Strategic and Leadership Communication

Strategic and Leadership Communication Specialization

The Strategic and Leadership specialization emphasizes theory-informed, research-based study of organizational process, structure, and interaction, as well as use of new communication technologies in organizational and societal contexts. Courses examine organizations in a variety of contexts including businesses, nonprofits, civil society, and government. This specialization may be especially appealing for those who have goals for careers in organizational leadership, corporate communication, advocacy, administration and/or management, training and development, consulting, change management, stakeholder relationship management, and social media management.

This specialization also looks at the concepts of sustainability, organizational purpose and corporate social responsibility (CSR) that are becoming more and more crucial to understanding the role of business in society. This specialization aims at defining CSR and how organizations create social impact. Whether Corporate Social Responsibility is understood as organizations taking responsibility or society holding organizations accountable, the underlying issues are about the environmental, social, and governance opportunities and risks that have emerged in today’s globalized, networked world.

Specialization Core Requirements (9 credits)

  • 510: Communication and Society
  • 511: Organizational Communication
  • 540: Organizational Leadership

Electives (15 Credits)

Students can take any MCM course as an elective; these are the ones most related to this specialization.

Related Elective Courses

These courses are electives for this specialization.

  • 512 Communication & Technology
  • 516 Service, Advocacy and Impact
  • 518 Persuasion and Advocacy
  • 525 Internships
  • 541 Organizational Decision Making
  • 559 Organizational Change & Communication
  • 542 Interorganizational Relationships and Stakeholder Communication
  • 544 Organizational Cultures and Diversity
  • 546 Social Media
  • 572 Non-Profit Organizations
  • 559: Organizational Change and Communication
  • 577: Creating Social Impact
  • 580: Crisis Communication
  • 592 Digital Advocacy and Persuasion
  • 593 Globalization, Media and Social Change

Other potential electives

  • 532 Dynamics of Global Organizations
  • 534 Organizational Communication Networks
  • 549 Organizational Assessment
  • 566 Small Group Communication

Cross-listed PhD/MCM Courses (as offered by semester)

Special Topics Courses (as offered by semester).

For example…

  • 5XX Topics: Multiculturalism and Leadership: Communication Perspectives
  • 5XX Topics: Leadership Communication
  • 5XX Topics: Leaderocity: Leading at the Speed of Now

Any combination of courses can count toward electives. Students need not stay within a track for fulfillment of electives.  Students may apply up to six credits from outside of SC&I (including those transferred in and approved by the Program Director from other Universities).