Be part of this new and exciting major in our state-of-the-art communication and media facility! We have the studios, software, and award-winning faculty to help you create, write and direct innovative, inspirational, and motivational campaigns for leading brands, companies, and causes.
You will also learn how to buy and place targeted messages across a growing range of paid social, digital, and traditional media platforms.
Part of your coursework will be taught in the new Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication, a state-of-the-art communications lab that is home to the latest content creation apps, social listening platforms and consumer insights tools.
When you graduate from this exciting program, you will have a portfolio of creative work that will prepare you to quickly land a job in one of the fastest-growing fields in the world.
In addition to the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication, the School of Communication and Media has industry-leading facilities and technology to help students master the art of digital storytelling and advertising. At the school’s news station, radio station, newspaper, sports network, and strategic communications agency, students create content and promotional campaigns to reach the right audience at the right place at the right time.
The School of Communication and Media houses state-of-the-art, fully equipped technology spaces including a Social Listening suite, film, television, and audio recording studios.
The Montclair State University campus offers stunning views of the New York City skyline, reinforcing that the media capital of the world is in our backyard. Before our career services team supports your search for an off-campus internship and full-time job, you can join Hawk Communications, a student-led strategic communications agency that works on university initiatives and with local and regional brands and nonprofits. Taken as a three-credit course, Hawk Communications allows students to sharpen their strategic and tactical communication skills to advance its clients’ business objectives.
The Advertising curriculum comprises 120 credits of coursework.
Coursework in this major focuses on:
Fundamentals of Public Relations and Advertising: Students learn the basic theories, history, ethical codes, and practices of public relations and advertising. Topics include media relations, media assessment, promotions. public relations strategies and ethics. Students will also begin to understand the nuances of strategic communication through cases, scenarios, and applications.
Multimedia Production for Strategic Communication: This course explores basic media production techniques. Students will learn basic content production skills, including visual and multimedia communication. Students will also learn to discern the expectations and markers of excellence for produced media.
Brand Storytelling in Strategic Communication: This course reflects the new reality that brand communication is no longer the sole dominion of advertising and fulfills the broader expectation of organizational messaging and multi-media content.
Social Media Analytics: This course introduces concepts, frameworks, and methods for analyzing and understanding how organizations and brands can employ social media analytics tools in strategizing, implementing, and evaluating viral public relations, advertising, and marketing campaigns. Students will also learn various analytics tools and techniques to interpret various types of social media data.
Advertising-specific Coursework includes:
Explore creative theory and the writing skills necessary to create powerful and compelling copy across web, mobile, radio, TV, and print advertising. Students will also learn the importance of teamwork and design while visiting some of the world’s best ad shops and hearing from their award-winning copywriters, art directors and creative directors.
Investigate the actions and motivations that define choices we make and explores the cognitive, affective, and social dimensions of consumers. Techniques of investigating consumer behavior will be considered with application to elements relevant to advertising.
Understand basic media planning concepts, strategies, and tactics. Students will also learn to evaluate and decide where and when to buy and place advertisements to achieve marketing, advertising, and business objectives. This course also explores the challenges strategic communicators face in today’s highly niched media market.
Students learn how to work with clients and develop a comprehensive advertising campaigns for the client and/or its products and services.
Each program (e.g., Social Media & Public Relations and Advertising) offered in the Strategic Communication area is designed for four semesters of academic work within the major. This will allow students to take all core classes and participate in professionally enriching supplemental activities and courses such as WMSC Radio, The Montclarion newspaper, Hawk Communications PR/Strategic Communications Agency, the Red Hawk Sports Network, Hawk+ OTT streaming platform, News Lab, and, participation in campaign contests such as the PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition.
According to the Board of Labor Statistics, “Overall employment of advertising, promotions, and marketing managers is projected to grow 6 percent from 2019 to 2029, faster than the average for all occupations.” And despite the challenges of navigating Covid-19, industry analysts have predicted strong continued growth of the advertising industry, reaching $876 billion globally by 2026. That expected growth comes with the continued ascent of digital services, social media platforms, cloud-based gaming systems, and the ubiquity of Internet-connected mobile and computing devices. With the ongoing shift in the media industry and world-wide consumption habits, the advertising industry is poised for continued success and growth through the ease of reaching consumers via multi-media messaging. As such, the industry demands highly educated and skilled professionals who are prepared to use a confluence of data, analytics, and a keen understanding of messaging to effectively lead this evolving industry.
Additional professional and career-related sources:
“Now that I am an MSU graduate, I can advise a high school student to apply to MSU for its phenomenal communications school. The professors are extremely supportive and encouraging, and always willing to help you succeed in your academic career. The faculty and staff at MSU and specifically, the School of Communication and Media will guide and prepare you for the real world.” Kristin Chang ‘21
“The School of Communication and Media is a great choice because so many professors have had successful careers and can teach from their experiences. The professors truly care about you and as long as you put your best foot forward and show that you are trying your best, they will do anything they can to help you succeed and get your first job.” Alma Cats, ‘21
“I started my freshman year undeclared, and it was not until I took my first School of Communication and Media class that I knew I picked the right school. SCM is filled with some of the most knowledgeable and kindest professors. They have connections across every industry and truly prepare their students for life post-grad. SCM also has state of the art technology that one can expect to interact with and use during their career.” Stevie Vallellanes, ‘21
- Location:
- Morehead Hall, Room 148
- Email:
- bentonb@montclair.edu