private institution in Boston, Mass. The college's history traces back to 1880, and it is named for founder Charles Wesley Emerson. The college was a pioneer in the fields of communication and theater arts, being the first institution of higher learning to establish a children's theater (1919), to offer a professional training program in speech pathology (1935), and to conduct undergraduate programs in broadcasting and broadcast journalism (1937). Enrollment consists of roughly 2,100 undergraduates and 700 graduate students, with women outnumbering men. More than half of the students come from outside Massachusetts. Freshmen who do not live with relatives must reside in campus housing. Emerson operates on the semester system and grants degrees at the bachelor's through doctoral levels. About 60 percent of the full-time faculty hold doctorates. The college also employs numerous part-time instructors with extensive professional experience. Emerson offers a variety of disciplines within the general areas of communication disorders, communication studies, mass communications, creative writing, and performing arts. All undergraduates take core classes in the liberal arts and in fundamentals of communications. Students may study at Emerson's branch campus in The Netherlands, which specializes in international communications. They can also cross-register at numerous Boston-area institutions, many of which specialize in fine arts, music, or architecture. The college encourages internships and other hands-on experiences both on-campus and off. Extracurricular activities at Emerson include publications, a film society, musical and theatrical groups, fraternities and sororities, and forensics. Varsity sports teams compete in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. |