Corporate Communications vs. Public Relations: What’s the Difference and Where Does Strategic Communications Fit?

If you work in communications, you may have seen corporate communications and public relations roles described in nearly identical terms. The two careers share skills and often share a department, so job titles blur, but they typically differ in audience, goals and employer, and strategic communications is the discipline both rely on. That is the field the online Master of Science (M.S.) in Strategic Communication – General program at Arkansas State University (A-State) is designed around.

Corporate Communications vs. Public Relations: How Audience, Goals and Employers Differ

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) defines public relations as “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” Corporate communications encompasses the strategies, channels and messaging used to communicate with both internal and external stakeholders, including employees, executives, investors, customers and community partners. Public relations work generally focuses more heavily on external audiences and public perception. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) describes public relations managers as planning an organization’s communication with consumers, investors and media outlets and developing its corporate image, so the overlap is real.

Where Strategic Communications Fits

Strategic communications is the process of aligning communication efforts with organizational goals. Practitioners use audience research, messaging, channel selection and performance measurement to influence outcomes and support broader business objectives. Corporate communications and public relations both rely on these strategic planning principles, even when their audiences differ.

The same sequence shows up in daily work on both sides of the line. Here’s how three functions use strategic communications:

• Internal communications: To land a reorganization with employees
• Media relations: To decide which story to pitch and to whom
• Crisis communication: To prepare the response before the news breaks

A strategic communications master’s builds that planning skill set. In A-State’s online M.S. in Strategic Communication – General program, the required Seminar in Strategic Communications covers objectives, audiences and key messages, and Audience Market Analysis applies research methods to audience analysis.

Planning must account for how audiences respond, a point Holly Kathleen Hall, an associate professor in A-State’s Department of Communication, makes in her faculty profile. Hall’s research and teaching focus on how audience engagement influences modern communication strategy and public relations practice. In her words: “Social media has completely changed how public relations professionals do their jobs. The ‘public’ is once more a large part of the equation.” Because audiences respond in real time, a plan must include how engagement will be measured.

What an Online Strategic Communications Master’s Covers

For professionals seeking to expand their expertise in communication strategy, audience research and organizational messaging, A-State’s online M.S. in Strategic Communication – General program provides a flexible graduate-level option. The program consists of 30 credits at $350 per credit, or $10,500 with all fees included for U.S. residents. Admission requires a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university with at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA (or a 2.75 in the last 60 hours), official transcripts and a $30 application fee.

The core curriculum includes Quantitative Research Methods, Audience Market Analysis, Advertising Account Management, Seminar in Strategic Communications and a Strategic Communication Management Capstone on a real-world communication issue. Four electives, such as Crisis Communication, Integrated Marketing Communications and Social Media Measurement, round out the degree, and students graduate with Hootsuite certification.

Which Career Path Fits Your Background

The courses that matter most depend on your current role: an agency veteran and an IT manager who writes the company newsletter need different things from the same curriculum. The four electives allow you to further explore areas of interest.

• You come from an agency or a newsroom and enjoy working with outside audiences: Public relations and media relations work draws on those strengths. Advertising Account Management and the Social Media Measurement elective cover account management and measurement.
• You come from HR, operations or IT and now carry internal messaging: Corporate communications work draws on that internal experience. Quantitative Research Methods and the Seminar in Strategic Communications cover research and message planning.
• You work for a city, a state agency or a nonprofit: Public information and advocacy work draws on that setting. Audience Market Analysis and the Crisis Communication elective are the closest course matches.
• You lean toward campaigns and audience growth: See how a master’s supports a social media strategist and compare the paths.

If you are weighing a theory-first credential instead, see M.A. in Communication Studies vs. M.S. in Strategic Communications. Read it alongside the course list to match each degree to the job you want.

Corporate communications and public relations overlap enough that a job title says little on its own, so the skills a role asks you to use every day tell you more than the title does. Strategic communications is the planning skill both careers draw on, and A-State’s online M.S. in Strategic Communication – General program builds it through required research, audience analysis and account management courses plus a capstone on a real-world communication issue.

Explore Arkansas State University’s online M.S. in Strategic Communication – General program to see how its coursework applies to corporate communications and public relations roles.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between corporate communications and public relations careers?

Corporate communications careers typically involve managing an organization’s voice to employees, investors and the public. Public relations careers typically include building relationships with outside audiences, often through media.

What is strategic communications?

It is the planned use of messages, channels and measurement to move an organization toward a goal, starting with audience research.

What’s the curriculum in an online strategic communications master’s?

At A-State, the General track covers research methods, audience analysis, advertising account management, a strategic communication seminar and a management capstone, plus electives on topics such as crisis communication.

Does a strategic communications master’s include crisis communication?

It depends on the program. For example, Crisis Communication is an elective in the online M.S. in Strategic Communication – General program.

How long does the degree take?

It is 30 credits and can be finished in as few as 10 months, based on seven-week courses in fall and spring and five-week courses in summer.