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Master's in Strategic Communication Online

Arkansas State University’s 100% online M.S. in Strategic Communications – General program spans 30 credit hours, can be completed in as few as 10 months and costs $10,500 in total tuition ($350 per credit hour). Designed for working professionals, it prepares graduates for advancement into roles such as communications director, marketing communications manager, public relations manager, content strategist, brand manager and other leadership positions.

Next Apply Date: 12/28/26
Next Class Start Date: 1/11/27
Apply Now
Next Apply Date: 12/28/26
Next Class Start Date: 1/11/27

Program Overview

What does A-State's online M.S. in Strategic Communications – General offer?

Our Master of Science in Strategic Communication – General online program enhances your abilities to strategically influence and further an organization’s mission through communication—making you invaluable in virtually any business. This writing-intensive program develops your critical-thinking, analysis and practical skills which, in turn, empower you to formulate and implement solutions that drive results.

Our experienced faculty delivers instruction formulated to sharpen your aptitude for persuading and shaping human interactions, using various methods to deliver key messages to diverse target audiences and incite action. Learn how to deploy an array of tools to craft, track and measure communication effectiveness while gaining a complete understanding of paid, earned, shared and owned media.

Coursework for this program gives you an in-depth understanding of quantitative research, media management, and interactive digital strategy (such as integrating social media initiatives into overall marketing plans). Connect theory to practice with a capstone project in which you devise solutions and strategies to a real-world communication issue.

In addition, students who have completed 60 undergraduate credit hours are eligible to take up to 12 graduate-level credit hours toward the MS in Strategic Communication program. This accelerated pathway reduces program costs and helps students graduate faster, creating a streamlined transition from bachelor’s to master’s study.

In this program you will:

  • Learn how to deploy an array of tools to craft, track and measure communication effectiveness
  • Gain a complete understanding of paid, earned, shared and owned media
  • Research a real-world communication issue, devising solutions and strategies that bridge the gap between theory and practice
In this program you will:+
  • Learn how to deploy an array of tools to craft, track and measure communication effectiveness
  • Gain a complete understanding of paid, earned, shared and owned media
  • Research a real-world communication issue, devising solutions and strategies that bridge the gap between theory and practice

As a graduate of this online program, you will be prepared for a rewarding career in communications leadership in roles such as:

  • Marketing Communications Director / Marketing Communications Manager
  • Public Relations Director / Public Relations Manager
  • Director Content Management
  • Content Manager / Content Strategist
  • Senior Account Director / Account Director
  • Director of Marketing
  • Communications Director / Communications Manager
  • Brand Manager
  • Digital Strategist
As a graduate of this online program, you will be prepared for a rewarding career in communications leadership in roles such as:+
  • Marketing Communications Director / Marketing Communications Manager
  • Public Relations Director / Public Relations Manager
  • Director Content Management
  • Content Manager / Content Strategist
  • Senior Account Director / Account Director
  • Director of Marketing
  • Communications Director / Communications Manager
  • Brand Manager
  • Digital Strategist
+

Also available:

The M.S. in Strategic Communications – General program contains a broad list of electives to choose from. If you want a defined emphasis within Strategic Communications or a related degree, explore the additional programs below:

Total Tuition: $10,500
Program Duration: As few as 10 months
Credit Hours 30
Apply Now

Need More Information?

Call 866-621-8096

Call 866-621-8096

Tuition

How much does the online M.S. in Strategic Communications – General cost?

The M.S. in Strategic Communication – General online program offers the same affordable, pay-as-you-go tuition for all U.S. residents. All fees are included. Tuition may be subject to change on a yearly basis.

Tuition breakdown:

Per Credit Hour: $350
Total Tuition: $10,500

Calendar

When can you start the online M.S. in Strategic Communications – General?

Designed to be flexible for working professionals, the M.S. in Strategic Communication – General online program features accelerated coursework and multiple start dates.

Please note Summer 1 and Summer 2 terms are 5 weeks in duration for this program.

