Top companies need content experts to help them stay ahead. Earn an online bachelor’s degree in communications and build the skills these employers are looking for.

Choose from two concentrations in strategic communication or emerging media strategy and social media. Then complete an internship, conduct research, and polish your writing portfolio. Graduates can emerge as skilled digital writers and content strategists who can lead campaigns in many fields.

We are currently accepting applications for Spring 2019 classes. Get started today and ask about our $1,000 scholarship offer, available to new students for a limited time.* 

*Terms and conditions apply. 

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100% online

Choose from two concentrations

Financial aid available

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Start in fall, spring, or summer

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No SAT or ACT required

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Eligible transfer credits
accepted

Why Earn Your Online Bachelor’s Degree in Communications?

When you earn your online bachelor’s degree in communications, you can develop skills that can directly translate to varied settings. At Maryville, you can learn to pitch and lead media campaigns by working directly on contemporary client-based projects.

Our online communications degree provides options to gain the skills to succeed in media today. You can choose between concentrations in strategic communication or emerging media strategy and social media. Each concentration requires an internship, so you can graduate with experience practicing your skills in a modern communication role.

We connect you to resources that can help you become digitally savvy and in tune with what employers need. Here, you can connect to our faculty of passionate media experts and graduate with a portfolio of professional writing, hands-on experience, and strategic insights to help lead media forward.

Flexible, affordable
— and 100% online

  • 100% online coursework. No campus visits required.
  • Earn certificates. Depending on your concentration and chosen electives, you can pursue certificates in place of some midterms.
  • Practical and project-based. Complete your internship and gain access to relevant communication tools preferred by media professionals today.
  • Study at a respected school. Join Maryville University, which ranks among Forbes’ “America’s Top Colleges” and the best values in private colleges by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.
  • Simplified admission. No entrance exams or fees to apply.

What Can You Do with Your Online Bachelor’s Degree in Communications?

Your bachelor’s degree in communications can help you qualify for jobs in a broad range of settings, from digital media companies to private companies seeking content creators to engage with customers online. Throughout the program, you can develop versatile skills to deliver strategic communications that can adapt as audiences, technology, and delivery modes change.

You can work in a variety of settings and fields, including:

  • Advertising
  • Media
  • Business
  • Nonprofits
  • Government
  • Public Relations
  • Marketing
  • Publishing
  • Schools

Career opportunities for grads with an online bachelor’s degree in communications include:

  • Account Executive
  • Digital Media Manager
  • Media Strategist
  • Public Relations Specialist
  • Communications Specialist
  • Editor
  • Producer
  • Social Media Manager
  • Community Manager
  • Marketing Manager
  • Public Affairs Specialist
  • Reporter
  • Copywriter
  • Media Planner
  • Public Information Officer

What’s the market outlook for graduates with an online bachelor’s degree in communications?

Continuously growing demand.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects job growth in communication careers, especially for media professionals who can create, edit, and transmit content on a variety of platforms. The greatest growth is for public relations specialists, where 22,900 jobs are expected to be added from 2016 to 2026.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Increase your earnings.

Jobs in communications pay higher than the national average for all occupations, with an average salary of $54,780 across all jobs in the field. Some senior level roles, which require related work experience, have median salaries in excess of $100,000, including advertising, marketing, and promotions managers ($127,560). Other lucrative opportunities can be found in roles like public relations specialist ($58,020) and editor ($57,210).

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Mobile is key.

There was a 63% year-over-year increase in global mobile traffic in 2016, signaling a shift in how media is consumed today. Mobile video made up 60% of this traffic. This has led to an industry increase in demand for skills delivering content that’s optimized for mobile. It has also caused employers to emphasize video skills.

Cisco Visual Networking Index

Why Choose Maryville University’s Online Bachelor’s Degree in Communications Program?

At Maryville University, we recognize that communication and digital media will continue to shift as technology adapts. That’s why we developed an online bachelor’s degree in communications that emphasizes learning by doing. It’s our goal to help you gain hands-on experience executing strategic media projects using the latest digital media tools.

