Corporate Communication

Duquesne University’s master of arts in corporate communication will provide you with a deep understanding of the principles and practices of effective communication in corporate settings, uniquely preparing you for a career in the growing industry of communication management.

You will study a range of communication theories and strategies relevant to diverse corporate environments, including crisis communication, stakeholder communication and brand management. You’ll also become well versed in the ways in which communication plays a critical role in shaping corporate culture, organizational behavior, leadership and employee and customer engagement.

On a foundation of Duquesne’s liberal arts education, you’ll develop your own communication skills and will have opportunities to practice and refine them through exercises, presentations and group projects.

When you graduate, you will possess a comprehensive understanding of how communication in corporate settings can best be used—and how it must evolve—to both make you an effective communicator in the workplace and a robustly qualified candidate across diverse corporate fields.

All coursework is delivered in traditional, hybrid and distance learning formats.

 

Program Information

Our dynamic M.A. in Corporate Communication focuses on theories and strategies relevant to diverse work environments. Develop skills in crisis management, brand management, and stakeholder communication.

Degree

Master's

School

McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts

Academic Department

Communication and Rhetorical Studies

Duration

2-year

Required Credit Hours

30

Modality

In-Person

"I'm not only leaving with knowledge but also with a professional portfolio full of different materials to help market myself to future employers. The communication department at Duquesne has pushed me to believe that I am capable of more than I ever thought."

—Kaitlyn Poad

Program Requirements

View Catalog
  • COMM 500 Professional Communication (3 credits)
  • COMM 501 Persuasion in the Marketplace (3 credits)
  • COMM 523 Communication Ethics & Professional Civility (3 credits)
  • COMM 549 Corporate Communication: Economic and Financial Foundations (3 credits)
  • COMM 556 Organizational and Leadership Communication (3 credits)
Crisis & Risk Communication
  • COMM 614 Rhetoric & Philosophy of Crisis Management (3 credits)

Plus two of:

  • COMM 518 Conflict Management in Organizations (3 credits)
  • COMM 527 Communication Management (3 credits)
  • COMM 563 Strategic Corporate Communication (3 credits)
  • COMM 601 Communication Practicum (3 credits)

Management Communication
  • COMM 527 Communication Management (3 credits)
  • COMM 563 Strategic Corporate Communication (3 credits)

Plus two of:

  • COMM 518 Conflict Management in Organizations (3 credits)
  • COMM 536 Integrated Marketing Communication (3 credits)
  • COMM 550 Communication & Community Relations (3 credits)
  • COMM 587 Event Planning: Communication Architecture (3 credits)
  • COMM 601 Communication Practicum (3 credits)

Nonprofit Communication
  • COMM 545 Non-Profit Development & Philanthropy Communication (3 credits)

Plus two of:

  • COMM 527 Communication Management/ (3 credits)
    COMM 563 Strategic Corporate Communication (3 credits)
  • COMM 542 Environmental Communication (3 credits)
  • COMM 550 Communication & Community Relations (3 credits)
  • COMM 584 Health Communication (3 credits)
  • COMM 587 Event Planning: Communication Architecture (3 credits)
  • COMM 601 Communication Practicum (3 credits)

Integrated Marketing Communication
  • COMM 536 Integrated Marketing Communication (3 credits)

Plus two of:

  • COMM 529 IMC Strategies I: Public Relations (3 credits)
  • COMM 533 IMC Strategies II: Advertising (3 credits)
  • COMM 587 Event Planning: Communication Architecture (3 credits)
  • COMM 601 Communication Practicum (3 credits)
  • COMM 601 Communication Practicum (3 credits)
  • Professional Integration Project

Who Will Benefit From the Program

The program is designed with both recent graduates and working professionals in mind, and it will provide you with a broad, intellectually rigorous foundation in professional communication to prepare you for ethical leadership in the marketplace.

With flexibly designed specializations in crisis and risk communication, management communication, nonprofit communication and integrated marketing communication, the program advances students' professional interests and goals through a tailored professional integration project.

Learning Outcomes

In addition to the Liberal Arts General Outcomes for all Graduate Degree Areas, students in the M.A. in Corporate Communication program will demonstrate the following general competencies:
  1. Communication skills: Students will be able to write, speak, synthesize information quickly and clearly, and communicate well with others (theory-informed action).
  2. Ethical praxis: Students will demonstrate commitment to ethical and moral discussion in a complex world, articulating the importance of a distinction between public and private life (communication ethics/ professional civility).
  3. Create messages appropriate to the audience, purpose, and context: Students will design and present messages for the corporate communication marketplace.