Emerson College

Emerson College
Former names
Boston Conservatory of Elocution, Oratory, and Dramatic Art (1880)
Monroe Conservatory of Oratory (1881–1889)
Emerson College of Oratory (1890–1938)
Motto"Expression Necessary to Evolution"
TypePrivate college
Established1880 (1880)
FounderCharles Wesley Emerson
AccreditationNECHE
Endowment$293 million (2025)
PresidentJay M. Bernhardt
Academic staff
469 (2019)
Students5,900 (2022)
Undergraduates4,117 (2022)
Postgraduates1,783 (2022)
Location,
Massachusetts
,
United States

42°21′07″N 71°03′58″W / 42.351807°N 71.065994°W / 42.351807; -71.065994
CampusLarge City, 8 acres (0.032 km2)
NewspaperThe Berkeley Beacon
Other campuses
Colors  Purple
  Gold
NicknameLions
Sporting affiliations
MascotGriff the Lion
Websiteemerson.edu

Emerson College is a private college in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a school of oratory. The school offers more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, as well as professional training, primarily focused on the arts and communication, grounded in a liberal arts framework. Emerson is a founding member of the ProArts Consortium, a collaborative association of six neighboring Boston-based institutions dedicated to collegiate-level arts education.

Originally based in Boston's Pemberton Square, the college moved neighborhoods several times and is now located in the Theater District along the south side of the Boston Common. It maintains campuses in Los Angeles and in the Netherlands. Emerson is also notable for the college's namesake public opinion poll, Emerson College Polling.