Program Directors: Dr. Sumana Chattopadhay, Ph.D. and Karen Rinehart, Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs
MA in Corporate Communication website
Degree Offered
Master of Arts, Plan B Non-Thesis option only.
Program Description
This interdisciplinary master of arts in Corporate Communication degree is offered jointly by the Graduate School of Management and the Diederich College of Communication. Students may complete the program 100% online or with a combination of face-to-face and online course formats. The program combines public relations fundamentals and communication theory with an advanced business education to prepare students for an increasingly complex communication landscape. The program focuses on communication as an executive level function and course work includes topics such as: organizational communication, accounting and finance, international business and communication, corporate advocacy, and organizational leadership. The program reflects Marquette’s commitment to developing students’ abilities as ethical leaders with an understanding of corporate social responsibility in a global environment. As such, the degree prepares graduates to be ethical and informed communication leaders.
At the completion of this program students will be able to:
- Establish the business case for communication functions within the corporation and lead and coordinate the comprehensive communication functions of a corporation.
- Articulate the importance of having a clear corporate vision, mission and identity of a corporation and develop and execute plans for communicating these both internally and externally.
- Assess internal and external corporate communication needs and develop strategic communication plans.
- Articulate the roles corporations play within the larger social, cultural, political and economic context of our contemporary global society.
Prerequisites for Admission
Applicants for this program must have graduated with, or are about to graduate with, a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and must have an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) equivalent to at least a 3.000 on a 4.000 scale.
Application Requirements
Application requirements and the online application link are available through the GSM website.
Note: Students may apply for regular degree, non-degree or temporary non-degree status. Non-degree applicants and temporary non-degree applicants must submit all required application materials, except the GMAT/GRE scores. Non-degree and temporary non-degree status are not available to international students. International applicants must apply for regular degree admission status.
Students are encouraged to complete all application materials and apply for degree status. Non-degree status and temporary non-degree status are valid for a limited number of term(s) as approved by the program director. Students with non-degree or temporary non-degree status are not eligible to continue taking GSM classes beyond the time frame of the approved term(s) without degree admission. Typically, non-degree admission is not recommended in the C.C.O.M. program.
Master of Arts in Corporate Communication (M.A.)
The M.A. in Corporate Communication requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of course work, split between the College of Communication and the Graduate School of Management.
Recognition is given to those applicants with or pursuing the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). An official copy of the certificate of completion, or proof of current enrollment, must be submitted with the application materials. Upon verification of the APR, and successful completion of 6 graduate credits within the Corporate Communication program, the Graduate School of Management will award 6 credits equivalent to CMST 6600 Communication Consulting and CCOM 6700 Corporate Advocacy to the student records, recognizing the mastery of these strategic communication competencies. It is the student's responsibility to communicate participation in the APR program with the Graduate School of Management to ensure proper advising and the awarding of the credits.
Students complete five classes in each college as listed below.
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| |
| 3 |
| Corporate Advocacy | |
| Corporate Advocacy |
| 3 |
| Corporate Social Responsibility | |
| Corporate Social Responsibility |
| 3 |
| Communication Consulting | |
| Communication Consulting |
| CCOM 6300 | Financial Communication and Investor Relations | 3 |
| CMST 6200 | Organizational Communication | 3 |
| |
| BUAD 6000 | Accounting and Finance for the Non-Financial Manager | 3 |
| BUAD 6005 | Economic Foundations for Marketing Decisions | 3 |
| MBA 6140 | Leading People and Change | 1.5 |
| MBA 6160 | Leadership Coaching and Development | 1.5 |
| 3 |
| Contemporary Leadership: Theory, Research and Application | |
| Strategic Communication | |
| Character Driven Leadership | |
| Negotiations | |
| Change Leadership | |
| Topics in Leadership Studies | |
| 3 |
| |
| Total Credit Hours: | 30 |
A capstone assessment exercise is required and is completed during the last term of study. The exam has two components: 1. written response to a case study as assigned by CCOM faculty; 2. complete an interview with a panel of CCOM faculty to explain the written response. The case is designed to target the following learning outcomes:
- Establish the business case for communication functions within the corporation and lead and coordinate the comprehensive communication functions of a corporation.
- Articulate the importance of having a clear corporate vision, mission and identity of a corporation and develop and execute plans for communicating these both internally and externally.
- Assess internal and external corporate communication needs and develop strategic communication plans.
- Articulate the roles corporations play within the larger social, cultural, political and economic context of our contemporary global society.
Bachelor's-Master's Program
This five-year program allows students to earn both their master of arts in corporate communication and an undergraduate degree from Marquette University. Undergraduate students begin their graduate work in their senior year by taking up to three graduate-level courses or 9 credit hours.
These graduate courses count toward both the undergraduate and graduate degrees. Should a student be denied admission to the M.A. program, the courses are counted toward the undergraduate degree only. A minimum grade of B is required for courses taken as an undergraduate student for graduate credit to apply toward graduate program requirements. Upon completion of the first term as a master's candidate, the student must petition the appropriate Graduate School of Management program director to transfer the courses taken as an undergraduate to the master's degree.
To be considered for admission to the five-year program, applicants must formally apply to the Graduate School of Management during their senior year at Marquette University, complete all of the application requirements as listed above and indicate on their application that they are applying for the five-year program. For information, contact the Graduate School of Management at 414-288-7145
or GSM@marquette.edu.
