WENJING XIE, Ph.D., Program Director

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The Master of Arts in Marketing Communication (MC) is a fully online, 30-credit hour graduate degree program that provides students with an interdisciplinary and cutting-edge educational experience. Students will take courses in the areas of advertising, public relations, brand management, strategic communication, and social media. Students will learn the fundamentals of marketing communication research, social media analytics, branding, public relations and advertising management, global consumer insights, social and digital marketing strategies, digital storytelling, and apply what they learn to real-world projects both in and outside of the classroom. Students take six core courses and four electives in one of three concentrations: health communication concentration, digital marketing communication concentration, and strategic leadership concentration. The Health Communication and Strategic Leadership concentrations draw on the existing online Master in Public Administration program in the School of Management.

At the end of this program students should be able to:

• Develop professional marketing communication campaign strategies using a variety of MARCOM tools that solve the business problem and capitalize on business opportunities
• Create messaging for diverse audiences that drives desired brand behavior
• Evaluate business problems to construct innovative and original solutions

CURRICULUM

The 120-credit, four-year B.A. in Communication curriculum is based on a strong foundation of core liberal arts and communication studies courses. The 30-credit hour Master of Arts graduate degree program in Marketing Communication provides students with an interdisciplinary and cutting-edge educational experience Students will take courses in the areas of advertising, public relations, brand management, strategic communication, and social media. Students will learn the fundamentals of marketing communication research, social media analytics, branding, public relations and advertising management, global consumer insights, social and digital marketing strategies, digital storytelling, and apply what they learn to real-world projects both in and outside of the classroom.

Of the 30-credit M.A. in Marketing Communication curriculum, students will take four graduate courses (12 credits) as an undergraduate during the junior and senior years of study. The remaining six graduate courses (18 credits) will be taken during the fifth year of study to complete the M.A. in Marketing Communication requirements. The four graduate courses that students will take as an undergraduate will substitute for four three-credit, undergraduate upper-level communication electives.

FORMAT

In addition to the required undergraduate classes, students will enroll in one graduate course in the spring semester of their junior year, one in the fall semester of senior year, and two courses in the spring semester of their senior year. These four graduate courses will substitute for four three-credit, undergraduate upper-level communication electives. On satisfactory completion of all undergraduate course requirements, students should be able to earn their B.A. in Communication degree at the end of their fourth year. In the fifth year, students will enroll in two graduate courses in the fall, two in the spring, and two in the summer. Students should be able to complete the dual-degree program, B.A. in Communication and M.A. in Marketing Communication, in the summer semester of their fifth year. It is important to note that while undergraduate classes are generally offered on-the-ground, all graduate-level courses are offered only in an online format. Furthermore, all graduate courses are offered in 8-week segments called rounds (R).

Note: If planned properly, students should not have to complete more than 138 credits (120 crs. in four years and 18 crs. in their fifth year, or 108 undergraduate credits and 30 graduate credits) to obtain both degrees.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

• Declared Communication major
• Declared dual concentration in Advertising and Public Relations
• Cumulative GPA of 3.0 overall
• Cumulative GPA of 3.2 in the major
• Completed application form
• Current resume
• Two letters of recommendation
• A personal statement outlining how the dual degree program will help the applicant’s career goals

APPLICATION DEADLINES

September 30 of the applicant’s Junior year. Review of applications received after the deadline cannot be guaranteed.

REQUIREMENTS FOR DEGREE COMPLETION

The B.A. in Communication requires the successful completion of courses totaling a minimum of 120 credits, with a minimum of 30 credits completed at Marist, a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA, the specified coursework for the student’s major field, and a minimum 2.0 GPA in the student’s major field. The M.A. in IMC is a 30-credit program; 12 credits will be completed as an undergraduate, and 18-credits as a graduate student in the fifth year. Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA, and a “C” or better in all required graduate courses in order to graduate.