Communication BA / Strategic & Digital Communication MS

Major: Communication and Strategic & Digital Communication
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science (BA) and Master of Science (MS)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 225.0
Co-op Options: One Co-op (Five years); Three Co-ops (Five years)
BA Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code:
 09.0199; 09.0900; 09.000
BA Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 11-2011
MS Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code:
 09.0909
MS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 11-2011

About the Program

The ability to communicate effectively is one of the most sought-after skills by prospective employers across many industries. Drexel University is committed to building this strong foundation through the Accelerated Communication degree, which enables academically qualified students to earn both a bachelor's and master’s degree—graduating sooner than they would in traditional programs. While enrolled in the accelerated program, students can still participate in co-op, study abroad and other programs characteristic of the Drexel experience. Graduates of the accelerated degree enter the workforce one year sooner with the benefits of a Master’s degree in Strategic and Digital Communication, using the year saved to gain full-time experience and earn a salary in the field.

The BA in Communication program requires 180.0 UG credits and is committed to helping students become broadly educated and professionally competent communicators. Students are exposed to a variety of media and are guided in the development of their interpretive and expressive skills. Students may complete the BA in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations, Journalism, or Communication and Media Studies. Independent of their chosen concentration, all BA in Communication majors take a common core of courses that emphasize communication theory and methods, as well as a modern language.

Students in the Public Relations concentration take courses and pursue careers in public relations, event planning, media relations, social media, and corporate communication. Journalism students take courses and pursue careers as reporters, copyeditors, editors, and media specialists. Students in the Communication and Media Studies concentration have the flexibility of crafting their path through the major to design an academically rigorous, inclusive program of study around expanding media’s potential to positively transform the self and society.

Drexel’s Master of Science in Strategic and Digital Communication requires 45.0 credits, and prepares students for careers in a wide range of professional activities relating to communication in both media environments and communication contexts that are characterized by advanced digitization.

With a robust core curriculum consisting of seven courses (21.0 credits), the program provides a strong foundation in theoretical approaches to communication, ethics, and media/communication policy. This theoretical basis is designed to ensure that, as the field changes, students will continue to have an intellectual framework for evaluating and implementing new technology and changing media environments. Furthermore, the program trains students in leadership skills that will help them to lead teams to be innovative communication professionals in digitized media environments and different organizational communication contexts.

The program emphasizes flexibility, encouraging each student, in consultation with a faculty advisor, to craft an individual course of study tailored to the student’s individual interests and career goals. Throughout the curriculum, students use four Communication electives (12.0 credits) to increase communication skills or to further develop areas of specialization. An additional four free elective courses (12.0 credits) can be taken in Communication or in other departments across the university, allowing students to continue to tailor their plan of study. 

The program specializes in two areas:

  • Strategic Communication (public relations)
  • Digital and Social Media Communication

Strategic Communication

Strategic Communication has much to offer for those looking to work in public relations as well as for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Students typically choose from courses such as PR Writing and Planning courses, Crisis Communication, Media Relations, Nonprofit Communication, and others.

Digital Communication

With Communication being an area characterized by ongoing digitization, the program offers courses such as Strategic Social Media Communication, Digital Publishing, Digital Media Environments, Social Media Concepts That Matter, and others.

Additional Information

For more information, visit the MS in Strategic and Digital Communication webpage.

Contact Julia May, Director of the MS in Strategic and Digital Communication program, at julia.may@drexel.edu for additional information.

Admission Requirements

Both incoming freshmen and current Communication majors are eligible to apply for this program. Students who are already matriculated may apply after completing a minimum of 90.0 credits but no more than 120.0 credits. Applicants must have a minimum 3.0 GPA and maintain this GPA throughout the accelerated program.

In addition to formally applying, already matriculated applicants must provide:

  • The name of two faculty references who can speak to the applicant’s academic qualifications and preparedness for graduate studies.
  • A writing sample consisting of a written response to a series of questions about the applicant's interest in the program.
  • A brief 2-3 minute video in which the applicant introduces himself/herself to the admissions committee and discusses their career goals.

Applicants who already received preliminary acceptance in the accelerated degree program as freshmen should finish the application process after completing a minimum of 90.0 undergraduate credits but no more than 120.0 credits with a GPA of 3.0. Students accepted as incoming freshmen need to submit:

  • The name of one faculty reference who can speak to the applicant's academic qualifications and preparedness for graduate studies. The admissions committee might request the name of a second reference as needed. 
  • A writing sample consisting of a written response to a series of questions about the applicant's interest in the program.

