Integrated Strategic Communications (BA)

This program is offered by the School of Communications/Communications and Journalism Department and is only available at the St. Louis main campus.

Program Description

The Integrated Strategic Communications degree is specifically designed to integrate the critical strategies and tactics of advertising and public relations. Students study all forms of communications including traditional mass media, digital, social, and mobile media executions. Creative strategies, strategic writing, and data analytics drive skills development in crafting persuasive messaging.

In today's fast-paced and evolving communications field, the lines between traditional advertising and public relations have blurred. Employers require communications professional skilled in all areas of content creation and message delivery across owned media (websites, social media channels, online blogs and email campaigns), earned media (on-line mentions, shared content, reposts and reviews) and paid media (traditional and online paid advertising). 
Integrated Strategic Communications focuses on many different audiences including customers, stakeholders, employees and associated partners. The program focuses on integrating communications across all messing channels available to an organization.  

This degree is designed for students who are interested in creating and advancing communications that help organizations strategically deliver advertising, public relations, employee, and stakeholder communications to advance their objectives.
 

Learning Outcomes

Successful graduates of this program will be able to:

• Analyze an organization's strategic communication opportunities across owned, earned, and paid media channels.
• Create multi platform marketing communication programs to address defined goals, measurable objectives leveraging strategies and tactics to engage specific target audiences.  
• Act strategically in weighing communication options and provide objective based recommendations to solve communication challenges and opportunities.   
• Communicate industry terminology, theories, data, best practices, and principles to present and support their work.
• Demonstrate interpersonal and organizational skills to conduct themselves with professionalism in project management, client relationships, portfolio development, presentations, and work relationships in a team environment in execution and measurement of strategic communication plans.

Degree Requirements

For information on the general requirements for a degree, see Baccalaureate Degree Requirements under the Academic Policies and Information section of this catalog.

• 54 required credit hours
• Applicable University Global Citizenship Program hours
• Electives
• Successful completion of Portfolio Review

Required Courses

•  INTM 1600 Introduction to Interactive Digital Media (3 hours)
• MDST 1050 Media Writing (3 hours)
• ADVT 1940 Introduction to Marketing Communications (3 hours)
• PBRL 1010 Fundamentals of Strategic Communications and Public Relations (3 hours)
• ADVT 2350 Introduction to Visual Communications for Advertising and Public Relations (3 hours)
  or INTM 2200 Visual Design for Interactive Media (3 hours)
• ADVT 2550 Creative Strategies (3 hours)
• PBRL 2800 Organizational Internal Communication (3 hours)
• ADVT 2920 Writing for Advertising and Public Relations (3 hours)
• ADVT 4040 Advertising Production* (3 hours)
• MDST 3300 Media Law, Ethics & Policy (3 hours)
• ADVT 3600 Social Media Content and Development (3 hours)
• PBRL 4250 Media Relations (3 hours)
• INTM 3050 Information Visualization (3 hours)
• ADVT 4190 Advertising Research (3 hours)
• MDST 4950 Internship* (3 hours)
  or MDST 4620 Media Practicum/Thesis* (3 hours) 

*Capstone Course

In addition, a minimum of 9 credit hours are to be chosen from the following:

•  ADVT 3500 Visual Communication for Advertising and Public Relations (3 hours)
• ADVT 3200 Sports Marketing Communications (3 hours)
• MDST 2800 Media, Diversity and Society (3 hours)
• ADVT 4200 Media Planning, Buying and Selling (3 hours)
• MDST 2500 Professional Development for Media Careers (3 hours)
• ADVT 3700 Digital Marketing Analytics (3 hours)
• MDST 3100 Social Media Strategy and Tactics (3 hours)
• ADVT 4910 Advertising Campaign Production (3 hours)
• PBRL 4300 Crisis Communications and Issues Management (3 hours)
• INTM 3850 Interactive Marketing Communications (3 hours)
• MNGT 3150 Consumer Behavior (3 hours)
• MNGT 3540 Digital Marketing (3 hours)
• ADVT 4620 Senior Overview (3 hours)

Portfolio Review Course Requirements

To be eligible for portfolio review, students are required to complete:

• PBRL 1010 Fundamentals of Strategic Communications and Public Relations 
• ADVT 1940 Introduction to Marketing Communications
• ADVT 2350 Introduction to Visual Communications for Advertising and Public Relations
• ADVT 2550 Creative Strategies for Advertising
• PBRL 2800 Organizational Internal Communication.  

Students can also be invited by their advisor to participate in portfolio review if deemed ready.  

Admission

See the Admission section of this catalog for general admission requirements. Students interested in applying must submit their application online at www.webster.edu/apply. Transcripts should be sent from your institution electronically to transcripts@webster.edu. If this service is not available, send transcripts to:

Office of Admission
Webster University
470 E. Lockwood Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63119