Courses Open to Emerson AlumniEmerson campus during the summer

Welcome to Professional Studies at Emerson. Our department offers courses for adults seeking professional development and personal enrichment education opportunities. The majority of our courses are offered entirely online at an accelerated pace to provide you with practical knowledge in a short time commitment. 

Credit Courses

Our department oversees the College's Summer Sessions every year. We work with all of Emerson's academic departments to offer a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses for students enrolled in degree programs at Emerson. However, we also open a number of seats to non-degree students who are interested in enrolling in these courses without working towards a degree.

Undergraduate courses in the summer sessions are offered at a significant discount (50% off the regular academic year tuition rate). As an additional benefit for alumni who have completed their undergraduate or graduate degree at Emerson, we offer a 10% Alumni Discount on undergraduate and graduate courses taken through Professional Studies.

Non-Credit Courses

Alumni may enroll in any of our non-credit short courses and certificate programs for professional or personal development, including Screenwriting, Digital Media Production, and Copyediting. Alumni discounts are not available for these programs.

Tuition for Credit Courses (as of summer 2024):

  • Undergraduate Courses (numbered 100-499) - $850 per credit hour. This is a discount of 50% off the regular academic year rate of $1700 per credit.
  • Graduate Courses (numbered 600-699) - $1402 per credit hour. 

All credit-bearing courses charge tuition based on an hourly tuition rate calculated by the number of academic units (credit hours) assigned to a course. The majority of Emerson courses offer 4 credit hours, but each course on our website will indicate the specific number of credits and the calculated tuition rate so you will know upfront how much your course will cost.

You will be asked to apply your Alumni Discount in your shopping cart to see the revised total. Tuition rates are determined on an annual basis for the College. Payment is due at the time of enrollment and may be paid online with a credit card during the secure checkout process. During the summer, undergraduate courses are significantly discounted from the regular academic year rates, so it's a great time to catch up, get ahead, or make progress towards your learning goals.

Fees

Emerson charges a $35 registration fee assessed once per part of term (for example - Summer Session 1, Summer Session 2, Full Term), regardless of how many courses you decide to take during that part of term. This fee will be visible during the checkout process. Learn more about Undergraduate fees and Graduate fees.

Registration 

When you are ready to register, navigate to the Course Search page to find courses in which you wish to enroll. Each course page contains the specific dates for the course section, number of credits offered (for academic credit courses), instructional delivery method (online, remote synchronous online, or traditional on-campus), tuition prices, instructors assigned, course descriptions, and other details. Course sections available for registration will have an Add to Cart button to complete your purchase. Courses currently full or closed for enrollment will include a Request Information button which enables you to sign up for an automatic email alert when a new section of the course becomes available for registration or if a seat becomes available in a sold out course.

Applying your Discount:

  1. After you add a course to your shopping cart, you will see a column labeled Options. Check the box next to Apply a Discount.
  2. You will then see a drop-down menu of choices. Select the Alumni Discount from the drop-down menu.
  3. You will then see the revised total amount due, reflecting the applied discount.
  4. Proceed to check out and pay following the on-screen instructions.

Current Emerson Degree-Seeking Students: 

The alumni discount is applicable only to students who have graduated and completed their Emerson degree. If you are currently enrolled in an Emerson degree program, you should use this website only to enroll in non-credit (CE) courses. To register for undergraduate or graduate credit courses to count towards your degree, follow the instructions provided to you by the Registrar's Office or your academic advisor. Additional information for degree-seeking students regarding registration dates, deadlines and tuition rates may be found on the Registrar's Office Registration page.

Format

Currently, all non-degree and non-credit courses through Professional Studies will be offered via either Online Synchronous delivery (live online instruction with set days and times) or Online Asynchronous delivery (asynchronous online course with no set meeting times).

COVID-19 Information:

Visit the College's Community Health site for the latest information or follow news alerts on Emerson Today.

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