Master of Arts in Strategic Communication
Enrolling students for Fall 2022
pending SACSCOC approval
Program Overview
The Master of Arts in Strategic Communication (MASC) is a 30-credit hour, 100% online program that equips students with the cutting-edge strategic communication skills, research knowledge, technology competencies, and theories needed to create effective community engagement and messaging with culturally, ethnically, and racially diverse public audiences and stakeholders. With a special emphasis on community engagement, the MASC program promotes community advancement through collaboration and relationship-building by developing students’ abilities to engage diverse communities in organizational, public, corporate, and interpersonal contexts. In recent years, community engagement has become more integral to strategic communication as a way of building credibility with the public, creating more authentic experiences, and facilitating inclusive decision-making with various constituents.
The program will build on students' strengths and prepare them to be advocates in their communities by focusing on several major strategic communication areas: (1) strategic public engagement, (2) stakeholder management and conflict resolution, and (3) crisis communication.
The MASC program prepares students to succeed in a range of jobs, including:
- social and community service managers
- city managers
- community engagement coordinators and managers
- strategic partnership coordinators
- communication directors/specialists
- emergency management directors
- public and community affairs specialists
- public engagement specialists
- training and development managers
Program Learning Outcomes
- Analyze and critique communication issues, concepts, and theories as they apply to community engagement
- Develop research analyzing emergent communication practices in local and global community engagement contexts
- Design tailored responses to community engagement issues by using appropriate technology
- Create robust community engagement strategies with stakeholders in groups and teams
