Quick Highlights
Arkansas State University’s online MBA in Marketing program is AACSB-accredited, 33 credits and $17,292 with all fees included, and students can finish the program in as few as 12 months. Its online M.S. in Strategic Communications – Social Media Management program is 30 credits and $10,500 with all fees included, and students can finish the program in as few as 10 months. The MBA pairs marketing with a full business core, and the social media management master’s delves into social media strategy and measurement.
If you already run the channels, the director role above you sets the strategy and defends the budget. A-State offers two online master’s programs for marketers: the Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a Concentration in Marketing and the Master of Science (M.S.) in Strategic Communications with an Emphasis in Social Media Management. They share one university but differ in cost, length, accreditation and what they teach, and the right choice depends on the director role you want.
Same University, Two Different Degrees
The online MBA in Marketing program adds a marketing specialization on top of a full business core: accounting, finance, strategy and analytics. The online Social Media Management master’s program has no business core and goes deep on one channel: social media strategy, interactive advertising, measurement and integrated marketing communications. Neither is a lesser version of the other. They suit different goals: the MBA fits a director role that works closely with finance, and the master’s fits one that leads a content team.
Both programs are fully online and run on the same course calendar, so scheduling will not decide this for you. What separates them is the coursework, the price, the length and the accreditation, and the sections below take those one at a time.
Side-by-Side: Cost, Length and Accreditation
Price, length and accreditation are the three facts you will need to justify this decision from personal and work standpoints. A-State publishes each of them for both programs, with every fee included in the totals.
| Program Detail | MBA – Marketing | M.S. in Strategic Communications – Social Media Management |
|---|---|---|
| Credits | 33 | 30 |
| Total cost (all fees included) | $17,292 | $10,500 |
| Per credit | $524 | $350 |
| Time to finish | As few as 12 months | As few as 10 months |
| Accreditation | AACSB-accredited (Neil Griffin College of Business) | Not AACSB; housed in the College of Liberal Arts and Communication |
| Admission test | No GMAT or GRE required | No GMAT or GRE required |
| Format | 7-week courses fall and spring, 5-week summer, six starts a year | 7-week courses fall and spring, 5-week summer, six starts a year |
The Neil Griffin College of Business received initial AACSB accreditation for its bachelor’s programs in 1979 and for its MBA in 1985, according to AACSB’s directory listing. A-State has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1928, and the Social Media Management master’s is offered under that institutional accreditation. Costs and requirements reflect A-State’s program pages as of 2026 and can change, so confirm current figures there before you apply.
Important Note
These are not two versions of the same credential. The Strategic Communications master’s is a Master of Science, not an MBA, and it is not AACSB-accredited. If a CEO or board specifically expects an AACSB-accredited business degree, that points to the MBA concentration. If the role calls for depth in social media strategy and measurement, the Social Media Management master’s covers that coursework.
Curriculum: What Each Concentration Actually Teaches
The MBA in Marketing adds Seminar in Contemporary Marketing Issues and Digital Marketing in addition to an eight-course, 24-credit business core covering the following areas: accounting, economics, corporate finance, business analytics, graduate business fundamentals, project management, strategic management and strategic marketing. One elective completes the 33 credits, chosen from a list that includes Promotional Strategy, Services Marketing Strategy and Leadership Development.
The Social Media Management master’s core covers quantitative research methods, audience market analysis, advertising account management, a strategic communications seminar and a capstone in strategic communication management. You also take one more required course, either Communication Regulation and Policy or Media Entrepreneurship. The 12-credit concentration goes channel-deep: Integrated Marketing Communications, Social Media in Strategic Communication, Interactive Advertising and Social Media Measurement.
