The MASC combines the flexibility of engaging online coursework with a small amount of required attendance on campus (approximately four weekends total). This approach allows working professionals the flexibility needed to accommodate busy work schedules and provides an opportunity to develop relationships with faculty mentors and peers through on-campus weekends.
Strategic communication is coordinated, purposeful use of communication tools to meet objectives and help an organization fulfill its mission. It involves strong research, strategic planning, leadership, and a command of a wide range of communication strategies and tactics.
Strategic communication is a broad field that includes public relations, marketing communication, crisis communication, organizational communication, political communication. Professionals use strategic messaging and persuasion to shape public opinion and behavior, to build consensus, and to convey information.
The M.A. in Strategic Communication is a professionally oriented degree program designed to provide the knowledge and skills that you need to succeed in a competitive workplace. Employers in all fields consistently list many of the skills addressed in the MASC program as highly valuable.
The Commission on Public Relations Education (CPRE), which is composed of educators and public relations professionals, has studied and made recommendations about U.S.-based public relations education since 1980. The Commission’s recommendations have been widely adopted by academic programs and endorsed by professional organizations, including the Public Relations Society of America. The CPRE released the Standards for a Master’s Degree in Public Relations: Educating for Complexity report in 2012. The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC) also lists 13 professional values and core competencies that must be addressed in journalism and mass communication graduate programs.
Based on extensive industry research conducted by the CPRE and the ACEJMC professional values and core competencies, graduates of the M.A. in Strategic Communication at UT Martin should demonstrate proficiency in the following five student learning outcomes.
The career outlook for individuals with strategic communication training is strong in the Mid-South region and nationally.
180,000
U.S. job descriptions on Indeed.com including “strategic communication”
2,600
Tennessee job descriptions on Indeed.com including “strategic communication”
9%
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ projected job growth in the public relations sector through 2026
Additionally, many employers prefer or require a graduate degree for many communication roles.