Crisis Communication Master’s Programs: What to Look for and Which Degree Matches Your Role

You may already write the first statement when something goes wrong at your hospital, agency or nonprofit. Crisis communication coursework can add planning, media response and public information skills.

Crisis communication is the planning and messaging an organization uses to inform, reassure and direct its audiences when an event threatens its reputation, operations or public safety. Crisis work is where corporate, public-sector and nonprofit communicators meet. The skills are the same when trust is on the line, but the audience and the rules differ. The Master of Science (M.S.) in Strategic Communication (General) online program at Arkansas State University (A-State) offers Crisis Communication as an elective.

What to Look for in a Crisis Communication Master’s

Crisis communication can appear as a single course inside a broader degree. That makes the course list more telling than the program name. Start with the course list, then check program fit.

• A named crisis communication course, not only a mention inside another course description.
• Coverage of planning, media response, public information and social media monitoring.
• Examples and faculty experience from your kind of employer: corporate, government or nonprofit.
• A length and format you can finish while you work.

At A-State, Crisis Communication is a three-credit course that investigates communication during crises, focusing on public relations, advertising and other persuasive efforts. It also examines how institutions, corporations, movement leaders and citizens use those efforts to describe a crisis and shape how people respond.

Students can expect to study how messages work on different audiences when trust is under pressure. That matters in each employer path. Corporate communicators learn how persuasive messaging affects customers, employees and investors. Public-sector communicators learn how to keep the public informed when officials and agencies are under scrutiny. Nonprofit communicators learn how to protect the trust of donors, volunteers and the community.

The course is an elective in the M.S. in Strategic Communication (General) and part of the concentration in the M.S. in Media Management, Mass Media Management. It also appears in the course list of the M.S. in Organizational Leadership. The M.S. in Organizational Leadership requires it as a foundational course. Courses run seven weeks in fall and spring, which keeps each term short enough to plan around work.

Three Employer Paths: Corporate, Government and Nonprofit

Crisis work looks different depending on who employs you, because each employer answers to a different audience. Ask who approves your statement and who reads it first.

1. Corporate crisis work: It depends on clear communication with customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders. Examples include a product recall, a data breach or a leader’s public misstep, where the company has to explain what happened and what it is doing about it. Harvard Kennedy School researchers say communication can decisively help you navigate a crisis. The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer found that 78% of employees trust their employer, compared with 64% of the general population who trust business. That gives a corporate communicator a reason to plan employee messages alongside press statements.
2. Government and public-sector crisis work: It centers on keeping the public informed about officials and agencies. Examples include a severe weather event, a public health emergency or a public safety incident, where residents need accurate, timely instructions from a trusted source. The S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) notes that government public relations specialists take the form of press secretaries. To see what formal training for this work can look like, consider the Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is one example of how a public-sector agency prepares its communicators. Its full-day introductory course includes in-depth practice. A master’s course in crisis communication builds on the same kind of skills within a full degree.
3. Nonprofit crisis work: It protects the trust of donors, volunteers and the community. Examples include a funding shortfall, a leadership controversy or a mishandled donor record, where supporters want to know the mission is still in good hands. Independent Sector reports that 57% of Americans highly trusted nonprofits in 2025, the most trusted sector in its survey. That trust is what a nonprofit’s crisis response has to protect. If you are the only communicator on staff, you must also speak for the whole organization on short notice.

Which path fits depends on where you work now and where you want to work next. Take a communicator who moves from a private company to a city agency. The audience changes even if the planning habits stay familiar.

Which A-State Degree Prepares You

Admission requirements differ across these degrees, so check the one that fits your record first. Media Management requires a 3.0 GPA, one letter of recommendation and a 500-word statement. Strategic Communication sets its minimum at a 2.5 GPA. This reflects published program details as of October 2026 and is subject to change; confirm current tuition, credit hours and admission requirements directly with A-State.

The M.S. in Media Management, Public Administration track and the Master of Public Administration are separate degrees. The first is a media degree with administrative coursework. The second prepares leaders to run public and nonprofit organizations.

Skills and Credentials Employers Ask for in Communications Roles

Once you have matched a degree to your employer, check it against what employers list for communications roles. BLS reports that public relations specialists typically need a bachelor’s degree in public relations or another communications field, social science or business. A bachelor’s degree is enough to enter the field, so the case for a master’s rests on what comes next in your career. It also lists writing, speaking, interpersonal, organizational and problem-solving skills as important.

Its problem-solving entry mentions explaining how an organization is handling sensitive issues, which describes much of crisis work. BLS adds that certification is not typically required to enter the field, though some employers prefer it. The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) offers the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) credential.

For managers, BLS says public relations and fundraising managers typically need at least a bachelor’s degree and many years of related experience. Some employers prefer a master’s degree, particularly in public relations, journalism, fundraising or nonprofit management.

BLS reports a median annual wage of $136,470 for these managers (May 2025), compared with $50,980 for all occupations. That is where a master’s adds value. It can help you move from writing statements to leading the team that approves them, and it gives you focused training in crisis planning, research and leadership that a bachelor’s program may only touch on.

The M.S. in Strategic Communication (General) requires Quantitative Research Methods and Audience Market Analysis. Both courses build the research and audience analysis skills a communications plan relies on. The Master of Public Administration offers a Nonprofit Management track for communicators who plan to lead nonprofits.

Explore Arkansas State University’s online M.S. in Strategic Communication (General) to see the Crisis Communication elective and the full course list.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which A-State master’s degrees list a Crisis Communication course?

Crisis Communication is an elective in the M.S. in Strategic Communication (General). It also appears as a concentration course in Mass Media Management and as a required course in Organizational Leadership.

Is the M.S. in Media Management, Public Administration track the same as the Master of  Public Administration?

No. The track is a 30-credit media degree at $10,500. The Master of Public Administration is a 36-credit degree for public service leadership at $12,600.

How long do these degrees take?

The strategic communication programs can be finished in as few as 10 months and the media management tracks in as few as 12 months. The Master of Public Administration takes as few as 18 months.