Master of Arts in Strategic Communication and Digital Strategy
The Master of Arts in Strategic Communication and Digital Strategy is a fully online program conducted over five semesters (20 months). It features:
- Courses that range from eight to 16 weeks in length
- A blend of asynchronous coursework and live online classes
- Mix of strategy, social media expertise, and analytic skills development
The program includes 11 courses for a total of 33 credit hours. It is designed to accommodate full-time work schedules, so you can stay current with your career while you earn your degree.
“I chose OU's online Master’s in Strategic Communication and Digital Strategy program because Gaylord College has a stellar reputation for preparing students for their future endeavors. The program's instructors are leading experts in the field and share their knowledge to help you become experts in the field as well.”
- Krystle Gabele
Course Topics
| M.A. in Strategic Communication and Digital Strategy |
|---|
| Introduction to Research Methods |
| This course introduces students to thought processes and methods used in the systematic study of mediated communication. Students will learn scientific method, conceptualization, measurement and data collection and analysis techniques. Learning research tools available to explore professional and applied problems is a focus of the course. |
| Marketing & Media Analytics |
| Marketers rely on data in nearly every aspect of their craft: market sizing, customer profiles., media metrics and efficiency, return on investment and A/B testing. Marketers need to know what data they should expect to see, what data they should ask for, and how to understand data to translate it into strategy and action. This course will explore how data analysis informs strategic communication by using real-world examples of customer and media metrics, common analytic techniques, and key foundational concepts. |
| Social Media Marketing |
| Social Media Marketing explores the most effective marketing strategies and tactics used by brands to engage with consumers on various social media platforms. Students learn social media marketing planning cycles, how to calculate a Proxy ROI, network logics to enhance audience reach, and how to understand and use social media monitoring tools. |
| Digital Behavior |
| This course explores how the digital environment has impacted audience use of media, primarily through the lens of psychological theories that explain relationship between audience wants and needs and media functionalities that can fulfill them. Students in this course develop more effective communication strategies to engage digital audiences. |
| Professional Seminar in Strategic Communication |
| Digital media bring new opportunities and challenges for strategic communicators that require new ways of thinking and responding. This course explores current, fast-changing industry topics and issues, helping students understand and craft solutions to advance their organization’s strategic needs. |
| Crisis Communication |
| Strategic communicators are at the center of helping their organizations plan, respond to and recover from crises. This course places emphasis on crisis planning, ethical decision-making, media relations, image restoration and organizational learning. Students learn how they can help their organizations prevent or minimize crises, and the role of media in crafting responses to organizational crises. |
| Management & Leadership |
| This course focuses on the management of organizations – how to build effective systems, motivate employees, and create innovative organizational cultures. Through scholarly and professional writings, students explore management roles and functions, leadership of people toward common goals, and processes of organizational development and change. |
| Cross-Cultural Communication |
| This course strives to advance understanding and appreciation of the roles of culture in shaping society, our senses of reality and media. The course focuses on media and culture, the power of mediated symbols to create public perceptions that misrepresent minority groups, and developing cross-cultural awareness and sensitivity in the creation of mediated messages. |
| Digital Strategic Communication |
| Recognizing the growing importance of emerging forms of digital media to strategic communication, students in this course learn the of potential of digital media and its ongoing impact on strategic communication, new concepts and terminology in digital strategic communication, how to utilize various types of digital media in strategic communication, and ways to measure the effectiveness of strategic communication. |
| Ethics of Strategic Communication |
| The foundations of ethical thinking are rooted in moral philosophy, the scope and limits of freedom and respect for rights of others. Frameworks for ethical thinking and behavior are explored through essays, empirical research and cases studies. Students reflect on professional codes of ethics, the impact of the digital age on mediated communication and the relationship between ethical norms and routine strategic communication practices. |
| Strategic Planning & Brand Strategy |
| This course explores the strategic planning process and how it impacts organizations in everevolving media environment. Students learn to identify and manage how these changes impact their organization, and how to strategically adapt. This course will also explore the consumercentric approach to understanding brand management and the brand planning process across firms and industries, focusing on the steps necessary to develop a brand strategy that effectively builds brand value. |
Prepare to transform your career with OU
Please fill out the contact form for more information or to request a call from an enrollment services coach.
The University of Oklahoma is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The Commission is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.