An online Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a Concentration in Strategic Communication can prepare you for a career in public relations, marketing and other communications-based fields. Professionals in these disciplines commonly rely on the skills students can develop in an MBA program to advance the messages of the people, products, services or companies they represent. To reach their intended audiences, they use traditional methods such as press releases, news briefs, white papers, phone and email, as well as newer channels like blogs, social media, chatbots, live chat and SMS.
What Is Strategic Communication?
Strategic communication is a subspecialty in the communications field. While communication covers a broad range of activities that includes advertising, broadcasting and internal communication, strategic communication refers to the delivery of focused messaging that meets an organization’s strategic goals and advances the message of the brand.
Coursework
To earn an online MBA in with a Concentration in Strategic Communication at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, students take core business courses in the following areas:
- Management Economics, Accounting for Managers and Financial Management:
Gain the skills and confidence you need to read financial statements and make decisions about projects, investments and financial planning that affect the profitability of a business. - Data Analysis for Managers, Research Methods and Marketing Management:
Learn how to research trends and consumer behavior, leverage data analytics insight and design effective marketing strategies to meet company goals. - Behavioral Management and Strategic Management:
Learn what it takes to manage people and, as a capstone course, synthesize managerial knowledge and skill with strategic, long-term planning based on achieving organizational objectives.
For the strategic management concentration, students delve further into specialized studies through the following four courses:
- Strategic Communication:
Gain the background you’ll need to craft campaigns that best represent your brand and its message. You will focus on a range of internal and external communication applications using both proactive and reactive strategy in various settings, for-profit as well as nonprofit. - Crisis Communication:
Focus on the skills you’ll need when negative news about your client, product, service or company goes viral. You’ll understand when to acknowledge negative publicity, what sort of response is appropriate, how to plan for a crisis, what do to as the momentum slows, and how and when to follow up. - Persuasion and Leadership:
Explore the connection between persuasive messaging and effective leadership outcomes. Emphasis is placed on messaging structure and form as well as audience analysis and persuasive strategy. - Strategic and Organizational Communication:
Focus on communication at the organizational leadership level, examining how internal and external structures as well as change management is impacted by strategic messaging.
An MBA with an emphasis in strategic communication can prepare you for positions at public relations firms, advertising agencies and business associations. Lobbying organizations and groups also need the services of strategic communication experts, as do in-house marketing and public relations departments. The sought-after ability to create clear, concise messaging for consumers and decision-makers can lead to exciting career options for skilled strategic communication experts.
Learn more about the Southeastern Oklahoma State University online MBA with a Concentration in Strategic Communication program.