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LETTERS AND
SCIENCES
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
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CONVENIENT LOCATIONS ONE COURSE PER MONTH EVENING CLASSES ON CAMPUS AND ONLINE NONPROFIT UNIVERSITY MASTER OF ARTS IN STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Develop Leadership Skills
™
NOW ENROLLING!
Earn your Master of Arts in
Strategic Communications at
National University
The objective of the Master of Arts in Strategic Communications
degree is to develop effective, strategically sophisticated
communications professionals who have the full complement of
analytic and practical tools for leadership. It will foster strategic
thinking, logical analysis, and solution generation. Upon
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?
completion of the degree, graduates will be able to lead and
The goal of the Master of Arts in
implement communications initiatives using both traditional mass
Strategic Communications is to
media and newer cutting-edge channels such as social networking
prepare students to assume high-level
sites, blogs, podcasts, vodcasts, Instant Messenger, texting, and
professional positions in
other mobile media.
organizations that must meet the
challenges of operating in an
increasingly complex and
interdependent global
environment.
Contact an Admissions Advisor today.
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in Nursing Program; the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE) for the School of Business and Management; and approved by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).
National University is nonprofit and does not discriminate in any of its policies or practices on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sex, disability, age, or veteran status.
© 2011 National University
COLS_MA Strategic Comm_C75 9/11
■ MASTER OF ARTS IN STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS 
Degree Requirements
Faculty Advisor: Sara Kelly; (858) 309-3460; skelly@nu.edu
To receive a Master of Arts in Strategic Communications, students must
complete at least 54 quarter units of graduate work, of which a minimum
of 40.5 quarter units must be taken in residence at National University.
Students can transfer up to 13.5 quarter units at the graduate level from a
regionally accredited institution in the areas of communication or business,
provided the units have not been used to satisfy the requirements of an
awarded degree. Students wishing to transfer credits into the program
should contact the program Faculty Advisor. Refer to the section in the
graduate admission requirements for additional specific information
regarding application and matriculation.
(12 courses; 54 quarter units)
The goal of the Master of Arts in Strategic Communications is to prepare
students to assume professional positions in organizations that must meet
the challenges of operating in an increasingly complex and interdependent
global environment. It will arm graduates with both theoretical and practical
approaches to developing strategic communications programs that enable
organizations to meet their goals and objectives. Each course provides an
essential stepping-stone on the way to planning, executing, and evaluating
effective strategic communications efforts.
The objective of the program is to develop effective, strategically
sophisticated professionals who possess the full complement of analytic and
practical tools to lead communication efforts. It will foster strategic thinking,
logical analysis, and solution generation. Upon completion of the degree,
graduates will be able to develop and implement communications initiatives
using both traditional mass media and newer cutting-edge channels such as
social networking sites, blogs, pod casts and vod casts, instant messager,
texting, and other mobile media.
This degree requires that students be able to write in English at an advanced
level. If the student’s writing skills need improvement, the student may be
required to enroll in a remedial writing course before continuing in the
program. Applicants for whom English is a second language are encouraged
to take the Accuplacer, English as a Second Language Placement Test.
Graduates will acquire an array of intellectual, managerial, and
communication skills, including:
Core Requirements
(11 courses; 49.5 quarter units)
COM 600
COM 605
COM 610
COM 615
COM 620
COM 625
COM 630
COM 635
COM 640
COM 650
COM 660
Comm in Global Environment
Content Distribution
Integrated Marketing Comm
Research Methods
Crisis Communications
Campaign & Program Management
Campaign & Program Evaluation
Prerequisite: COM 610, COM 615
Management of Creativity
Persuasion
Legal and Ethical Issues
Capstone Project
Elective
• An understanding of communications opportunities
• The ability to carry out analyses of organizational communications
needs
• The knowledge to conduct audience analysis and formative, and
evaluative research
• The training to develop, implement, and evaluate appropriate strategies
and tactics to reach multiple publics
• Professional-level writing and presentation skills
(1 course; 4.5 quarter units)
Students may take any graduate-level course with the approval of the
program lead faculty, provided that they have completed all prerequisites
for that course.
At the completion of the Master of Arts in Strategic Communications,
graduates will emerge with a deep understanding of the theories of
communication and persuasion, an ability to lead and participate in the team
development of organizational communication strategies, and the practical
skills to plan, produce, and evaluate strategic communications programs and
campaigns.
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
• Plan communication campaigns by producing multi-public, multichannel communication campaign planning documents.
• Manage communication campaigns by producing budgets, task lists,
and schedules in project management software.
• Apply formative research to develop communication campaigns and
messages.
• Create persuasive campaigns that meet high ethical standards by
producing messages.
• Evaluate effective communication campaigns by conducting summative
research.
• Deliver professional-level presentations in the online environment.
• Demonstrate leadership and collaborative skills by participating in
group tasks and presentations as leader and team member.
 Entire program can be completed online.
For more complete information, see the National University General Catalog 75, published 8/29/11