Why Earn an Online Master’s in Communication?

Woman exercising communication skills to facilitate business team meeting in office loft

An online Master’s in Communication degree can be an excellent way to move up in your career. By helping you gain expertise in communications best practices, a Communications Master’s degree can give you a competitive advantage in today’s job marketplace in a variety of sectors and positions. Improved skills in presenting, writing and research can help prepare you to communicate to multiple audiences through Spring Arbor University’s online Master of Arts in Strategic Leadership and Communication program, while your online portfolio can emphasize the development of your personal and professional calling.

What Jobs Can I Get With a Master’s Degree in Communications?

Graduates of online Master’s in Communication programs can become prepared for employment in senior positions in public relations, advertising, corporate communications, marketing and management. The Bureau of Labor Statistics updates in March 2018 indicate the following as some of the mean annual salaries in communications-related fields:

Public Relations and Fundraising Managers - $163,670
Advertising and Promotions Managers - $143,570
General and Operations Managers - $164,260
Marketing Managers - $158,790
Writers and Editors - $79,710

Why Is Honesty Important in Strategic Communications?

The digital age has brought the immediacy of information to anyone who can access an internet connection. Being a leader in strategy, leadership and communication means knowing the latest digital tools and strategies, exercising innovative thinking and priding oneself on being a genuine communicator. When discerning the truth in public discourse can be challenging, readers automatically search for trustworthy sources of information they can count on. Keeping it real with a Communications Master’s degree online, such as the one offered by Spring Arbor University, is an effective way to prepare to communicate as a strategic leader. Gaining people’s trust is critical whether you are working in public relations, consulting, corporate relations or as a leader in senior management.

Keeping it real once you have completed the required online communications courses to attain an online Master’s in Communication involves creating a strong strategic communications portfolio that showcases the breadth of your work. In one example of a meaningful personal portfolio in strategic communications, a creative Communications professional developed an entrepreneurial project which exemplified their ability to make strides in a non-profit setting.

Transforming in a Communications Master’s Degree by Mastering Your Own Calling

Whatever your field, if you are able to create a genuine message as a professional communicator, you possess a skill of real value. One way to develop real, effective communications skills to convey your organization’s message is to master the development of your own calling. Spring Arbor University’s online Master’s in Communication program explores the meaning of vocation as a communicator in corporate life and leadership based on Christian principles. Under the guidance of faculty members who are seasoned mentors, part of the Communications Master’s degree program involves self-examination of one’s own beliefs and principles to form the backbone of what will ultimately become the genuine truth of one’s work. This clarity of purpose in students develops into a mastery of creating and delivering concise communication.

Authenticity in strategic communications can make a company’s messaging particularly impactful because of its honesty. A Communications Master’s degree can ready Bachelor-prepared students for personal and professional growth in the dynamic field of strategic communications by helping them develop leadership skills and providing the guidance to further hone their craft to a level of expertise.

Honesty Builds Engagement In Communication

When communication stays real, engagement has the potential to grow because the audience believes an organization’s message and develops a stake in it. Just as readers seek out the differences between greed and ambition, audiences in the digital age have sharpened skills in detecting misinformation. They gravitate toward communication they perceive to be the most authentic. The need for genuine communication was succinctly expressed by Dr. Mark Fackler, a member of Spring Arbor University’s online Communications Master’s degree faculty, when he said,

"I would like to see more effort put to transparency, soul searching and finding a common bond. The better angels of our nature. We'll find unity if we try for it. Corporately. Nationally. Take off the mask and have the Com to Jesus moment and get real."

What is the Definition of Message in Communications?

A message involves communication of an idea from a sender to a receiver, and is at the very center of strategic communications. When a company’s message is aligned with its strategy, the message will essentially communicate what the company wants to convey to achieve its goals. Effective communicators transfer information in such a way that people understand a message’s purpose.

For more information please see What Is the Value of Mentorship in a Master’s Program and Spring Arbor University Master of Communications Graduate Becomes Professor of Media Studies at Missional.