View full calendar +

TermProgram Start DateApplication DeadlineDocument DeadlineRegistration DeadlinePayment DueLast Class Day
Fall 210/12/269/28/269/28/2610/8/2610/9/2612/4/26
Spring 11/11/2712/28/2612/28/261/7/271/8/272/26/27
Spring 23/8/272/22/272/22/273/4/273/5/274/30/27

Now enrolling:

Next Apply Date 12/28/26
Start Class 1/11/27

Have questions or need more information about A‑State online programs?

Ready to take the next step toward earning your degree online from A-State?

Apply Now
Macy Dukes Receives M.S. in Strategic Communications Online
I chose A-State because it has such a great reputation for having a robust online program. That made it an easy decision. I have definitely been able to apply the information that I have learned in the program to my job.

Macy Dukes, A-State online M.S. in Strategic Communication – General graduate

Admissions

What are the admission requirements for the online M.S. in Strategic Communications – General?

A-State Online offers a streamlined admission to help you get started quickly and easily. Review the full admission requirements below.

Admission Requirements:

  • Bachelor's Degree
  • Official Transcripts
  • 2.5 GPA
View all admission requirements +

  • Complete online application and submit a nonrefundable $30 fee
  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university with at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA or a 2.75 in the last 60 hours (undergraduate, graduate or combination thereof) or graduate or post-baccalaureate professional degree from a regionally accredited (U.S.) institution
    Note: If you are admitted and have less than a 2.75 cumulative GPA and less than a 3.0 GPA in the last 60 hours, you must make a grade of B or better in each course during the first 9 hours of graduate work at Arkansas State University as part of a conditional admission status
  • Official transcript(s) sent from the registrar of the college/university attended. Official transcripts are sealed transcripts sent from the granting institutions.

Submit all documents to:

A-State Online
P.O. Box 2520
State University, AR 72467


Fax: 870-972-3548
Email: [email protected]

Hootsuite Certification

Students in the M.S. in Strategic Communications online program graduate with Hootsuite™ certification

Courses

What courses are in the online M.S. in Strategic Communications – General curriculum?

The M.S. in Strategic Communication – General online program requires 30 credit hours of coursework. Students will take five required core courses (15 credit hours), select either STCM 6033 or MDIA 6423 (3 credit hours), and four additional STCM courses (12 credit hours).

You can view your schedule of courses for this degree through the Course Smartsheet:

View the AOS Course Smartsheet

How to Use the Course Smartsheet

Expand All

Students must take the following five courses.

Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Study of the tools and techniques of empirical research as they may be applied to mass communications.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Using social scientific research methods for audience/consumer analysis, this course provides a survey of applications of research in media industries. Pragmatic task activities will be conducted via Nielsen, Arbitron, SRDS and related data sources to find audience market insights.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Advanced study of the principles and practice of advertising account management. Includes an in-depth analysis of advantages and disadvantages of multiple media platforms and strategic communication in communicating messages to diverse target audiences and a discussion of effective and ethical client relationships.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
The role of strategic communications in and for organizations and brands, including communications objective(s), target audience(s), and key messages. Addresses application of communication theory and research related to public relations, advertising, and social media.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Students will investigate a real-world strategic communication issue, formulating solutions, recommendations and strategies that bridge the gap between theory and practice. Course will be taken the final term of completing degree requirements. Restricted to MS in Strategic Communication students.

Students must select one of the following courses.

Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Current and emerging issues in communications policy and regulation, including privacy, libel, FTC and FCC regulations, First Amendment issues, copyright and trademarks.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Students will focus on development of entrepreneurial products by taking an idea from conception to production completion while practicing aspects of management, financing, and entrepreneurship. Students will address communication industry dilemmas that address creative product development.

Students must select four courses (12 credit hours) from the following choices. Any 5000 or 6000 level STCM or COMS course will satisfy this requirement. Students may also choose up to six hours of approved cognate electives. (Students who have taken a 4000-level of a course may not take the 5000-level for graduate credit.)

Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
The course covers interpersonal communication in the context of personal relationships such as romantic relationships, friendships, professional relationships, and family relationships.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 1
Theories, models, and approaches relevant to the study of human communication.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Survey of research methods, theories and constructs, and selected studies of the communication discipline.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 2
A study of the history and philosophy of the pedagogy of communication studies, to include both theoretical and applied aspects of the discipline.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course is designed to introduce students to foundational as well as current theory and research in interpersonal communication. Students will examine several interpersonal communication contexts and processes as well as methodologies in interpersonal communication.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Examination of a broad range of rhetorical theories to help students make critical and analytical applications to public discourse.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Major approaches to qualitative inquiry in the fields of media and communication. Students will gain experience in collecting, analyzing, and interpreting qualitative data as well as in writing qualitative research reports.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Course will introduce students to intercultural communication and function of organization communication in the workplace, addressing how effective communication within organizations affects business and how to advance intercultural skills while being aware of different world views.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Comparison of the European Union and United States data protection systems, including sector-specific regulations such as those from the Federal Trade Commission.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Focuses on the strategic integration of various channels and methods of communication for the purpose of delivering key messages to diverse target audiences in order to elicit responses, create a dialogue and engender relationship-building.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Examination of the International Intellectual Property System (IIPS) and its development in response to international trade and digital innovations. Subject areas include a primary focus on copyright and trademark with some coverage of patent law.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course examines concepts and applications of social media within mass communications, news, advertising, and public relations industries. We will explore and apply social media tools, integrating them into an organization’s overall communication strategy.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
The history and development of privacy law, and the challenges of government regulation of information where institutions and individuals need and reveal information constantly, but also seek basic dignity and safety from harm.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
An introduction to the world of online interactive advertising. It surveys a variety of important topics, from integrating social media initiatives into the overall marketing communications plan to online display ads to developing an effective search engine strategy.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Measurement and improvement of investment outcomes from use of social media in advertising, public relations, and marketing communications.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
An investigation of communications during crises, focusing on public relations, advertising and other persuasive efforts by institutions, corporations, movement leaders, and citizens to describe, persuade and shape human interactions with their environment during a crisis.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Application of principles of privacy law and technology to current legal and policy problems.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Survey of global strategic communication. Addresses case studies and campaigns in creating and disseminating messages across language, technology, and cultures for organizational issue management.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Theory and practice in development communication. Includes a focus on processes and systems of communications for social change and advocacy.

Built for Your Schedule, Not Your Zip Code

Arkansas State University's online M.S. in Strategic Communications is built for working professionals anywhere in the U.S. who want a graduate credential without relocating to Jonesboro. Because the program is completed entirely online and every U.S. resident pays the same tuition ($10,500 total), your location does not limit your access. Students who have completed 60 undergraduate credit hours can take up to 12 graduate credit hours toward the degree. Students in or near Arkansas can also draw on the state's employer network, which includes the headquarters of Walmart (Bentonville), Tyson Foods (Springdale), J.B. Hunt Transport Services (Lowell) and Dillard's (Little Rock). Arkansas National Guard members may qualify for the state's National Guard Tuition Waiver; see A-State's military page. For state authorization details, visit the State Authorization & Licensure Disclosures page.

FAQ

Strategic Communications Master’s Online FAQs

Intro copy

No portfolio, writing sample or letter of recommendation is required. Other A-State communication master’s programs ask for more: the M.A. in Communication Studies asks for a writing sample, and the M.S. in Media Management track requires a resume, letter of recommendation and a 500-word statement of purpose.
Yes, in a limited way. Students who have completed 60 undergraduate credit hours in A-State's BS in Strategic Communications program are eligible to take up to 12 graduate-level credit hours toward the M.S. in Strategic Communication, which is 12 of the 30 required credit hours. This accelerated pathway reduces program costs and helps students graduate faster.
Students choose four electives (12 credit hours) from 5000- and 6000-level STCM or COMS courses and may add up to six hours of approved cognate electives. The list falls into four groups. Digital and social: Interactive Advertising, Social Media Measurement, Social Media in Strategic Communication and Integrated Marketing Communications. Law and policy: EU and U.S. Data Protection Law, Privacy Law and Information Technology Law. Global and crisis: Global Strategic Communication, Development Communication, International Intellectual Property Law and Crisis Communication. Communication studies: Communication Theory, Rhetorical Theory and Criticism, Organizational and Intercultural Communication and others. Students who want all four electives in one group can look at the Social Media Management, Information Technology Law & Policy or Global emphasis.

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