The University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication (UI-SJMC) has received Board of Regents, State of Iowa approval for an online program that offers a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication. The approval follows the success of pilot courses launched by the SJMC in fall 2011 and continuing through the current semester.
The program was created to serve professionals in marketing, public relations, public communication, health communication, corporate communication, and other careers requiring strong communication skills. Courses are held in the evenings and on weekends, in a single session per week. The degree program lets students complete the required 30 credit hours of coursework at their own pace by taking a class or two each semester. (Students may also take single courses without applying for admission to the degree program.)
The curriculum includes writing and editing for public communication, media issues and challenges, strategic communication leadership, marketing campaigns, health communication, risk communication, and more.
Many courses include the latest advances in technologies and platforms for social media outreach and content production. Some courses have concurrent classroom sessions that students may attend at the UI’s John and Mary Pappajohn Education Center, 1200 Grand Ave., Des Moines, but all are accessible online from anywhere. Courses will be scheduled throughout the summer as well as during fall and spring semesters.
“The curriculum covers a wide range of areas including social media and persuasion, budget fundamentals, nonprofit and philanthropic communication, multimedia and convergence, and interpersonal and customer communications, all tailored toward the working professional,” says David Perlmutter, director of the SJMC, a unit within the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “Our plan is to create an instructional dynamic to ‘learn it tonight and apply it tomorrow’ for committed communications professionals to leap forward—in knowledge, skill sets, and experience—so they can lead the future in their workplace and beyond.”
Admission requirements include a four-year degree from a college or university, an official transcript, letters of recommendation, and writing or other professional work samples. Courses are offered through the UI Division of Continuing Education. Admission and registration information is available online at clas.uiowa.edu/sjmc/graduate-programs/master-of-arts-strategic- communication.
“In the competitive communication field, it will benefit professionals of any age and position to sharpen their skills and keep pace with technology without putting their careers on hold,” says Don McLeese, the SJMC’s associate director for online and distance programs. McLeese teaches the writing and editing workshop, as well as a foundation conceptual course on media issues, problems, and challenges.
The program is currently accepting applications for admission. For complete information, see www.uiowa.edu/sjmc-stratcomm/ or contact Don McLeese at donald-mcleese@uiowa.edu, or Amy Jo Reimer-Myers, associate director, outreach programs, 515-235-4618, amyjo-reimer@uiowa.edu.