Master of Arts in Strategic Communications

Lead Faculty: Dr. Sara Kelly

The goal of the Master of Arts in Strategic Communications is to prepare students to assume professional positions in organizations that must meet the challenges of operating in an increasingly complex and interdependent global environment. It will arm graduates with both theoretical and practical approaches to developing strategic communications programs that enable organizations to meet their goals and objectives. Each course provides an essential stepping-stone on the way to planning, executing, and evaluating effective strategic communications efforts. The objective of the program is to develop effective, strategically sophisticated professionals who possess the full complement of analytic and practical tools to lead communication efforts. It will foster strategic thinking, logical analysis, and solution generation. Upon completion of the degree, graduates will be able to develop and implement communications initiatives using both traditional mass media and newer cutting-edge channels such as social networking sites, blogs, pod casts and vod casts, instant messager, texting, and other mobile media. This degree requires that students be able to write in English at an advanced level. If the students writing skills need improvement, the student may be required to enroll in a remedial writing course before continuing in the program. Applicants for whom English is a second language are encouraged to take the Accuplacer, English as a Second Language Placement Test. Graduates will acquire an array of intellectual, managerial, and communication skills, including: * An understanding of communications opportunities * The ability to carry out analyses of organizational communications needs * The knowledge to conduct audience analysis and formative, and evaluative research * The training to develop, implement, and evaluate appropriate strategies and tactics to reach multiple publics * Professional-level writing and presentation skills At the completion of the Master of Arts in Strategic Communications, graduates will emerge with a deep understanding of the theories of communication and persuasion, an ability to lead and participate in the team development of organizational communication strategies, and the practical skills to plan, produce, and evaluate strategic communications programs and campaigns.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Plan communication campaigns by producing multi-public, multi-channel communication campaign planning documents.
2. Manage communication campaigns by producing budgets, task lists, and schedules in project management software.
3. Apply formative research to develop communication campaigns and messages.
4. Create persuasive campaigns that meet high ethical standards by producing messages.
5. Evaluate effective communication campaigns by conducting summative research.
6. Deliver professional-level presentations in the online environment.
7. Demonstrate leadership and collaborative skills by participating in group tasks and presentations as leader and team member.

Requirements

• COM 600 Comm in Global Environment
• COM 605 Content Distribution
• COM 610 Integrated Marketing Comm
• COM 615 Research Methods
• COM 620 Crisis Communications
• COM 625 Campaign & Program Management
• COM 630 Campaign & Program Evaluation
• COM 635 Management of Creativity
• COM 640 Persuasion
• COM 650 Legal and Ethical Issues
• COM 660 Capstone Project

Program Information

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Online Education

This program is available online.

Related Downloads

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