Strategic Communication

Strategic Communication is the study of how organizations and individuals use communication to negotiate their role in society. Public relations is a central aspect of strategic communication and involves the study of how organizations utilize responsible behavior and two-way communication in order to influence opinions and behavior of key publics (employees, consumers, government, community, media) as well as to respond and adapt to the concerns of those publics.

Strategic Communication includes the applied and theoretical sides of public relations as well as a broader focus on social influence in general. This new major is a departmental major involving subject matter that is both Mass and Speech Communication. Students who complete the Strategic Communication major will have a broad-based and interdisciplinary program that allows them access to the fields of sales, human resource management, marketing, advertising, public affairs, politics, and more.