Applications are due by the end of week 6 for a program start in the following quarter. Example: If you intend to start the program in the Winter quarter, your application is due by the end of week 6 in the Fall quarter. Please reach out to the program director, Dr. Julia May, as soon as you decide to apply so we can assist you throughout the application process.  

Additional Information

For more information, contact Dr. Julia May, Director of the MS in Strategic and Digital Communication program, at julia.may@drexel.edu.

Degree Requirements

BA Communication Requirements
University Requirements
CIVC 101Introduction to Civic Engagement1.0
COOP 101Career Management and Professional Development *1.0
ENGL 101Composition and Rhetoric I: Inquiry and Exploratory Research3.0
or ENGL 111 English Composition I
ENGL 102Composition and Rhetoric II: Advanced Research and Evidence-Based Writing3.0
or ENGL 112 English Composition II
ENGL 103Composition and Rhetoric III: Themes and Genres3.0
or ENGL 113 English Composition III
UNIV H101The Drexel Experience1.0
UNIV H201Looking Forward: Academics and Careers1.0
College of Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum **
Developing Quantitative Reasoning **6.0-8.0
Two courses in MATH based on placement exams OR
Symbolic Logic I
Symbolic Logic II
Engaging the Natural World **6.0-8.0
Analyzing Cultures & Histories **6.0-8.0
Understanding Society & Human Behavior **6.0-8.0
Cultivating Global Competence **6.0-8.0
Perspectives in Diversity **3.0-4.0
Communication Major Requirements
Theory and Key Concepts12.0
Human Communication
Mass Media and Society
Theory and Models of Communication
Introduction to Linguistics
Language and Society
Methods Sequence6.0
Qualitative Research Methods
Quantitative Research Methods in Communication
Public Relations Research, Measurement and Evaluation
Application Sequence6.0
Senior Project in Communication I
Senior Project in Communication II
Concentration Requirements21.0-24.0
Communication and Media Studies Concentration Requirements
Communication Resources for Media Studies
Communication Past and Present
Select five communication and media studies electives from the list below:
Current Events in Media and Communication
Children and Media
Media and Identity
Diversity in Media
Sports and the Mass Media
Environmental Communication
Film, Celebrity and the Environmental Movement
Celebrity and Authenticity
English Worldwide
Ethnography of Communication
Journalists, the Courts, and the Law
Special Topics in Communication Theory
Special Topics in Communication Theory
Special Topics in Communication Theory
Gender & Black Popular Culture
Politics of Hip Hop
Introduction to Global Media, Arts, and Cultures
Ethics and the Media
Public Relations Concentration Requirements
Introduction to Journalism
Public Relations Principles and Theory
Strategic Social Media Communication
Reputation Management in Public Relations
Public Relations Writing in the Digital Age
Public Relations Strategies and Tactics
Public Relations Campaign Planning
Journalism Concentration Requirements
Introduction to Journalism
Sourcing Challenges in Journalism
Advanced Journalism
Multiplatform Journalism
Copy Editing for the Media
Investigative Journalism
Journalists, the Courts, and the Law
Critiques of Journalism and News Media
Communication Electives18.0-21.0
Select an additional six or seven COM (100-499) courses depending on the concentration
Free Electives68.0
MS Strategic & Digital Communication Requirements
Required Core Courses
COM 500Reading & Research in Communication3.0
COM 574Organizational Communication in Project Management3.0
COM 610Theories of Communication and Persuasion3.0
COM 613Ethics for Professional Communication3.0
COM 615Media Environments in a Digital World3.0
COM 651Media and Communication Policy in a Digitized World3.0
COM 698Managing Communication Professionals' Identities in a Digital Age3.0
Program Electives12.0
Choose four of the following courses:
Campaigns for Health and Environment
Communicating Health and Risk in a ‘Fake News’ World
Science Writing
Document Design and Usability
Modern Desktop Publishing
Digital Publishing
Strategic Social Media Communication
Copy Editing
Foundations of Public Relations
Public Relations Writing
Public Relations Planning
Media Relations in a Digital Age
Crisis Communication
Creative Content Production
Fundamentals of Journalism & Newswriting
International Negotiations
Event Planning
Grant Writing
Nonprofit Communication
Communication for Civic Engagement
Focus Groups
Strategic International Communication
Graduate Seminar in Communication
Social Media Concepts that Matter
Investigative Journalism
Independent Study in COM
Independent Study in COM
Special Topics in Communication
Special Topics in Communication
Graduate Electives ***12.0
Total Credits225.0-239.0
*

Students not participating in co-op will take one additional credit of free elective instead of COOP 001.

Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major. 

COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.

**

See Core Curriculum List for complete list of course options.

