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Members of the Strategic Communication Program's 2008-09 cohort pose for a photo after their orientation session
Professor John Eighmey, program director, will be available for questions at the following information sessions:
(all sessions are at 5:30 p.m. and in 100 Murphy Hall)
April 30, 2012
(no meeting May 7, 2012)
May 14, 2012
May 21, 2012
The School of Journalism and Mass Communication will enroll its eighth cohort in the Professional M.A. in Strategic Communication in September 2012.
What’s inside:
Graduates of the master’s program in strategic communication will develop knowledge, skills and training to be next-generation communications leaders. The foundation of successful organizational communications is strategy – and that’s the core educational focus in this master’s program. You should develop your leadership ability, marketability and productivity. It will help you be a leader. We believe the curriculum will enhance your ability to identify and develop the best communications strategy, develop creative and original approaches to solving communications problems, and make you better informed about theories that are the basis for effective organizational communications.
Graduates of the program now work in communications positions at a wide variety of organizations – advertising and public relations agencies, trend tracking consulting firms, Fortune 100 corporations, small manufacturing companies, state agencies, school districts, area colleges and universities and many non-profit organizations. The degree itself is not the key to success – but the knowledge gained helps advance the careers of many students. Routinely, students in the program say that they can apply what they learn in class the next day at work.
See the Advisory Board for the program.
To apply, you must complete two applications, the M.A. in Strategic Communication application and the online Graduate School application. There is a rolling admission process, meaning that candidates are admitted as their applications are received until the 20-member cohort is full.
Applications to both the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the University of Minnesota Graduate School must be received before June 15 for September admission.
The Graduate School application must be completed online at: www.grad.umn.edu. The M.A. in Strategic Communication application and all supporting materials must be postmarked and sent in one envelope to the Director of Graduate Studies for M.A. in Strategic Communication at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Incomplete applications will not be processed.
All students are required to complete the following courses in sequence:
An exploration of the analytical skills, techniques and methodologies used to identify information and social trends that affect communication strategy. The course will examine, evaluate and apply the techniques communication professionals can use to stay ahead of the marketplace when making decisions concerning communication strategy. Particular attention will be devoted to identifying trends in popular culture that lead to leverageable insights for message development.
JOUR 8201
Factors Impacting Communication Strategy
Identification and analysis of issues that affect the development of communication strategy, couple with background on how corporations develop strategic plans. Factors will be examined with a view to understanding their implications for the development of effective strategic planning. Attention will be given to both the analytic and predictive skills required in this area.
JOUR 8202
Generation and Selection of Communication Strategies
Concepts and methods for the development and selection of effective communication strategies to create and sustain information relationships between consumers and brands and/or organizations. A wide range of brand related concepts will be examined with a view to understanding their implications for the generation and selection of effective communication strategies.
JOUR 8203
Integration of Communication Strategy Across Media
An exploration of how communication strategies are integrated across media. The course will include the identification of all relevant stakeholders, points of media contact, audience segmentation, and the roles that each communication discipline can play in campaign development. It will also explore the relationships among media that underlie a successful communications campaign.
JOUR 8204
Measuring the Effectiveness of Communication Campaigns
An examination of the concepts and methods available to evaluate the effectiveness of strategic communication campaigns and their components. The course will review best practices in both qualitative and quantitative techniques in popular use. The course will examine laboratory, web site, and market approaches and the legal and ethical issues attendant to advertising and public relations evaluation research.
JOUR 8205
Cases in Strategic Communication
An in-depth analysis of case studies focusing on the development and implementation of communication strategies. Cases will cover a broad range of situations including cases on products, corporate communication and non-profit organizations. Cases will focus on such issues as brand introduction, brand reinforcement, revitalizations, crisis communication, issues management, and legal and ethical considerations. The cases will examine campaign impact on all relevant stakeholders.
JOUR 8206
Research and Development of an Integrated Strategic Communication Campaign
This is a capstone independent study project demonstrating mastery of the entire curriculum in the MA in Strategic Communication. This project is completed by registering for JOUR 8206 in the Summer Session. Faculty provide ongoing instructional support for effective completion of the individual capstone case study projects.
Supporting Courses
Students take nine credits of graduate-level credits, generally courses designated as 5-level courses and above, from a list approved by the program's Academic Director. At least six of the nine credits must be from departments outside the SJMC. Examples of these courses are Communication 5441, Communication in Human Organizations, and Communication 5451, Intercultural Communication Processes.
The Professional M.A. in Strategic Communication requires 33 semester credits to be completed within 24 calendar months. All students must take the same 18 course credits in communication, and complete the six-credit individual project. In addition, nine credits of supporting course studies at the graduate level (at least six outside SJMC) must be completed.
To complete the degree, students must maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 and achieve a grade of B or higher on their final six-credit project. Student progress is evaluated by the program director, director of graduate studies, and program faculty. Students must progress each semester to continue in the program, though a student who must temporarily leave the program may return at a later date and resume their studies, providing they satisfy Graduate School re-admission requirements. There is no final thesis or final M.A. oral examination required.
Read a recent Murphy Reporter article about the Strategic Communication M.A. program.
