Emerson gets top 2015 rankings in US News, Forbes

Emerson College has once again scored high marks in 2015 as several national publications release their annual rankings of colleges and universities in a variety of categories.

Emerson College’s Journalism program has been named the top in the country, according to USA TODAY. College Factual, a group of self-proclaimed “data geeks,” analyzed colleges across the country for the best overall journalism major, and selected the top 10 programs for 2014. Associate Professor of Journalism and Interim Chair Paul Niwa said, “Our undergraduate program is focused on multimedia/digital journalism, which is squarely in the heart of the job growth area. We’ve been a leader in this curricular shift nationally, and we’re getting noticed for this innovation.”

US News ranked Emerson as the #10 Best College or University in the North, citing Emerson’s 88 percent first-year student retention rate; and that 73 percent of first-year students were in the top 25 percent of their high school’s graduating class academically.

“It’s no secret that Emerson has a track record of leading its students to career success in their chosen fields,” said Ruthanne Madsen, vice president of the Office of Enrollment Management, “but these most recent rankings recognize our tremendous progress in innovation, diversity, and inclusion.”

Forbes lists Emerson as #13 for Most Entrepreneurial among “top startup colleges,” citing the long-standing Emerson Experience in Entrepreneurship program, better known as E3. A yearlong immersive program that helps students develop and present business plans, E3 taps into the entrepreneurial spirit of students across all disciplines. The College’s latest addition to its entrepreneurship offerings is the Emerson Accelerator program, which includes funding, mentorship, and workspace to help students launch businesses.

Emerson ranks #1 for LGBTQ-Friendliest college in the Princeton Review, which surveyed 136,000 students at 380 top colleges to rate their schools on dozens of topics and report on their campus experiences. The Princeton Review also ranked Emerson as having the #3 Best College Radio Station for WERS-FM; and #4 Best College Theater Program.

The Hollywood Reporter lists Emerson as #10 among the nation’s Top 25 Film Schools. This year’s write-up notes the College’s initiative in the 1980s to start an internship/study program in Los Angeles, recently enhanced by our permanent facility on Sunset Boulevard. Comments from writer Seth Grahame-Smith ’98 (Batman Lego Movie and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) highlight Emerson’s tight-knit alumni network.