Communication Management, M.S.

LEW KLEIN COLLEGE OF MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION

About the Program

The Master of Science in Communication Management is a professionally oriented program focused on deep exploration of communication principles and practices. It features coursework in key areas such as audience analysis, communication strategies for emerging media, organizational communication, and research and data synthesis. Emphasizing strategic communication in the workplace and public communication, this program prepares entry-level and mid-career professionals to engage in effective communication campaigns as well as handle conflict and crisis management.

The program is offered completely online through an exciting combination of webinar and teleseminar courses. This combination allows students to learn through both online interaction with faculty as well as through learning resources that they may individually access at their convenience.

Time Limit for Degree Completion: 4 years

Campus Location: Online

Full-Time/Part-Time Status: The online program, which can be completed on a full- or part-time basis, is designed to be completed in one year. All courses are offered for seven weeks in synchronous or asynchronous formats, can be taken in any order, and have no prerequisites.

Areas of Specialization: Optional concentrations are offered in:

  • Conflict Management and Dispute Resolution
  • Strategic Communication and Cross-Cultural Leadership

Job Prospects: Graduates of the M.S. in Communication Management program have gained the effective executive skills to manage different organizational demands such as crisis management, cross-cultural conflict, employee dispute resolution, leading diverse teams, and responsible decision making in both corporate and non-corporate institutions. They are prepared to serve in corporate and nonprofit organizations, public and government relations, and public and political advocacy.

Non-Matriculated Student Policy: Non-matriculated students may take up to 9 credits before submitting an application.

Financing Opportunities: Funding is not available for this program.

Admission Requirements and Deadlines

Application Deadline:

Fall: February 15
Spring: November 1

Applications are processed as they arrive up to the deadline date.

APPLY ONLINE to this graduate program.

Letters of Reference:
Number Required: 2

From Whom: Letters of recommendation should be obtained from evaluators who are able to provide insight into the applicant's potential for professional achievement and aptitude for graduate study.

Bachelor's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline: All applicants must present credentials that are the equivalent of the baccalaureate degree at Temple University.

Statement of Goals: Include your special interests within the discipline and expectations for the program.

Standardized Test Scores:
GRE: Optional. If provided, scores at or above the 65th percentile are expected.

Applicants who earned their baccalaureate degree from an institution where the language of instruction was other than English, with the exception of those who subsequently earned a master’s degree at a U.S. institution, must report scores for a standardized test of English that meet these minimums:

  • TOEFL iBT: 105
  • IELTS Academic: 7.0
  • PTE Academic: 72

Resume: Current resume or curriculum vitae required.

Writing Sample: If you elect to not submit GRE scores, you are required to submit one of the options below so that your readiness and ability/potential to engage rigorously with graduate-level work can be assessed:

  1. Professional writing samples that you produced in a professional capacity, such as a project report, public relations release, or any internal communications. Please include a cover sheet indicating the purpose of the piece, intended audience, and if any analysis was done.
  2. Academic paper or published article. Please include a cover sheet identifying the course and term for which the academic paper was written or for what publication and on what date the material was published.

Program Requirements

General Program Requirements:
Number of Credits Required Beyond the Baccalaureate: 31

Required Courses:

Core Courses
CMGT 8101Data Driven Insights3
CMGT 8103Organizational Communication3
CMGT 8105Social Responsibility in Corporations and Not-for-Profit Organizations3
CMGT 8106Communication Theory for Professionals3
Additional Courses
CMGT 5001Communicating Organizational Leadership3
CMGT 5002Leadership in Crises and Conflict Management3
CMGT 5003Leading Diverse Teams3
CMGT 5004Cross-Cultural Leadership3
CMGT 5101Conflict Management Processes in the Workplace3
CMGT 5102Designing Workplace Dispute Systems3
Capstone Course
CMGT 8109Final Project1
Total Credit Hours31

Culminating Events:
Capstone Project:
CMGT 8109 constitutes the final project in Communication Management. It requires students to solve a critical communication problem (structural and/or procedural) affecting an organization’s ability to communicate efficiently or effectively at internal and/or external levels. The 20-minute video-recorded presentation allows students during their final academic term to reflect on and summarize relevant concepts, practices, and readings from their entire course of study.

Courses

CMGT 5001. Communicating Organizational Leadership. 3 Credit Hours.

