Corporate communication professionals prepare information and communications about their organization and distribute it to a specific audience - both inside and outside the organization. Courses in corporate communication prepare students to write these messages and form relationships with their audiences. Learn about degree and certificate programs in this field.
What You Need To Know
Corporate communications consist of creating messages designed for both internal and external audiences. In this field, you may work with marketing, public relations, advertising, internal communications, social media and website creation. With corporate communications, you can use those methods to convey messages to your target audiences, including employees, reporters, customers or shareholders. You may find online and on-campus corporate communications programs in business, communication or journalism departments.
<table border="1"><tr><td> <b>Degrees</b> </td><td> Bachelor's and master's degrees; graduate certificates available</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Future Career Options</b> </td><td> Public relations, marketing, or communications</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Salary (2017)</b> </td><td> $111,280 (Median for all public relations and fundraising managers)</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i>
</p><h3 id="section---WhatCanIExpectFromABachelorSDegreeProgram">What Can I Expect From a Bachelor's Degree Program?</h3><p>Bachelor's programs in corporate communications are available as a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or a Bachelor of Science (B.S.). In general, a B.A. will include more liberal arts coursework than the B.S., whereas the B.S. will include more coursework within the major. Either degree will focus strongly on written and oral communications, strategic planning, digital media and media relations. You may also take a variety of business courses. You might be required to take capstone, internship or professional work experience courses that show you how the pieces of this broad field fit together. Courses often available within bachelor's programs include:
</p><ul><li>Advertising
</li><li>Media law
</li><li>Ethics
</li><li>Managing social media content
</li><li>Creating podcasts
</li><li>Event management
</li><li>Crisis communication
</li><li>Industry software
</li><li>Strategic writing
</li><li>Business management
</li><li>Budgets and deadlines
</li><li>Economics
</li><li>Finance
</li><li>Speeches and presentations
</li></ul><h3 id="section---HowDoGraduateCertificateProgramsWork">How Do Graduate Certificate Programs Work?</h3><p>If you have a degree in a communications field, such as public relations, marketing or web communications, you may find that a graduate certificate can help specialize your training. In addition to covering introductory topics of corporate communications, some certificates also allow you to select a concentration to study a particular area of interest. The following topics might be explored in a program of your choosing:
</p><ul><li>Business and leadership communication
</li><li>Strategic communication
</li><li>Public relations
</li><li>Advertising
</li><li>Legal communication
</li><li>Negotiation
</li></ul><h3 id="section---WhatCanIExpectFromAMasterSDegreeProgram">What Can I Expect From a Master's Degree Program?</h3><p>You can also find graduate-level training through programs like the Master of Science (M.S.) in Public Relations and Corporate Communications. Most programs require a bachelor's degree, which can be from any field. You may have the opportunity to choose a concentration which could prepare you for the job market. Common master's coursework includes:
</p><ul><li>Organizational communication
</li><li>Intercultural communication
</li><li>Digital networks
</li><li>Public relations management
</li><li>Human resources management
</li><li>Leadership
</li><li>Human services</li></ul>
