The Department of Strategic Communications offers a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a concentration in Strategic Organizational Communication and Social Media.
Strategic Organizational Communication
Do you want to master your one-on-one communication with others and apply that valuable skill to an organizational setting? If you do, then the Strategic Organizational Concentration is the right choice for your communication and career needs. In this area students choose two of three certificates in professional communication, interpersonal networking and sports communication.
With the professional communication certificate, you’ll learn presentational speaking skills while utilizing various technologies; gain experience engaging in employee, performance, and persuasive interviews; and learn the strategies and skills necessary for organizational mediation and arbitration.
With the interpersonal networking certificate, you’ll enhance your face-to-face and mediated communication skills in various relationships; explore the issues of gender and communication in a variety of contexts; and learn how to manage your image or personal brand.
With the sports communication certificate, you’ll evaluate sports information campaigns; learn the relationship between sports and communication; and you may either learn the legal and ethical considerations for sports media practitioners, the techniques of sports reporting, or the ethical components of journalism and sports information distribution.
Social Media
Do you have a fascination with developing content and utilizing various social media platforms to their fullest? If so, then the Social Media concentration will help you attain your future career goals. The Social Media concentration consists of two certificates: one in content creation and the other in social media management.
In the content creation certificate, you’ll learn how to construct websites; explore the principles of media image management and repair; and learn how to use photographs and video to convey messages.
For the social media management certificate, you’ll learn how to manage personal and professional social media messages; how to evaluate client-based projects; and delve into future social media forms , and their issues of authorship, community, identity, interactivity, and visually.
| COURSE | TITLE | S.H. |
|---|---|---|
| FIRST YEAR REQUIREMENT -STUDENT SUCCESS | ||
| YSU 1500 | Success Seminar | 1-2 |
| or YSU 1500S | Youngstown State University Success Seminar | |
| or HONR 1500 | Intro to Honors | |
| General Education Requirements | ||
| ENGL 1550 | Writing 1 | 3-4 |
| or ENGL 1549 | Writing 1 with Support | |
| ENGL 1551 | Writing 2 | 3 |
| GE: Mathematics Course *Any approved GE: Math, MATH 2623/2623C recommended | 3 | |
| Arts and Humanities (6 s.h.) | ||
| GE: Arts and Humanities | 3 | |
| GE: Arts and Humanities | 3 | |
| Natural Sciences (7 s.h.) | ||
| GE: Natural Science | 3 | |
| GE: Natural Science with Lab | 4 | |
| Social Science (6 s.h.) | ||
| CMST 2610 | Intercultural Communication *required for major | 3 |
| MCOM 1595 | Media Literacy and Culture *required for major | 3 |
| General Education Elective (9 s.h.) | ||
| CMST 1545 | Communication Foundations *1545 or 2620 is required for major | 3 |
| or CMST 2620 | Science Communication | |
| GE: General Education Elective | 3 | |
| GE: General Education Elective | 3 | |
| Major Requirements | ||
| CMST 1500 | Exploring Communication | 3 |
| CMST 2600 | Communication Theory | 3 |
| CMST 2655 | Communication in Groups | 3 |
| CMST 2656 | Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| CMST 3700 | Quantitative Communication Research | 3 |
| CMST 3710 | Qualitative Communication Research | 3 |
| CMST 3756 | Interviewing | 3 |
| CMST 3790 | Personal Brand Communication | 3 |
| CMST 4896 | Communication Internship | 3 |
| or CMST 4859 | Organizational Cultures | |
| Required Support Courses *MCOM 1595 is a support course and Gen Ed | ||
| JOUR 2602 | Media Writing | 3 |
| MCOM 3711 | Social Media Content Creation | 3 |
| ENGL 3743 | Introduction to Public, Professional and Technical Writing | 3 |
| Concentration Requirements | 18 | |
| Senior Capstone | ||
| CMST 4899 | Senior Project | 3 |
| Free Electives *Hours will vary based on what is needed for 120 SH | 25 | |