Student Spotlight
“What stands out most is the practical, career-focused curriculum and the ability to immediately apply what I learned in real-world contexts.” Christopher King, online MBA in Marketing graduate, November 2025
“The strategic communications degree program fit the bill in terms of giving me well-rounded writing skills, communication skills, marketing skills [and] a lot more to think about in terms of the different ways that people communicate.” Amanda Smiley, online M.S. in Strategic Communications – Social Media Management graduate, February 2025
Who Leads Growth: Matching the Program to the Role
The choice comes down to scope. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) describes marketing managers as working with financial staff and department heads on budgets, marketing plans and media buying. The MBA adds accounting, finance and strategy coursework to marketing, which fits a goal of owning a budget and working alongside finance and executive leadership. The Strategic Communications master’s goes deep on the channel, which fits a goal of leading a content team or an agency.
Neither degree guarantees a promotion, title or specific salary, so compare the curricula with the skills essential to the director role you want. If you run social channels today, ask whether your preferred director role involves defending a budget alongside finance or leading the content team and agency partners who carry out the strategy.
Choosing Between the MBA and Strategic Communications Master’s
Cost, length and accreditation set the limits, and your target role decides the rest. A social media manager aiming for a director role that works closely with finance and one aiming to lead a content team are choosing a path for different reasons.
- Choose the MBA if you want accounting, finance and strategy coursework alongside your marketing specialization.
- Choose the Strategic Communications master’s if you want to explore the craft without the business core’s accounting, finance and strategy coursework.
- Neither program requires the GMAT or GRE, so test preparation will not separate them.
- Cost and length both favor the Strategic Communications master’s; weigh them against the role you want.
If your answers split between the two programs, look at the director job you would apply for next. A posting that lists budget ownership and cross-functional reporting points toward the MBA, and one that lists channel strategy, measurement and team leadership points toward the Social Media Management master’s.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which costs less, the MBA in Marketing or the Strategic Communications master’s?
The Strategic Communication master’s costs less: $10,500 for 30 credits, compared with $17,292 for 33 credits in the MBA in Marketing. Both prices include all fees and stay the same in every state.
Is the Strategic Communications master’s an MBA?
No. It is a Master of Science in strategic communications housed in the College of Liberal Arts and Communication. The MBA in Marketing is the AACSB-accredited business degree.
Which program takes longer to finish?
Students can finish the MBA in as few as 12 months. The Strategic Communications master’s takes as few as 10 months. Both use 7-week courses in fall and spring and 5-week courses in summer.
Does either program require the GMAT or GRE?
No. Students do not need GMAT or GRE scores for admission to either of A-State’s programs. Both require a bachelor’s degree, a 2.5 cumulative GPA (or 2.75 over the last 60 hours), transcripts and a $30 application fee.
What is the biggest curriculum difference between the two?
The MBA allocates 24 credits to a general business core (accounting, finance, strategy, analytics) before adding two marketing courses and an elective. The Social Media Management master’s builds its 30 credits around communication, research and social media coursework, with no general business core.
Is one of these programs cheaper in Arkansas specifically?
Both charge the same price in every state, so location does not change the cost of either program. Lower-priced MBA programs exist elsewhere in Arkansas; this comparison is scoped to these two A-State programs.
Key Takeaways
- Both programs sit at A-State, but only the online MBA in Marketing is AACSB-accredited.
- The MBA costs more and takes longer (33 credits, $17,292, as few as 12 months) but includes a full business core.
- The online M.S. in Strategic Communication – Social Media Management program costs less and finishes faster (30 credits, $10,500, as few as 10 months) in exchange for channel depth instead of business breadth.
- Neither requires the GMAT or GRE, so the decision should depend on fit.
- See how the two routes play out for a specific director-track goal in Social Media Manager to Director: Which Master’s Should You Get?
Either route adds to the work you already do, and the choice between them rests on whether you want to lead in the budget meeting or on the content floor. Are you weighing whether the MBA side is worth it for a digital marketer? See Benefits of an MBA in Marketing for Digital Marketers.
For more information on each path, explore A-State’s online MBA with a Concentration in Marketing program and online M.S. in Strategic Communication with an Emphasis in Social Media Management program.