Communication Management and Design Major — B.S.
Dennis Charsky, Associate Professor and Program Director
The way an organization communicates can be the key to its success or failure. Communication Management and Design is a unique major designed for students who want to lead creative and strategic communication functions for companies and organizations of various sizes. The degree provides students with the fundamental principles and skills used in the management, strategy and design of communication for organizations.
Classes teach critical thinking, problem solving, and innovating skills that are applied to key communication areas such as reputation management and branding, employee communication and training, digital design, and event planning. Students learn to connecting creative ideas with business strategy in order to design effective communication solutions, initiatives, and campaigns that help organizations succeed.
Corporate Communication Concentration
Communication professionals are responsible for enhancing communication throughout an organization and aligning their work to the organization’s strategy. In this concentration, students learn the theory and practice around corporate and organizational communication and management. They apply their knowledge by creating creative campaigns, crafting crisis communication plans, designing corporate events, and developing strategies for managing relationships with the media, government agencies, and other stakeholders. The concentration covers areas such as; media relations, social media management, internal communications, corporate social responsibility, design management, event planning, and leadership. Students develop into communication professionals who have the insight and means to deal with challenging communication issues faced by modern organizations, both for-profit and not-for-profit.
Communication Design Concentration
Communication professionals are responsible for designing the messages, initiatives, and solutions in organizations. In this concentration, students learn to use their creativity purposefully to provide information that fosters effective and efficient understanding. Students learn the theory and practice around instructional design, information design, graphic design, and user experience. Students apply their learning by utilizing the right information with the right visuals to inspire, persuade, and inform. The concentration teaches the creative strategies designers utilize during the process of designing and covers areas such as; interface design, web design, interaction design, infographics, virtual reality, design thinking, and information design. Students develop into communication professionals who have the creativity and aptitude to help organizations innovate and prosper in the emerging information economy.
Academic Policies
Courses at level 1 are open to seniors only by permission of the instructor. One-credit minicourses do not count as required communication management and design electives. All majors must complete a minimum of 60 credits outside communications, and a minimum of 60 credits in courses designated as liberal arts (LA).
Requirements for the Major
Summary
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Major Core Requirements | 29 | |
| Supplemental requirements | 9 | |
| Concentration Requirements | 18-19 | |
Corporate Communication (18 credits) | ||
Communication Design (18-19 credits) | ||
| Integrative Core Curriculum (ICC) Requiremets 1 | 29 | |
| Other Electives | 34-35 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
| * | Total Credits must include 60 liberal arts credits and 60 credits outside the Park School |
| 1 | see ICC requirements for Park School |
Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| GCOM 13000 | Spark: Igniting your Future in Communications | 1 |
| STCM 10300 | Introduction to Strategic Communication (ICC-CLA) | 3 |
| STCM 10800 | Communication in Organizations | 3 |
| STCM 11100 | Presentation & Graphic Design | 3 |
| STCM 12300 | Systemic Design (ICC-CLA) | 3 |
| STCM 20200 | Career Pursuit | 1 |
| STCM 21000 | Instructional Design | 3 |
| STCM 21100 | Corporate Communication: Strategy and Design | 3 |
| STCM 28800 | Research and Statistics for Strategic Communication (ICC-CLA & QL) | 3 |
| STCM 43400 | Communication Management Lab | 3 |
| STCM 45000 | Critical Issues (ICC-CLA) | 3 |
| Supplemental Requirements | ||
| WRTG 10600 | Academic Writing I (fulfills ICC requirement for same course) 1 | 3 |
| MGMT 11100 | Introduction to Business | 3 |
| WRTG 21100 | Writing for the Workplace | 3 |
| Additional Requirements for Concentrations | ||
| Select one concentration from the list below 2 | 18-19 | |
| Total Credits | 56-57 | |
| 1 | Fulfills ICC requirements of same course. |
| 2 | Communication Management and Design majors can declare only one concentration. A concentration must be declared by the end of the sophomore year. |
Concentrations
Corporate Communication Concentration
Students learn to influence communication in organizations by creating crisis communication plans, corporate events, and strategies for managing relationships with the media, government agencies, and stakeholders. Courses cover internal communications, communicating corporate social responsibility, community relations, event planning, and leadership.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select three of the following 3-credit courses: | 9 | |
| Meeting and Event Management | ||
| Public Relations | ||
| Crisis Communication | ||
| Organizational Speech Writing and Interviewing (offered in Los Angeles) | ||
| Government and Stakeholder Relations | ||
| Applied Event Management | ||
| Public Relations Lab | ||
| Select two of the following 3-credit courses: | 6 | |
| Virtual Teams | ||
| Organizational Culture and Conflict | ||
| Leadership Communication | ||
| eLearning | ||
| Internship 1 | ||
| Select one of the following 3-credit courses: | 3 | |
| Web Design | ||
| Interactive Media | ||
| Promotional and Instructional Video | ||
| Total Credits | 18 | |
| 1 | A maximum of 3 credits of STCM 41200, STCM 49000, STCM 49800 and/or STCM 49900 may be applied totally. |
Communication Design Concentration
Students learn to use their creativity purposefully. Students learn to utilize the right information with the right visuals to inspire, persuade, and inform. Courses cover graphic design, web design, interaction design, social media design, instructional design, and information design.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| STCM 20600 | Web Design | 3 |
| STCM 22000 | Interactive Media | 3 |
| STCM 40400 | Communication Design Lab | 3 |
| Select two of the following 3- to 4-credit courses: | 6-7 | |
| Introduction to Photography | ||
| Virtual Teams | ||
| Promotional and Instructional Video | ||
| Social Media Strategy | ||
| Games for Marketing & Training | ||
| Internship 1 | ||
| Select one of the following 3-credit courses: | 3 | |
| Advanced Web Design | ||
| Information Design | ||
| eLearning | ||
| Total Credits | 18-19 | |
| 1 | A maximum of 3 credits of STCM 41200, STCM 49000, STCM 49800 and/or STCM 49900 may be applied totally. |