Our online bachelor’s degree in communications offers you convenient access to courses designed to help you launch your career or advance in your desired field. It provides options so you can develop in-demand communication skills and specialize in an area that helps you achieve your career goals. Graduates emerge prepared to lead campaigns in PR, marketing, journalism, advertising, media, and other fields.

Maryville University was founded in 1872 and has been connecting motivated professionals with industry expertise ever since. Here, 90% of our faculty holds a doctorate or terminal degree. We’re proud of our reputation for quality academics, accelerated growth, and accessibility, because it demonstrates our devotion to advancing students like you.

Why Maryville?

Maryville meets high standards:

Maryville University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission

Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission — HLC

Ranked among “America’s Top Colleges” — Forbes, 2018

Kiplinger's Best College Values

Ranked among the best values in private colleges
— Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, 2018

Connect to our faculty of communication experts.

Meet Dustin York.

Director of the Communication Undergraduate Program/Assistant Professor of Communication

After quickly rising as an expert media professional and consultant, Dr. Dustin York began his academic career in 2010 and has been helping to shape the next generation of strategic digital media professionals ever since.

  • EdD, Lindenwood University
  • MA, Communication, Lindenwood University
  • BS, Public Relations, Southeast Missouri State University

The energy that Dr. York brings to Maryville University’s online bachelor’s degree in communications program helps our students embrace the pace of this dynamic, shifting industry. He knows from experience what it takes to keep up. He has consulted on political campaigns, and contributed to strategic communications for major brands like Pepsi and Nike. Now he helps students pursue the same success.

Dr. York’s research interests align with what’s happening now, and his findings have been featured nationally in Entrepreneur and PR Daily. His students benefit from his attention to today’s trends, with the latest digital tools introduced and practiced in his courses. In this way, he exemplifies the relevant training and career guidance Maryville’s faculty can offer you.

Dr. York’s primary research interest is in nonverbal communication, a course he also teaches at Maryville. For the online bachelor’s degree in communications program, Dr. York teaches courses in principles of strategic communication, e-media and digital writing, digital video and audio, and more. He’s also the advisor of our student newspaper, Pawprint.

Online Bachelor’s Degree in Communications Curriculum

The online bachelor’s degree in communications curriculum is designed to prepare you to adapt as the media landscape changes. It includes general education, the communication major, electives, and concentration courses.

You can specialize your degree with a concentration relevant to your career goals:

  • Strategic communication focuses on campaigns, law, and ethics, allowing you the opportunity to design and create dynamic communication strategies that can be adapted to changing situations, audiences, social movements, technology, and delivery modalities.
  • Emerging media strategy and social media covers advanced web design, video and audio communications, and crisis management. Coursework for this specialization is designed to prepare students for the transformation of traditional communication organizations into digital environments and to give insights about the latest e-media technology and applications.

Courses cover the broad spectrum of skills and tools essential to communications today. Qualified online communications degree students can satisfy the general education requirement through eligible transfer credits to complete the program sooner.

Required Communication Major Courses — Learn how communication is used in social, professional, and global applications.

Strategic Communication Concentration — Gain the skills to translate communication into actionable strategy for organizations.

Emerging Media Strategy and Social Media Concentration — Study the emerging trends that are shaping social media, its users, and our interconnected world.

Continue expanding your content strategy.

Earning your online bachelor’s degree in communications can lead to more career opportunities as these skills continue to be prioritized by employers. Whether you decide to seek a leadership position or new insights to sharpen your strategic expertise, you can continue building your communications career here.

At Maryville University, we provide a variety of paths that can help you advance beyond your bachelor’s degree in communications. We offer online master’s degrees in topics like business, management, and leadership.

 

When you’re ready to go further, consider these online graduate degree options:

Master of Business Administration (MBA), with nine in-demand concentrations available.

Master of Management and Leadership, with concentrations available in cyber security, health administration, human resources management, information technology, marketing and project management.

Learn more about the online bachelor’s degree in communications at Maryville University.

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