This course focuses on reaching your leadership potential by assessing personal leadership styles and strengthening them through effective communication. You will understand how subtleties in communication and relationship management may have a huge impact on how an organization is run, defined and perceived. We will examine the forms of power and influence and how to become a trusted advisor with senior executives. This course is designed to help you shape a better future for yourself and the communities you serve.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

CMGT 5002. Leadership in Crises and Conflict Management. 3 Credit Hours.

Crisis and conflict can sharpen the thinking of your teammates, spark creativity and galvanize a virtual dispersed team. Or it can leave teammates speechless, defensive, squabbling and discouraged. Your leadership can make the difference. This course will show you how to step in, reach out and take charge of contentious issues, whether they surface in live meetings, e-mail volleys or teleconferences. It will equip you to surface the "real issues" that need to be faced and resolved, before they create a crisis. It will show you how to bridge cultural, personality, age, gender and professional differences to get the best of each other's thinking. And do all of this in a way that increases your credibility and advances your career.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

CMGT 5003. Leading Diverse Teams. 3 Credit Hours.

This program consists of 7 sessions designed to prepare individuals to both lead with pragmatic skills and, in addition, develop a theoretical understanding of the cultural, social, and communication dynamics at play within a highly diverse teamwork environment. The program will provide a rigorous theoretical framework for understanding how to work with a dynamic and diverse cross section of people who are brought together with specific skills and expertise to design and implement major organizational initiatives. Further, participants will be exposed to specific organizing structures that are used, including employees working together in multi-function, cross-geography and cross time zone teams.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

CMGT 5004. Cross-Cultural Leadership. 3 Credit Hours.

This course takes a communication approach to addressing the challenges and opportunities created by local and global leaders in fostering cross-cultural perspectives: providing a framework for looking at culture and leadership from a communication perspective; looking at the role of leadership in developing the needed competencies among organizational members for successful cross-cultural communication; and, proposing strategies for developing and maintaining cross-cultural communications for successful global undertakings.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

CMGT 5101. Conflict Management Processes in the Workplace. 3 Credit Hours.

This course provides a communication perspective on major third party intervention processes that are involved in organizational and workplace dispute systems and conflict management. Specifically, the course focuses on looking at the discursive processes that create meaning and resolve conflict through a third party involvement in ongoing conflict. Third party interventions for interest-based, rights-based and power-based approaches to dispute resolution are included. Specific attention is given to interest-based intervention processes including facilitated negotiation, conflict coaching, mediation, and facilitation. For these processes narrative theory foundations of these interventions are emphasized.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

CMGT 5102. Designing Workplace Dispute Systems. 3 Credit Hours.

This course introduces the theory and research on designing dispute resolution systems for complex organizations and the role of the conflict specialist in designing and assessing these systems. The course includes an analysis of organizational conflict dynamics so that dispute systems are designed to fit the workplace context and the conflict challenges in that workplace. Public sector and private sector organizations are considered, with emphasis on dispute systems for US organizations.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

CMGT 5201. Consulting and Consultation in Public Relations. 3 Credit Hours.

Whether operating externally or internally, and because of their unique position of viewing organizational environments and contexts among a wide range of stakeholders, communicators who wish to advance in their careers need to understand the role of a communications consultant to senior managers and executives. This course is designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills to hone their consultative abilities and become a valued and trusted voice to help executive decision making. This course will review the history and rise of consulting within organizations starting in the first-third of the 20th century, theories of effective influence and persuasion, what senior executives want and expect from their communication consultants, to the knowledge and skills communication consultants need to have so their counsel is taken seriously and valued by their clients and organizations. The course will consist of readings, discussions, simulations, and assignments.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

CMGT 5202. Storytelling through Innovation. 3 Credit Hours.

Storytelling through Innovation examines how technological advancement is impacting the field and communication with publics. Specifically, the course will focus on two ongoing areas of potential significant change in the way public relations professionals create messaging and storytelling to influence attitudes and behaviors: artificial intelligence and deep fake technology, and the ethical issues surrounding them that professional communicators should be dealing with. The concept of purpose will also be examined.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

CMGT 5203. Law and Ethics in Public Relations. 3 Credit Hours.

Law and ethics are crucial components of strategic communication practice. This course explores and supplies you with critical knowledge of these areas through theoretical perspectives; examination of essential and relevant law impacting professional communicators; analyses of ethical issues confronted by strategic communication professionals, organizational leaders, and community influencers; exploration of guidelines for legal compliance; discussions and case studies of ethical reasoning and practical, philosophical, and theoretical concerns affecting everyday matters of moral choice and of moral judgment; and current trends on these topics.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

CMGT 5583. Directed Readings in Communication Management. 1 to 3 Credit Hour.

