Master of Arts in Strategic Communications and Public Relations
Goals and Objectives
The 36-Credit Master of Arts in Strategic Communication and Public Relations provides students with the background, knowledge, and skills necessary to successfully convey ideas across a wide variety of media. Students in SCPR develop a critical understanding of the profound ethical and social responsibilities that come with being a professional communicator and engaged citizen. The individual courses and the overall curricular pathway bring together both the theory and practice of public communication in contemporary digital culture. Therefore, SCPR aims to graduate students knowledgeable of the tenets of strategic communication and public relations who will have:
• Developed a theoretical, historical and practical understanding of the relationship of media to democracy and society, and the profound ethical and social responsibilities that come with being a professional communicator.
• Developed a critical and aesthetic understanding of strategic communication and its social impact.
• Acquired the social, artistic, and technical skills necessary to create and implement substantive and professional multimedia strategic communication campaigns, events, presentations, and artifacts.
• Acquired the skills necessary to succeed in today’s organizational environment, including effective communication, critical thinking, and time management skills; teamwork and problem solving; and planning, organizing, and ethical leadership in a professional context.
Admission Requirements
A bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0 from an accredited institution and official transcripts from all undergraduate institutions attended are required. A personal statement describing career goals and reasons for interest in the program, along with two letters of recommendation, and a professional résumé are also required. Students who have obtained their bachelor’s degrees from a university/college outside of the United States (i.e., international students) are also required to provide TOEFL scores and to demonstrate English language proficiency.
Degree Requirements
The SCPR degree requires the completion of 36 credits.
Students must complete 27 credits in SCPR required courses and 9 credits in SCPR elective courses.
SCPR Required Courses
| CM 502 | Strategic Communication in the Digital Age I | 3 |
| CM 503 | Media Ethics in a Professional Context | 3 |
| CM 519 | Multimedia Communications I | 3 |
| CM 520 | Multimedia Communications II | 3 |
| CM 602 | Political Communication | 3 |
| CM 603 | Culture, Identity & Communication | 3 |
| CM 626 | Capstone in Strategic Communication and Public Relations | 3 |
| CM 642 | Branding & the Visual Communication | 3 |
| CM 646 | Advertising, PR and Consumer Culture | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 27 |
Elective Requirements
Students must complete 3 courses (9 credits) of the four below:
| CM 616 | Event Planning | 3 |
| CM 640 | Social Media & Strategic Communication | 3 |
| CM 660 | Crisis Communication | 3 |
| CM 696 | Internship I | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 9 |
Total Credit Hours: 36