| Student must complete a minimum of 39 SH of Upper-Level Courses (3700-5800) | ||
| Total Semester Hours | 120-122 | |
Social Media Concentration
| COURSE | TITLE | S.H. |
|---|---|---|
| Social Media Concentration | ||
| CMST 2630 | Social Media Literacy | 3 |
| CMST 3740 | Social Media Communication Strategy and Tactics | 3 |
| CMST 4850 | Social Media Campaigns | 3 |
| CMST 4851 | Communication Futures: Emerging Technologies and Trends | 3 |
| Communication Electives (Select 2 Courses) | 6 | |
| Presentational Speaking | ||
| Gender Communication | ||
| Argumentation and Advocacy | ||
| CE Argumentation and Advocacy | ||
| Interpersonal Communication Relationships | ||
| Leadership, Diversity, and Belongingness in the Modern Workplace | ||
| Conflict Management and Negotiation | ||
| Communication for Instructors and Trainers | ||
| Persuasion and New Media | ||
| Total Semester Hours | 18 | |
Strategic Organizational Communication Concentration
| COURSE | TITLE | S.H. |
|---|---|---|
| Strategic Organizational Communication Concentration | ||
| Select 6 Courses from the list below | 18 | |
| Presentational Speaking | ||
| Gender Communication | ||
| Argumentation and Advocacy | ||
| Interpersonal Communication Relationships | ||
| Leadership, Diversity, and Belongingness in the Modern Workplace | ||
| Communication for Instructors and Trainers | ||
| Conflict Management and Negotiation | ||
| Persuasion and New Media | ||
| Total Semester Hours | 18 | |
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | S.H. | |
| CMST 1500 | Exploring Communication | 3 |
| CMST 1545 | Communication Foundations | 3 |
| CMST 2655 | Communication in Groups | 3 |
| ENGL 1550 or ENGL 1549 | Writing 1 or Writing 1 with Support | 3-4 |
| YSU 1500 | Success Seminar or Youngstown State University Success Seminar or Intro to Honors | 1-2 |
| GE: Arts and Humanities | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 16-18 | |
| Spring | ||
| CMST 2600 | Communication Theory | 3 |
| CMST 2630 | Social Media Literacy | 3 |
| CMST 2656 | Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| MCOM 1595 | Media Literacy and Culture | 3 |
| ENGL 1551 | Writing 2 | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| CMST 2610 | Intercultural Communication | 3 |
| JOUR 2602 | Media Writing | 3 |
| MCOM 3711 | Social Media Content Creation | 3 |
| GE: General Education Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| CMST 3790 | Personal Brand Communication | 3 |
| CMST 3740 | Social Media Communication Strategy and Tactics | 3 |
| GE: Arts and Humanities | 3 | |
| GE: Math | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall | ||
| CMST 3700 | Quantitative Communication Research | 3 |
| CMST 4850 | Social Media Campaigns | 3 |
| ENGL 3743 | Introduction to Public, Professional and Technical Writing | 3 |
| GE: General Education Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| CMST 3710 | Qualitative Communication Research | 3 |
| CMST 3756 | Interviewing | 3 |
| Communication Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| CMST 4851 | Communication Futures: Emerging Technologies and Trends | 3 |
| CMST 4859 or CMST 4896 | Organizational Cultures or Communication Internship | 3 |
| GE: Natural Science | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| CMST 4899 | Senior Project | 3 |
| Communication Elective | 3 | |
| GE: Natural Science with Lab | 4 | |
| Free Elective | 2 | |
| Free Elective | 2-0 | |
| Semester Hours | 14-12 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 120 | |
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Regardless of track, students graduating with a B.A. degree in communication will meet the following learning outcomes:
LO 1: Collect, analyze, and report qualitative and quantitative data, demonstrating information literacy, critical thinking, and problem solving.
LO 2: Effectively employ mediated communication technologies, including their features, functions and applications.
LO 3: Create professional, coherent and organized oral messages, which adapt to various purposes and audiences.
LO 4: Embrace individual and cultural differences, respect diverse perspectives, and create messages that accommodate differences to be prepared for multicultural workplaces.
LO 5: Apply communication theory and concepts for personal communication and professional career readiness.