This course provides study in particular aspects of communication management under the direct supervision of a full time graduate faculty member. No more than three semester hours of directed study may be counted toward degree requirements.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for a total of 3 credit.

CMGT 8101. Data Driven Insights. 3 Credit Hours.

Some of the most critical skills in modern communication management include a strong understanding of research methods, digital analytics, data driven insights, and performance evaluation. This course introduces you to these concepts, key metrics and their meaning. You will learn how to connect communications data to corporate goals, analyze digital metrics, find data driven insights, and present the data story in a compelling way. This course provides students with the basics of digital tools and the key metrics analyzed for communication disciplines. Students will learn some of the most common digital measuring and analytical tools in the industry and become better prepared for the modern communication world.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

CMGT 8103. Organizational Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

An organization is only as effective as its communication. Poor communication dynamics impact everyone within an organization, from the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to the evening maintenance staff. This course will approach organizational communication from three lenses: Power, networks of association, and ethical standards. It will offer an overview of a diverse range of communicative acts engaged within an organization at the individual, dyadic (i.e. two people), small group, and meso (i.e. organizational) levels. Students will also focus on how communication is enacted within and between these levels, and how these dynamics impact an organization achieving its goals. The digital, social, and mobile communication revolutions have not only created new opportunities for an organization to improve its communication effectiveness, but present a variety of challenges as well. This course will expose students to the risks and rewards provided by emerging technologies.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

CMGT 8105. Social Responsibility in Corporations and Not-for-Profit Organizations. 3 Credit Hours.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to a company's commitment to allocate resources to benefit society and the environment. The contributions may come in the form of financial support, employee time or socially beneficial business practices. At the heart of the matter are competing loyalties. Companies may have loyalties to their communities and the natural environment, but they must also be loyal to their shareholders and employees who rely on them to remain profitable. Ethically balancing loyalties in a company's relationships with publics as diverse as environmentalists, government agencies, unions, employees, stockholders, consumers and critics and advocates is a significant responsibility for public relations practitioners, and can have long-term impact on a company's financial performance, employee moral and productivity, and image, identity and reputation. This course introduces students to theories behind the concept of corporate social responsibility, and involves an examination of whether organizations should expand their focus from serving stockholders to also considering the impact of the firm's activities on diverse stakeholders. Practicing CSR requires a corporation meld business goals with societal expectations. To do so means addressing complex questions such as: What obligations do businesses have to the societies in which they operate? Can the interests of corporations and their outside stakeholders be aligned, or are they in inherent conflict? This course examines these and other questions without prescribing simple solutions.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

CMGT 8106. Communication Theory for Professionals. 3 Credit Hours.

This course introduces students to the concepts and principles of significant theories in the field of communication. The theories covered in this class are specifically chosen to enhance a student's understanding of the contemporary professional workplace experience. This course focuses on the social contexts and social dynamics that shape the modern organization. These contexts and social dynamics include interpersonal, organizational, group communication, mass media as well as persuasion, culture, and social media. An emphasis is placed on integrating these theories into the student's daily communication practices, areas of interest, and/or professional development.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

CMGT 8109. Final Project. 1 Credit Hour.

In this final project, each student will draw upon what s/he has learned in the M.S. in Communication Management program and apply it to a real-world situation. The final project will utilize specific skills, information, and concepts to solve a critical communication problem (structural and/or procedural) affecting an organization's ability to communicate efficiently or effectively at internal and/or external levels. In solving a problem, your strategic management plan needs to account for organizational employees, stakeholders, and customers. The format is a 20 minute video-recorded PowerPoint oral presentation to be submitted to the Department of Communication and Social Influence project evaluation committee.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

Contacts

Program Web Address:

https://klein.temple.edu/academics/graduate-programs/online-ms-communication-management

Department Information:

Lew Klein College of Media and Communication

Office of Research and Graduate Studies

2020 N. 13th Street, 344 Annenberg Hall

Philadelphia, PA 19122-6015

nmckenna@temple.edu

215-204-1497

Submission Address for Application Materials:

https://apply.temple.edu/Klein/

Department Contacts:

Admissions:

Nicole McKenna

nmckenna@temple.edu

215-204-1497

Kaitlin Pierce

kaitlin.pierce@temple.edu

215-204-8560