Boston University - College of Communication
MS in TelevisionBoston, USA
DURATION
3 Semesters
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
01 May 2025
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
USD 30,525 / per semester *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* tuition fee
Introduction
With ever-expanding distribution channels, revenue streams, and diversified global markets, the television and streaming industry is moving fast. BU's Master's in TV program will empower you to become a key player and start on a path to joining our alumni as top-tier executives in the industry -- start with this master's in TV production management program!
No GREs required. Scholarships available.
The Boston University Master of Science in Television is a program for students who dream of a career telling stories. And with so many viewing options and rising demand for content, there’s never been a better time to pursue a career in the television entertainment industry.
COM’s graduate program over three semesters -- two in Boston and one in Boston or Los Angeles -- is one of the few programs dedicated solely to television, with a focus on creative producing and management.
This program will set you on a path to becoming a manager and leader in the entertainment industry, such as a TV producer, independent, studio and streaming executive in development, production, and/or distribution, and/or agent. You’ll learn to create and develop compelling ideas/concepts; build creative pitch decks, series bibles, and look books; pitch TV ideas/TV program concepts; develop budgets and production schedules, hire department heads, and set up production offices; and break down and schedule scripts to maximize financial efficiency. Courses are led by faculty with deep backgrounds in producing their own award-winning television programs.
You’ll gain the skills necessary to compete successfully in the television field in everything from reality shows and TV dramas to comedies and miniseries. You’ll also receive valuable internship experience working alongside established television professionals while having the option to finish your thesis and classes in Los Angeles for your third (and final) semester, at places like The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal, CBS Studios, AMC Networks, The Hollywood Reporter, Hello Sunshine, and more.
Scholars and Makers
COM professors, as a group, offer a rare combination of academic rigor and industry experience -- a mix that enriches your education through skill development and mentoring . They have deep experience in the television and streaming industry. You'll learn how to become a TV producer with award-winning producers adn writers of primetime sitcoms, dramas, and more.
Reel Resources
Opportunities for experience abound. Put your skills to the test by working at our own student-operated station, BUTV10, and our own in-house, student-run agency, Real World Productions.
Attend Cinemathèque, a series of screenings and conversations with film- and television-makers, and enjoy full access to BU’s Kasker film and video resource center with 16mm prints and rarities at the Mugar Memorial Library on campus. Enjoy complimentary screenings, too, at the nearby Harvard Film Archive, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Brattle Theatre.
Join Successful MS in Television alumni
BU COM alumni in the MS in TV production management program work in TV and streaming. They hold jobs like producers; talent directors; supervisors of production and operating workers; operations managers; advertising and promotions managers; agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes; production/planning/expediting clerks; PR specialists; marketing managers; market research analysts and marketing specialists; higher education art, drama, and music faculty; and more.
This Master’s in TV: Creative Producing and Management has a track record of developing executives, writers, and producers at the very highest levels of the television industry. Many of our graduates work at top media companies, including Disney, HBO, Netflix Originals, National Geographic, Discovery, CNN, ABC, GBH, PBS, the BBC and Paramount Studios. Our alumni frequently hire new BU graduates for competitive roles in the entertainment industry. This is an important element of how to become a TV producer.
Admissions
Curriculum
The MS in Television curriculum is designed to give students the tools they need to seek professional careers in TV production, management, writing, and programming. The program stresses that the producer is the creative driving force behind all television production and that he or she must have a mastery of basic technical skills as well as a developed aesthetic sensibility. The producer must also be intellectually agile and have the ability and foresight to adapt to structural changes in a fast-moving industry. Management skills, essential in the successful completion of each production, are also essential to the economic welfare of the industry. Writing, the ability to tell a powerful story, remains the foundation for all TV and integrated media. Understanding new distribution technologies, including broadband and mobile devices, plays an increasing role as well.
Curriculum (Producing/Management Concentration)
The curriculum includes courses in producing, management, and writing for television series, pilots, reality shows, and documentaries, as well as electives in a wide range of television-related fields. In addition to electives, students have some choices in the courses they are required to take during their three semesters. These choices should reflect the direction they plan to follow when they leave the College and should support their ideas for their thesis projects. All students must give thought to these choices before registering for their first semester.
Students must complete a minimum of 48 credits to receive the degree. All courses are four credits unless otherwise noted.
Required courses (28 credits):
- COM FT 508 Line Producing for Undergrads
- COM FT 517 Television Management
- COM FT 525 Creative Producing II
- COM FT 701 Media in Evolution
- COM FT 727 Creative Producing I
- COM FT 825 Thesis Project
- COM FT 953 Internship
Curriculum offerings of potential elective courses (20 credits):
Students may choose electives (500+ level) that are not listed below. All electives must be approved by the program director. (These courses are not offered every semester.)
- COM FT 502 TV to Tablets
- COM FT 505 Real World Productions
- COM FT 507 Television Studio Production
- COM FT 512 Writing Episodic Drama for Television
- COM FT 518 Media Money Trail
- COM FT 522 Writing Television Situation Comedy Scripts
- COM FT 565 Motion Picture Editing
- COM FT 573 BUTV
- COM FT 703 Media Business Entrepreneurship
- COM FT 707 Introduction to Video Production
Curriculum (Producing/Writing Concentration)
Required courses (24 credits):
- COM FT 514 Writing the Television Pilot
- COM FT 522 Writing Television Situation COmedy Scripts
- COM FT 525 Creative Producing II
- COM FT 727 Creative Producing I
- COM FT 825 Thesis Project
- COM FT 953 Internship
Curriculum offerings of potential elective courses (24 credits):
- COM FT 503 TV to Tablets
- COM FT 505 Real World Production
- COM FT 507 Television Studio Production
- COM FT 512 Writing Episodic Drama for Television
- COM FT 516 Writing The Sitcom Pilot
- COM FT 520 TV Theory and Criticism
- COM FT 522 Writing Television Situation Comedy Scripts
- COM FT 554 Special Topics
- COM FT 565 Motion Picture Editing
- COM FT 701 Media in Evolution
- COM FT 707 Introduction to Video Production
Students may choose electives (500+ level) that are not listed below. All electives must be approved by the program director. (These courses are not offered every semester.)
*FT 707 Production is a prerequisite for this course.
**Students from both streams must pass a writing test as part of the application and as part of the first day’s writing class.
***Regarding electives: Students may petition to take other graduate-level (500+) courses offered in the College of Communication or other colleges at the University.
Program Outcome
- Students will be able to professionally pitch TV ideas and TV program concepts.
- Students will be able to relate national news, popular trends, and industry information to TV programming and network concepts.
- Students will be able to write professional (or semi-professional) TV projects and proposals.
- Students will have practical knowledge of the basics of physical production, including script breakdown, scheduling, and budgeting.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
East Plus West
Television graduate students may choose from the best of two locations. Consistently ranked among the most livable cities in the world, Boston is a Top 10 U.S. media market, and home to some of the world’s best creative agencies, media companies, and leading employers. Of course, Los Angeles -- where MS in Television students may spend their final semester -- is the world capital for entertainment media, but it also serves as a growing hub for technology and a source for internships and career opportunities.