***

Students can select up to 12.0 credits of graduate-level electives (500-799) in the following subject areas (AADM, AAML, ACCT, BUSN, CCM, CHP, COM, CRTV, CW, DIGM, ECON, EDAM, EDHE, EDLT, EDUC, ENTP, ENVP, ENVS, EOH, HMP, HRM, LING, MGMT, MGMT, MKTG, MUSL, NPM, ORGB, PBHL, PLCY, PROJ, PRST, RMER, SCRP, SCTS, SMT, TVMN). Other graduate courses outside these areas might be taken pending approval from the graduate advisor or program director.

Writing-Intensive Course Requirements

In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.

A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Program. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term.

Sample Plan of Study

4+1, 1 co-op (Accelerated program completed in 5 years)

Students complete undergraduate requirements in four years, then convert to graduate status in the fifth and final year.

First Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COM 1013.0CIVC 1011.0ENGL 103 or 1133.0VACATION
COM 1503.0COOP 101*1.0Analyzing Cultures & Histories3.0-4.0 
ENGL 101 or 1113.0ENGL 102 or 1123.0(UG) COM Elective3.0 
UNIV H1011.0(UG) Concentration Requirements6.0(UG) Concentration Requirement3.0 
Cultivating Global Competence3.0-4.0Developing Quantitative Reasoning3.0-4.0Engaging the Natural World3.0-4.0 
Developing Quantitative Reasoning3.0-4.0   
 16-18 14-15 15-17 0
Second Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COM 2103.0COM 221 or 2843.0(UG) COM Elective3.0Cultivating Global Competence3.0-4.0
COM 2203.0LING 101 or 1023.0(UG) Free Electives9.0(UG) Free Electives14.0
Analyzing Cultures & Histories3.0-4.0(UG) COM Elective3.0Understanding Society & Human Behavior3.0-4.0 
(UG) COM Elective3.0(UG) Concentration Requirement3.0  
Engaging the Natural World3.0-4.0Understanding Society & Human Behavior3.0-4.0  
 15-17 15-16 15-16 17-18
Third Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COOP EXPERIENCECOOP EXPERIENCEUNIV H2011.0(UG) COM Elective3.0
  (UG) Concentration Requirement3.0(UG) Concentration Requirement3.0
  (UG) Free Electives9.0(UG) Free Electives9.0
  Perspectives in Diversity3.0-4.0COM 5743.0
  (GR) SDC Program Elective3.0 
 0 0 19-20 18
Fourth Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COM 4913.0COM 4923.0(UG) COM Elective3.0Student converts to Graduate Status
(UG) Concentration Requirement3.0(UG) COM Elective3.0(UG) Free Electives9.0 
(UG) Free Electives9.0(UG) Free Electives9.0COM 6153.0 
COM 6133.0COM 6513.0(GR) SDC Program Elective3.0 
  Student graduates with BA degree 
 18 18 18 0
Fifth Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCredits 
COM 5003.0COM 6103.0COM 6983.0 
(GR) Graduate Elective3.0(GR) Graduate Elective3.0(GR) Graduate Electives6.0 
(GR) SDC Program Elective3.0(GR) SDC Program Elective3.0  
 9 9 9 
Total Credits 225-236
*

Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major. 

COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.

5+0, 3 co-op, Co-terminal (Accelerated program completed in 5 years)

Students take graduate courses in the third, fourth, and fifth years, while finishing their undergraduate requirements. They receive both BA and MS at the end of the fifth year.

First Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COM 1013.0CIVC 1011.0ENGL 103 or 1133.0VACATION
COM 1503.0COOP 101*1.0Analyzing Cultures & Histories3.0-4.0 
ENGL 101 or 1113.0ENGL 102 or 1123.0(UG) COM Electives6.0 
UNIV H1011.0(UG) Concentration Requirements6.0(UG) Concentration Requirement3.0 
Cultivating Global Competence3.0-4.0Cultivating Global Competence3.0-4.0Engaging the Natural World3.0-4.0 
Developing Quantitative Reasoning 3.0-4.0Developing Quantitative Reasoning 3.0-4.0  
 16-18 17-19 18-20 0
Second Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COOP EXPERIENCECOOP EXPERIENCECOM 2103.0COM 221 or 2843.0
  COM 2203.0LING 101 or 1023.0
  Analyzing Cultures & Histories3.0-4.0(UG) COM Elective3.0
  (UG) COM Elective3.0(UG) Concentration Requirement3.0
  Engaging the Natural World3.0-4.0(UG) Free Elective3.0
   Understanding Society & Human Behavior3.0-4.0
 0 0 15-17 18-19
Third Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COOP EXPERIENCECOOP EXPERIENCE(UG) COM Elective3.0(UG) Concentration Requirement3.0
COM 5003.0COM 6103.0(UG) Concentration Requirement3.0(UG) Free Electives9.0
  (UG) Free Electives6.0Perspectives in Diversity3.0-4.0
  Understanding Society & Human Behavior 3.0-4.0COM 5743.0
  (GR) SDC Program Elective3.0 
 3 3 18-19 18-19
Fourth Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
COOP EXPERIENCECOOP EXPERIENCEUNIV H2011.0(UG) COM Elective3.0
COM 6133.0COM 6513.0(UG) Concentration Requirement3.0(UG) Free Electives12.0
  (UG) Free Electives9.0(GR) SDC Program Elective3.0
  COM 6153.0 
  (GR) SDC Program Elective3.0 
 3 3 19 18
Fifth Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCredits 
COM 4913.0COM 4923.0(UG) COM Elective3.0 
(UG) Free Electives9.0(UG) Free Electives9.0(UG) Free Electives11.0 
(GR) Graduate Elective3.0(GR) Graduate Electives6.0COM 6983.0 
(GR) SDC Program Elective3.0 (GR) Graduate Elective3.0 
 18 18 20 
Total Credits 225-236
*

Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major. 

COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.

Communication Faculty

Ronald Bishop, III, PhD (Temple University). Professor. Investigative reporting, sports journalism, journalism history, journalism sourcing patterns, textual narrative and ideological analysis, cultural history of fame.
Karen Cristiano, MS (Temple University) Assistant Department Head of Communication. Teaching Professor. Journalism, medical writing, feature writing, copy editing, mass media and society.
Richard Forney Assistant Teaching Professor. Broadcast journalism technology and the effects of new technologies on personal and corporate communication skills.
Ernest A. Hakanen, PhD (Temple University) Director, Graduate Programs in Communication, Culture & Media. Professor. Telecommunications policy, adolescent media use, communication theory and history, global media, and semiotics.
Alexander Jenkins, PhD (Drexel University). Assistant Teaching Professor. Digital games, video games, emotion, morality, online fan communities, emerging media, convergence.
Nahyun Kim, PhD (Penn State University). Tenure Track Assistant Professor. Strategic communication, organizational communication, political consumerism, quantitative methods (experiments, survey, content analysis, computational text analysis).
Hyunmin Lee, PhD (University of Missouri) Director, Undergraduate Programs in Communication. Associate Professor. Social media strategies for relationship and reputation management in public relations; media messages of public health issues and its psychological and behavioral effects on the public.
Julia May, PhD (Drexel University) Director, Strategic and Digital Communication MS Program. Associate Teaching Professor. Political communication; international politics and its news coverage; public opinion; transatlantic relations; war, torture and human rights; debate in the public sphere.
Alexander Nikolaev, PhD (Florida State University). Associate Professor. Public relations, political communication, organizational communication, mass communication, international communications and negotiations, communications theory.
Douglas V. Porpora, PhD (Temple University). Professor. War, genocide, torture, and human rights; macro-moral reasoning in public sphere debate; contemporary social theory moral and political communication; religion.
Rachel R. Reynolds, PhD (University of Illinois). Associate Professor. Sociolinguistics, ethnography of communication and discourse analysis; violence against women in mass media; political economy of migration; semiotics including the textual, the visual and multimodal.
Rosemary Rys, MA (Rowan University). Assistant Teaching Professor. Public relations and marketing.
Wesley Shumar, PhD (University of Pennsylvania). Professor. Digital media and learning; culture of higher education; entrepreneurship education; craft culture; semiotic of consumer culture.
Allan Stegeman, MA (University of Houston). Teaching Professor. Communication, technology and mass media, video.
Scott Tattar, BA (York College of Pennsylvania) Faculty Advisor, Drexel PRSSA, Communication Department Recruitment Liaison. Instructor. Public relations
Hilde Van den Bulck, PhD (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) Department Head of Communication. Professor. Political economy of media structures; media policies for digitized media ecologies; stakeholders and coalitions in media policies; digitization; convergence and legacy media; public (service) media; celebrity culture and industry; fandom and anti-fandom.
Asta Zelenkauskaite, PhD (Indiana University). Associate Professor. Social media; user-generated content; computer-mediated communication; interactivity; active audience analysis; mobile communication; gender and online identity; prosumer culture; internet of things; quantitative/qualitative research.

Emeritus Faculty

Alexander Friedlander, PhD (Carnegie Mellon University). Associate Professor. Rhetorical theory and practice, document design, writing and technology.
Lawrence Souder, PhD (Temple University) Director, Drexel Edits. Teaching Professor. Science and technical writing, communication ethics, nonprofit communication.
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