MA in Strategic Communication and Leadership Curriculum

Effective communication defines the success of businesses across industries. In fact, almost every industry seeks communication experts, making the skills taught in communication courses useful across professions.

Master’s degree programs in strategic communication and leadership can provide the perfect outlet to help you deepen your knowledge and become a more effective and collaborative leader.

In the changing field of communication, the ability to manage initiatives, analyze trends, anticipate market shifts, and build strong connections is vital. At Maryville University, we offer advanced communication classes to give you the opportunity to expand these skills, so you can prepare to anticipate the needs of businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations.

Maryville University Online MA in Strategic Communication and Leadership Curriculum

At Maryville, we don’t succeed unless you do. That’s why our online master’s in strategic communication and leadership degree is career-based and future-focused. Choose this 36-credit-hour program, and you can personalize your studies to align with your professional goals. Whether you want to run a communications department or start your own consulting business, we offer the industry-relevant courses to match.

Much like you, we’re outcomes driven, and it shows in our curriculum. It’s the reason we partner with leading authorities like Google and Salesforce. Choose our online master’s in strategic communication and leadership program, and you can graduate with at least three industry-leading certifications:

  • Google Ads Certification
  • HubSpot Content Marketing Certification
  • Salesforce Certification

Strategic Leadership Core Courses

  • This course explores the process of leadership through the framework of contemporary leadership research and theory. Emphasis is placed on integrating theory and practice through a variety of methods, including student case studies and experiential learning. Drawing on current leadership research and tools, students explore options to practice leadership and affect positive change from any position in an organization, community, or society.

  • A core competency of strategic leadership is the ability to gather information, analyze and critically evaluate that information, and then use that information to make important decisions. In this course, students will learn to become effective consumers of research and data, as well learn to use traditional methods of research and analysis, such as surveys, focus groups, field experiments, program evaluations, and descriptive and inferential statistics to evaluate organizations, communication strategies, products, services, processes, and performance.

  • This course addresses key communication theories and best practices within the context of work. Graduate students will learn how to assess communicative issues, locate quality evidence, and apply the findings to everyday work situations to develop more effective organizational communication strategies both internally and externally. Furthermore, graduate students will learn effective communication strategies specifically in regards to leadership, change management, decision making, organizational culture, organizational identification, conflict management, and team management.

  • This course examines ethical decision making and issues in the organizational context using a framework that is empirically informed and consistent with best practices and regulations. Emphasis is placed on understanding how interpersonal and group relations and values impact individual and corporate responsibility and ethical issues in relation to internal and external stakeholders.

Strategic Communication Core Courses

  • This course provides an intensive examination of a variety of strategic communication theories in public relations, advertising, and marketing communication; the background and perspectives of scholars who developed the strategic communication theories; and the application of these theories in academic and professional work.

  • This course focuses on the systems and models of communication practice that have been studied and developed by academics and applied by practitioners in their work. The emphasis in this course is understanding the synergy created when academic knowledge and scholarship are incorporated in strategic decision making as illustrated by case studies and other practical-world analysis.

  • This course focuses on the advanced communication systems present in a variety of cultures with an emphasis on deeply understanding the social, cultural, political, and economic effects on different organizational systems. Students will also explore advanced nonverbal and intercultural communication competencies, and the many strategic challenges of communicating in a global environment.

  • Based in the scholarship of issues and crisis management, this course prepares students to fulfill an advanced level of crisis communication within an organization. This course discusses at an advanced level thecommunication role important to dealing with issues in a timely fashion to prevent crises, as well as managing and/or mitigating a crisis in all its various stages and across all the various channels (including social media platforms).

Digital Media and Analytics (choose 4 courses)

  • This course provides an intensive examination of a variety of digital media metrics and analytics necessary to measure and evaluate marketing communication campaigns. Furthermore, it provides an evidence based approach to digital marketing that can measure an organization’s return on their marketing investments. Graduate students will learn practical, up to date tools that will help in analyzing, creating and measuring effective digital marketing campaigns.

  • Designing and creating innovative digital media campaigns is a powerful process in contemporary society and an essential tool for helping organizations craft a public narrative about their value in society. In this course, students will learn to evaluate organizational digital media efforts, create and design digital media campaigns for a variety of purposes, and provide recommendations to organizations about how to improve their digital media efforts. Additionally, students in this course will be able to articulate, find, and digest the latest academic research that lies at the intersection of how technology is impacting organizations.

