Undergraduate Degree

The goal of the major in Communication Leadership and Strategy is to train students in the communication principles, strategies, and initiatives used to further an organization’s goals, mission, or values. It is a multidisciplinary professional communication field, drawing upon communication practices found in related disciplines, including interpersonal, organization, and mass communication and research analytics. The major is designed to equip students to: engage in comprehensive audience and information-environment analysis, use excellent interpersonal, organizational and leadership skills with diverse audiences, conduct formative and post-campaign research, understand social media analytics, engage in rapid response crisis communication for organizations, and create strategic plans that leverage multiple communication competencies to inform, influence, and motivate internal and external stakeholders. Undergraduate work in strategic communication creates greater awareness of large-scale organizational goals and how to use communication, leadership, and strategy to achieve them. Students will learn how to integrate various vertical communication functions such as public relations, information operations, analytics, and advertising into overall grand strategy. Majors will commonly pursue careers in strategic communication, information operations, political strategy, or corporate communication.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Leadership and Strategy

1. The University requirements for bachelor's degrees as described in the Undergraduate Education section of the catalog; 120 credits, including general elective credits, are required for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Leadership and Strategy.
   
   The University's Tier II writing requirement for the Communication Leadership and Strategy major is met by completing one of the following courses: Communication 475 or 480.  Those courses are referenced in item 3. below.
2. The requirements of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences for the Bachelor of Arts degree.
3. The following requirements for the major:

   a.	All of the following courses (38 credits):
   	COM	100	Human Communication						3
   	COM	225	An Introduction to Interpersonal Communication						3
   	COM	240	Introduction to Organizational Communication						4
   	COM	275	Effects of Mass Communication						3
   	COM	280	Principles, Practices and Ethics of Strategic Communication						4
   	COM	300	Methods of Communication Inquiry						4
   	COM	325	Interpersonal Influence and Conflict						3
   	COM	340	Leadership and Group Communication						3
   	COM	380	Crisis Communication and Rapid Response						3
   	COM	475	Communication Campaign Design and Analysis (W)						4
   	COM	480	Capstone in Communication Leadership and Strategy						4
   b.	One course from each of the following areas (a minimum of 8 credits):
   	Research Methods and Analytics
   	ADV	442	Digital Analytics						3
   	COM	301	Special Topics in Communication Science, Analytics and Research Methods						3
   	MI	220	Methods for Understanding Users						3
   	MI	350	Evaluating Human-Centered Technology						3
   	MI	355	Media and Information Research						3
   	PLS	202	Introduction to Data Analytics and the Social Sciences						3
   	PSY	295	Data Analysis in Psychological Research						3
   	PSY	342	Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination						3
   	SOC	281	Social Research Methods						4
   	SOC	282	Quantitative Analysis for Social Research						4
   	STT	200	Statistical Methods						3
   	Computer-Mediated Communication and Social Media
   	ADV	420	New Media Driver’s License						3
   	ADV	431	Monitoring and Measuring Social Media of Brands						3
   	COM	302	Special Topics in Health Communication						3
   	COM	304	Special Topics in Interpersonal Communication						3
   	COM	305	Special Topics in Mediated Communication						3
   	JRN	203	Visual Storytelling						3
   	MI	101	Understanding Media and Information						3
   	MI	201	Introduction to Information Science						3
   	MI	305	Media and Information Policy						3
   	MI	462	Social Media and Social Computing						3
   	Culture and Diversity
   	ANP	200	Navigating Another Culture						2
   	COM	310	Intercultural Communication						3
   	COM	320	Diversity and Communication						3
   	COM	440	Organizational Communication Structure (W)						4
   	JRN	475	International News and Government Dynamics						3
   	MI	480	Information and Communication Technologies and Development						3
   	PR	310	Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Public Relations and Advertising						3
   	PSY	342	Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination						3
   	SOC	161	International Development and Change						3
   	SOC	215	Race and Ethnicity						3