This degree offers a strong core of advertising, public relations, and communication courses, to engage students in a variety of professional communication environments. Students may pursue one of two emphases to allow deeper skill mastery in advertising or public relations.
Prepare yourself for a career in communication - learn to craft effective advertising, nurture productive relationships between organizations and important publics. Research shows that many communication professionals commonly move between advertising and public relations throughout their careers. The Bachelor of Science in Strategic Communication will engage you in a broad portfolio of courses to give you flexibility and increase your competitive edge in today's job market.
The 21-hour core presents a strong foundation that includes advertising, communication, and public relations classes. You will then specialize in one of two areas by choosing an emphasis from advertising or public relations. Throughout your coursework you will develop essential skills sought after in the workplace, including critical thinking, design, media (including online engagement), oral communication, and written communication.
A degree in strategic communication offers the flexibility of emphasizing in advertising or public relations (double emphases allowed). This will equip you with the strong communication skills, applied experience and in-depth understanding of consumer/audience behavior needed to achieve business communication goals and manage company reputations and retail purchases. Jobs related to your degree are available in nonprofit, for-profit and government organizations and entrepreneurial ventures.
Advertising:
To receive a bachelor's degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete at least 120 units of credit that minimally includes a major, the liberal studies requirements, and university requirements as listed below.
The full policy can be viewed here.
In addition to University Requirements:
Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.
| Minimum Units for Completion | 120 |
| Major GPA | 2.5 |
| Highest Mathematics Required | MAT 114 |
| Fieldwork Experience/Internship | Optional |
| University Honors Program | Optional |
| Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Plan | Optional |
| AZ Transfer Students complete AGEC-A | Recommended |
| Progression Plan Link | View Progression Plan |
| Emphasis Required | An emphasis is required for this major. |
Purpose Statement
Strategic Communication involves the development of planned communication efforts with target publics that focus on achieving a variety of communication outcomes. Students studying Strategic Communication develop an understanding of communication theory and how messages are spread among groups of people. They apply analytical skills to the development and evaluation of communication plans. They also master practical skills needed for the implementation of those communication plans.
Upon graduation, students emphasizing one area of strategic communication will often find themselves working closely with other professionals focusing on skills in other areas of Strategic Communication. However, the emphasis areas tend to differentiate from each other in the following broad ways.
Advertising emphasizes the use of paid media in communication efforts and will often focus more on specific calls to action. These students focus on advertising campaigns for digital and heritage media. They will develop skills relevant to planning ad campaigns and important aesthetic concepts in advertising.
Public Relations focuses more on the use of earned and owned media for the development and maintenance of ongoing relationships with important publics. Courses tend to focus on understanding the dynamics of group communication and developing strategies for building strong relationships between organizations and important publics. Coursework tends to focus on writing and oral communication skills for digital and analog channels, as well as communication analysis skills necessary for planning and evaluating communication efforts.
Strategic Communication Program Values
Student Learning Outcomes
Strategic Communication involves the development of planned communication efforts with target publics that focus on achieving a variety of communication outcomes. Program Level Student Learning Outcomes for the Strategic Communication BS can be broken into three broad categories: Conceptual, Practical, Analytical.
Conceptual
Practical
Analytical
Emphasis Level Learning Outcomes ¿ Advertising
Emphasis Level Learning Outcomes ¿ Public Relations
This major requires 42 units distributed as follows:
Take the following 42 units with a minimum GPA of 2.5:
Core Requirements (21 units)
Advertising Emphasis (21 units)
Public Relations Emphasis (21 units)
This program is available as an Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Plan wherein a student may start a master's degree while simultaneously completing their bachelor's degree.
While completing the Bachelor of Science in Strategic Communication, Students can start a Master of Arts in Communication - Strategic Communication Emphasis at NAU.
Students accepted into the Accelerated Program should complete the following requirements:
Major Requirements
This major requires 42 units distributed as follows:
Take the following 42 units with a minimum GPA of 2.5:
Advertising Emphasis (21 units)
*Note: The above three course options should be taken at the 500-level whenever possible; no more than two of the course options may be taken at the 400-level.
Public Relations Emphasis (21 units)
*Note: The above three course options should be taken at the 500-level whenever possible; no more than two of the course options may be taken at the 400-level.
Additional coursework is required if, after you have met the previously described requirements, you have not yet completed a total of 120 units of credit.
You may take these remaining courses from any of the academic areas, using these courses to pursue your specific interests and goals. You may also use prerequisites or transfer credits as electives if they weren't used to meet major, minor, or liberal studies requirements.
We encourage you to consult with your advisor to select the courses that will be most advantageous to you.
Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.