STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
COLLEGE OF ARTS, HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
LEADING TO THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS (M.A.)

 

Purposes

The purposes of the Department of Communication and Media Studies are:

  1. To prepare students to communicate and create content for multimedia platforms.
  2. To enhance students' abilities to perform critical thinking, data gathering, and academic research.
  3. To train students in the use of digital communication tools, and systems.
  4. To teach students about the ethical and legal underpinning of the communication profession.
  5. To enable students to demonstrate job preparedness and provide specific background training for professional communicators and candidates for doctoral study..

The Master of Arts in Strategic Communication will focus on teaching media planning skills combined with advanced digital media content creation and a solid grounding in the strategic use of communication data analytics.

 

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission to the Master's in Strategic Communication, an applicant must:

  1. Meet all University admission requirements.
  2. Have a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited university. It is not essential that the undergraduate degree be in communication. 
  3. Possess a cumulative grade point average of no lower than 2.5 in their undergraduate degree.
  4. For international students, when required, a minimum TOEFL score of 525 or a minimum Internet-based TOEFL score of 75 must be attained.
  5. Submit a writing sample, the focus of which will be described by the Graduate Coordinator.
  6. Submit a biographical overview of their education, career, interests and aptitudes.  They should specifically address their interest and ability to contribute in graduate school and how a M.A. in Strategic Communication would enhance their career.

 

Requirements for Degree

The Master of Strategic Communication is a non-thesis degree, requiring a total of 36 semester hours of graduate credit. Fifteen credit hours make up the program’s core requirements and 21 additional hours are to be taken as electives.

 

Strategic Communication Core Requirements

Fifteen (15) semester hours are required, which must include completion of COMM 621, 631, 648, 691 and 698.

 

COMM 621: Strategic Communication Campaigns 3 hours
COMM 631: Digital Communication 3 hours
COMM 648: Content Creation for Strategic Communication 3 hours
COMM 691: Quantitative Measurements for Strategic Communication 3 hours
COMM 698: Strategic Communication Capstone 3 hours
   
Total 15 hours

 

Electives

Students must take 21 semester hours, chosen from the following courses, 15 hours must be 600-level courses.  Credit will not be accepted toward graduation if a student has completed a similar or companion 400-level course for any elective.

COMM 541: Integrated Marketing Communication 3 hours
COMM 551: Media Management and Economics 3 hours
COMM 558: International Communication and Media 3 hours
COMM 567: Public Relations Crisis Communication 3 hours
COMM 576: Social Media Communication 3 hours
COMM 577: Social Media Data Analytics 3 hours
COMM 590: Digital Audience Research and Behavior 3 hours
COMM 616: Communication Training, Assessment and Development 3 hours
COMM 620: Organizational Culture and Diversity Issues 3 hours
COMM 626: Law and Ethics for Emerging Media 3 hours
COMM 633: Communicating Leadership 3 hours
COMM 640: Emerging Media Entrepreneurship 3 hours
COMM 649: Visual Design for Strategic Communication 3 hours
COMM 650: Strategic Communication for Non-Profits 3 hours
COMM 671: Applied Qualitative Research for Strategic Communication 3 hours