Strategic Communication Major

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The Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communication prepares students with the professional skills they need for careers in public relations, strategic communication, marketing, and digital media. The Strategic Communication major is unique, offering a broad educational framework for professional and career roles in churches, nonprofits, and for-profit organizations wishing to communicate effectively in the new digital environment. A degree in Strategic Communication enables graduates to be digitally-savvy and able to think creatively and critically, with solid writing, visual, and technical skills, and the capacity to think strategically and biblically about the role of communication in society.

Graduates of the Strategic Communication major will be able to:

1. Identify the major theories within the field of strategic communication, and articulate the relationship between strategic communication and related fields.

2. Critically analyze strategic communication principles and practices, and conduct segmented audience analysis.

3. Produce and present innovative and responsive strategic communication campaigns.

4. Describe the history and structure of the field of strategic communication, its main actors, and future industry trends.

5. Demonstrate technical proficiency in the industry required software (Adobe Suite), audiovisual production, social media management, and graphic design.

6. Generate and present a robust portfolio of work samples, such as writing pieces, social media campaigns, strategic communication campaigns, and audiovisual materials.

7. Demonstrate the integration of faith with communication knowledge and skills.

The Strategic Communication major has two specific emphases, Public Relations and Digital Media, as well as a general emphasis, each of which positions graduates to be on the leading edge of the changes occurring in the communication industry.

The Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communication requires completion of the following 120 credits:
General Education Core (48 credit hours)
Strategic Communication Core (39 credit hours)
Electives (33 credit hours)

General Education Requirements (48 credit hours)

Arts and Humanities (9 credit hours)

Take one course from each of the following three academic disciplines:

Fine Arts (3 credit hours)

Choose one course from the following:

Literature (3 credit hours)

Choose one course from the following:

Philosophy (3 credit hours)

PHL-202 Introduction to Philosophy (3)

Biblical Studies (12 credit hours)

Take the following four courses (some courses are cross-listed and only one prefix needs to be taken):

BIB-111 Old Testament (3) OR
HIS-111 Old Testament (3)
BIB-114 New Testament (3) OR
HUM-114 New Testament (3)
PHL-315 World Religions and Systems of Belief (3)
THE-201 Introduction to Theology (3)

Communication (6 credit hours)

COM-103 Public Speaking (3)
ENG-102 English Composition (3) OR
ENG-105 Advanced English Composition (3)

Integrative Studies (3 credit hours)

Please see the First-Year Integration (FYI) page for specific information about this required course.

INT-101 First-Year Integration (3)

Mathematics (3 credit hours)

MAT-212 Statistics and their Application (3)

Science (3 credit hours)

SCI-230 Integrated Physical Science with Lab (3)

Social Sciences (12 credit hours)

Take each of the following four courses:

Strategic Communication Major (39 credit hours)

Strategic Communication Core (27 credit hours)

COM-200 Communication in the Modern World (3)
COM-206 Visual Storytelling and Digital Media Production (3)
COM-215 Strategic Communication and Mass Media (3)
COM-247 Writing for Communication (3)
COM-320 Small Group Communication (3)
COM-451 Communication Field Internship (3-6)
COM-480 Senior Seminar (3)
COM-360 Persuasion and Attitude Change (3) OR
MKT-202 Principles of Marketing (3)
Three credit hours from the following - may not be a duplicated course chosen in the emphasis.
COM-180 University Media Workshop - Level I (1)
COM-280 University Media Workshop - Level II (1)
COM-285 Public Relations Agency (1)
COM-380 University Media Workshop - Level III (1)

Strategic Communication Emphases (12 credit hours)

Choose one of the three Strategic Communication Emphases below.

General Emphasis (12 credit hours)

Choose 12 credit hours from the following; may not be duplicated course chosen in the core, at least 6 upper-level credits (300-level or higher):

CIS-137 Web Design Fundamentals (3)
COM-315 Public Relations (3)
COM-355 Social Media, Audience Analysis, and Analytics (3)
COM-360 Persuasion and Attitude Change (3)
COM-375 Visual Culture and Graphic Design (3)
COM-385 Advanced Adobe Creative Suite (3)
COM-398 Special Topics: Advanced Skill Development (1) Skill set development classes, including:
Advanced video production
Advanced podcast production
Advanced graphic design
Advanced web design
COM-403 Organizational Communication (3)
COM-425 Film Criticism (3)
COM-435 Advanced Digital Media Production (3)
COM-445 Strategic Communication Campaigns (3)
MKT-202 Principles of Marketing (3)
MUS-271 Music Production and Engineering I (3)

Digital Media Emphasis (12 credit hours)

COM-375 Visual Culture and Graphic Design (3)
COM-385 Advanced Adobe Creative Suite (3)
COM-435 Advanced Digital Media Production (3)
Choose 3 credit hours from the following:
CIS-137 Web Design Fundamentals (3)
COM-355 Social Media, Audience Analysis, and Analytics (3)
COM-398 Special Topics: Advanced Skill Development (1) Skill set development classes, including:
Advanced video production
Advanced podcast production
Advanced graphic design
Advanced web design
COM-425 Film Criticism (3)
MUS-271 Music Production and Engineering I (3)

Public Relations Emphasis (12 credit hours)

Choose 12 credit hours from the following; may not be duplicated course chosen in the core.

Graduation Requirements for Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communication

The faculty recommends students in the B.A. in Strategic Communication to the Board of Trustees as candidates for graduation when they have completed the following requirements.

Completion of a total of 120 credits, including all general education, electives and Strategic Communication major program requirements.
A letter grade of D or better and a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better in all CCU coursework, and a GPA of 2.0 or higher for all courses specified for the major.
Completion of 180 hours of ministry/community service and 180 chapel credits. Transfer students are required to complete 45 hours of ministry/community service and 45 chapel credits each year of attendance at CCU. For further details on ministry/community service, see the Life Directions Center (LDC) section of this catalog. For further details on chapel credits, see the Student Life section of this catalog.
Meet the CCU Residency requirements .
Acceptable performance on exit exams, as required by the faculty.
Formal and timely application for graduation by the date specified by the University Registrar.
No outstanding financial obligation to the University.