered across Boston University.
4 credits
Students will utilize social media analytics software as the basis for assessing and developing strategies to elevate the social media presence of brands, organizations, and campaigns. Students will learn how to collect social media data, convert data for analysis with SPSS, and apply cutting-edge AI tools, such as topic analysis and sentiment analysis across an array of platforms. This class prepares students to navigate the contemporary social media landscape.
Final Degree Requirement (Non-Credit)
Beyond completing your 48 credits of formal coursework, all MCR candidates must successfully complete a comprehensive, non-credit final degree requirement during their final semester to demonstrate operational mastery before graduation.
Optional Data Analytics Certificate
Students looking to add computational data science expertise can complete a specialized four-course analytical sequence through BU’s Metropolitan College (MET). This allows you to earn a Graduate Certificate in Data Analytics alongside your MS in Marketing Communication Research within the same three semesters, with zero added tuition cost.
- MET CS 544 Foundations of Analytics with R
- MET CS 555 Data Analysis and Visualization with R
- MET CS 688 Web Analytics and Mining
- MET CS 699 Data Mining
Please note that some courses have prerequisites that are not listed above. See the MyBU portal for prerequisite information.
Data Analytics Certificate Policies & Academic Standing
- How to apply: Submit the graduate certificate application online before enrolling in data science classes.
- Prior coursework: A maximum of two graduate-level MET courses (8 credits) completed at BU prior to formal acceptance into the certificate track may be retroactively applied toward the certificate.
- Academic standards: Students must earn a minimum passing grade of C (2.0) in each individual certificate course and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 to remain in good academic standing.
- Completion: Upon finishing all four courses, students must submit the certificate program completion form to trigger the credential from Metropolitan College.
- Please contact the Metropolitan College’s Computer Science Department at csinfo@bu.edu for more information.
Academic Policies + Regulations
In addition to the University Bulletin, master’s students should refer to the College of Communication Graduate Handbook for a comprehensive guide to policies, academic regulations, and student resources.