  • Develop knowledge, understanding and concepts related to direct and web marketing techniques, tactics, and strategies that enable a manager to make sound business decisions. Topics include web media and databases, target audiences, forecasting and cost control, research, and testing of creative strategies. Cross-listed: MKT 673Prerequisite: COMM 501 or MKT 660

  • This course lives in the intersection of emerging technologies and social media platforms to inform digital transformation. Topics covered in this course include blockchain, artificial intelligence, Web3, augmented reality, the metaverse, and more. Students will critically evaluate new technologies’ role in social media through the lens of cultural, economic, philosophical, psychological, and more. This will be accomplished through critical thinking exercises as well as hands-on applications with emerging technology. Finally, students will complete a comprehensive research report on the emerging technology of their choice and its relationship with social media.

Pick two courses from those listed in the Digital Media and Analytics and two graduate business electives listed below (12 credits).

To ensure the best possible educational experience for our students, we may update our curriculum to reflect emerging and changing employer and industry trends.

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What are the common skills and competencies associated with master’s-level communication classes?

When you earn your master’s in communication, you can deepen your understanding of the discipline and put your nuanced knowledge into action through creative and practical application. As you build your expertise through communication courses, you can focus on expanding in-demand skills, including:

  • Communication, management, and leadership. As organizations’ outreach channels become more complex and varied, the need for leadership in these areas is growing in importance. In fact, effective communication is often what typifies successful leaders in many fields. Through high-level communication classes, you can learn how to work collaboratively and manage teams. In addition, you can gain skills to help you in negotiating solutions, resolving conflicts, and working across departments.
  • Knowledge of current trends in modern communication. Channels, platforms, and policies are always evolving, meaning that communication experts need to be able to follow trends and anticipate changes before they occur. Through advanced communication classes at Maryville, you can set yourself up for success as you navigate this dynamic and ever-changing field.
  • Individualized experiential learning. Integrating skills learned in the classroom with real-world applications makes for exciting, meaningful learning opportunities. After mastering foundational skills, you may be asked to apply them to practical scenarios outside of the classroom. Learn to navigate the problems, difficulties, and successes that are part of the everyday landscape of organizations around the world.
  • Storytelling. People connect with stories. The ability to craft marketing materials with narratives is necessary for businesses to succeed. Without a story, production elements lose their power; the story gives messaging meaning that stays with the audience. In master’s-level communication classes, you can learn how to help organizations craft stories that inspire, influence, inform, engage, and achieve your goals.
  • Foundations of leadership. What makes an effective, respected leader? You can discover the answer in your communication classes through problem-solving studies, personal investigation, and discussion. By deepening your understanding of techniques to resolve conflicts, motivate team members, make smart decisions, and spearhead change throughout an organization, you can equip yourself to seek management positions or work as an effective team member.
  • Strategic communication best practices. As the field of communication changes, students need to develop a firm understanding of best practices to remain competitive in the workforce and create continuity across channels. Focusing time and resources on understanding best practices is essential if you want to set up your career for profitability and sustainability.
  • Professional and organizational ethics. Clear, consistent, and honest communication helps express real values, and it helps organizations evolve and grow. You can discover how to lead the communication of a team in any environment in a way that adheres to high ethical and professional standards.
  • Digital media campaigns. Businesses increasingly rely on digital marketing strategies to help them achieve their goals. As consumers spend more time on the internet and marketing continues to migrate to online platforms, it’s essential that communication experts know how to manage digital media campaigns. Learn how to navigate the evolving digital landscape and craft successful marketing strategies for organizations in any field.

What are some common courses in communication and leadership master’s programs?

When you earn your master’s degree in communication and leadership, you can expect to take part in specialized classes to prepare you for the challenges and opportunities of the modern professional landscape. Here are a few courses that might be available to you:

  • Leadership
  • Evidence-Based Research
  • Organizational Communication
  • Professional Ethics
  • Integrated Marketing Communication
  • Crisis Management
  • Digital Media Campaigns
  • Digital Analytics

Learn more about an online master’s in strategic communication and leadership.

Communication classes at the master’s level can help you prepare for an exciting and lucrative career path. As communication methods and platforms change, a strong educational foundation can set you up to succeed and evolve along with technology advancements and trends.

From internal communication to outgoing messaging, leaders in this field help organizations distribute their content and fulfill their mission.

At Maryville University, we offer an online master’s degree program in communication and leadership designed for the brave future industry leaders like you. Our degree offers a modern, dynamic curriculum that addresses current trends in the field. To set out on a rewarding career path, find out more about our online master’s in strategic communication and leadership.

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Bring us your ambition and we’ll guide you along a personalized path to a quality education that’s designed to change your life.