Meet Susan Jurevics, MA in Media, Culture, and Communication Student…
After more than three decades working in global media and entertainment for big names like Sony and Audible, Susan Jurevics (MA, Media, Culture, and Communication [MCC]) made the decision to invest in herself, choosing a path that reflects the kind of multidimensionality that NYU Steinhardt celebrates.
Jurevics has already built an accomplished career that many would dream of. Her focus over the last 30 years on expanding intellectual property across platforms has helped turn beloved characters such as James Bond, Spider-Man, and Harry Potter into global, profitable ecosystems. But over time, she found herself wanting something more—and looking back in time toward a favorite college class for inspiration.
Rediscovering an Academic Passion
Jurevics started her higher education journey as an undergraduate studying visual arts at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. During her senior year, she took a master’s-level course around the intersection of imagery and language and how it creates meaning in art. About a decade ago, she rediscovered her original dissertation from that course, typewritten on onionskin paper, and felt a renewed pull to explore those ideas more deeply.
Susan Jurevics with her family
“We’re living in an age of artificial intelligence and automation,” says Jurevics, who also holds an MBA from NYU Stern. “The technical and financial skills I built my career on are evolving quickly. What matters now is critical thinking, systems thinking, and the ability to connect ideas across disciplines.”
That realization prompted Jurevics to apply to NYU Steinhardt’s unique MCC program, which explores media and technology in their cultural, social, and global contexts. Since enrolling, she has embraced an academic experience that is as immersive as it is transformative, where students are encouraged to explore beyond traditional academic lines.
“This degree is truly interdisciplinary, and it’s the only program I was even interested in pursuing,” says Jurevics. “Your professors are trained in different fields—anthropology, sociology, media studies—and they bring those perspectives into the classroom. It mirrors how the real world works.”
Blending Experience with New Perspectives
As Jurevics works toward graduation, she is shaping her coursework around her evolving interests, which include visual culture, sound studies, globalization, and gender. She also has exciting plans for her culminating project: revisiting her rediscovered undergraduate research on what she now recognizes as semiotics through a contemporary lens, blending decades of professional experience with new theoretical frameworks.
“I spent 30 years building worlds in a commercial context,” says Jurevics. “Now I’m learning how to analyze, question, and expand those experiences in a more meaningful way.”
Embracing the Energy of the City
At Steinhardt, she’s found a community of like-minded students who are curious, ambitious, and eager to engage deeply with the world around them.
“Everyone truly wants to be here, and the energy of New York City is unmatched,” she says. “It creates an environment where learning is not just academic—it’s purposeful. You’re surrounded by museums, cultural institutions, and people from all over the world. And because NYU is so integrated into the city, there are no boundaries. You never know who you’ll meet or what conversations you’ll find.”
For her, that synthesis is the true value of a Steinhardt education.
“If you’re looking for an education that challenges you, connects disciplines, and reflects the complexity of the real world, this is the place.”
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