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Strategic Communication

Availability: Hattiesburg Options

Why Study Strategic Communication?

The Strategic Communication program is designed to teach students how to influence and further an organization's mission through communication with a purpose. Tracks in the Strategic Communication program include:

  • Public Relations. PR professionals work with institutions, non-profit groups, agencies and companies to create strategic messages for social media, web sites, press releases and other venues.
  • Advertising. Advertising professionals develop strategic plans for companies and institutions to create and place their messages across media platforms.
  • Media Sales. Media sales professionals, which are among the highest paid across the media industries, spend their time helping clients build their brands and client base through targeted placement and development of creative messages.
  • Organizational Communication. When a crisis hits a company, institution or nonprofit, the organizational communication professionals get busy. Their job is to help an organization ensure effective communication internally as well as externally to meet the institution's goals.

The Strategic Communication field is the art and science of the earned, owned, paid and shared media model. Demand for graduates for these important skills are rising, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting that jobs associated with strategic communication positions are expected to increase by about 9 percent by 2030. The Strategic Communication program teaches students how to deploy an array of tools to craft, track and measure communication effectiveness while gaining a complete understanding of paid, earned, shared and owned media. This program offers four tracks: Public Relations, Advertising, Media Sales, and Organizational Communication. 

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3general scholarships; 1 program-specific scholarship
2student groups devoted to areas of Strategic Communication
1study abroad program

What Will I Learn?

All students in the School of Media and Communication begin their journeys with a small set of core courses. These are COM110, a one-hour class that discusses the careers and opportunities available in Media and Communication; COM210, a two-hour skills class centered on Digital Skills, and COM310, Social and Digital Media, which introduces students to analyzing and creating social media. Stratcom students then take a core set of courses designed to impart the basics of persuasive writing and design techniques, as well as law and ethics. Students are asked to select one of four specialties, Public Relations, for students who see themselves entering agency or corporate PR jobs; Advertising, for students who see themselves on the creative side of messaging; Media Sales, for those who want to go into media purchasing and selling, and Organizational Communication, for students who want to help companies and business improve leadership and management efficiency and efficacy.

All students in the school are highly encouraged to do at least one internship during their college career. We know that internships are among the best indicators of successful placement after graduation. Student are encouraged to attend one of the regular internship meetings each semester to learn how internships work and how the school can assist in acquiring one.

All students in the school have access to three state-of-the-art computer labs featuring the Adobe Creative Suite software. However, many students find it more efficient and better for their own journeys to graduation to have their own computer. The school recommends that Strategic Communication students consider purchasing a Macbook Pro laptop and acquiring access to the Adobe Creative Suite software. Click here for more information on computer recommendations.

Your success is our success.

Whether working with students on class projects or honors theses, team projects or student groups, advising or chatting when we run into you on campus, we take the time to get to know our students. All of the faculty in the School are active in research projects and creative endeavors, balancing disciplinary leadership positions, and serving the university in important ways, but we always find time to help students. Your success is our success.

 

Availability

Degree Plan Availability
Hattiesburg

Contact Us

School of Media and Communication

College Hall 207D
Hattiesburg, MS 39406

Hattiesburg Campus

Campus Map

Email
Fei.XueFREEMississippi

Phone
601.266.5652

  • Advertising Manager
  • Media Planner
  • Brand Manager
  • Creative Director
  • Digital Media Specialist
  • Account Planner
  • Mart Martin, 1978
    Brand Strategist, Jackson Spalding Marketing Communications, Atlanta, GA
  • Justin Marciani, 2004
    Project Management Supervisor, Zehnder Communications, New Orleans, LA
  • Justin Marciani, 2004 
    Director of Resource Management, BBH New York
  • Nick Payne, 2008
    Project Management Supervisor, Zehnder Communications, New Orleans, LA
  • Shaun Walker, 2006
    Creative Director & Co-Founder HEROfarm Marketing & Public Relations, New Orleans, LA
  • Jessica Russell Hilton, 2005
    Associate Creative Director, GodwinGroup, Jackson, MS