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Professional Development Studies
Welcome to Professional Development Studies (PDS) at the School of Communication and Information (SC&I). Whether you are a young professional, new manager, or experienced executive you will find a wide array of continuing education programs that will help you enhance your skills and succeed in your career.
PDS offers three non-credit professional online certificate programs:
- Business and Managerial Communication
- Public Relations
- Digital Asset Management (DAM)
- And PDS is currently developing a certificate in Health Communication and Information
To earn your certificate, you must complete six courses. You can start our programs with any course in any month. The course schedule loops so that you can complete the program in six months no matter which month you start in. You are also welcome to take stand-alone courses that meet your career development needs.
PDS certificates and courses are:
- 100% online
- Four weeks long
- Instructor-led and self-paced
- Immediately applicable to your career
PDS Current Classes
Our Strategic Communication Planning course provides students with the skills necessary to create effective messaging while forming goals to advance a company or brand. You will learn how to think and act strategically. You will gain a working knowledge of tools and techniques to develop an action plan and select the best media to communicate your plan.
Today’s PR professional has the opportunity to practice much more than media relations; thanks to the blending of digital with traditional media, we not only have more ways to reach our audiences, we have more ways to measure the outcomes of our efforts as well. But far too many professionals are still wary of measurement. The truth is, it’s not tough, it doesn’t have to be complicated and, when done right, it can shine new light on how your strategy is working (or not). This course will teach you the strategic approach to putting an effective measurement program in place that supports business objectives, even if you’re on a shoestring budget.
Digital assets are a form of “data.” In this course, we cover how to manage Digital Asset Management (DAM) as a “data creator” from many perspectives, with the core understanding that all data needs to be governed. In DAM, data governance is an important component for managing and mitigating risk and ensures ongoing alignment with the overall business or organizational roles. We’ll cover master data management (MDM) as a cornerstone in understanding data facets and DAM’s role in archives, retention and records management, rights and intellectual property issues, and how to create and measure effective DAM governance through continuous improvement.
