Purdue University's Brian Lamb School of Communication and College of Education - Online Master of Science Programs in Communication and Corporate Training

Purdue University offers two fully online master’s programs that focus on applied communication in professional settings. The first is an online Master of Science in Communication for working professionals who want to advance their careers in strategic communication across diverse professional environments. The second is a Master of Science in Corporate Training and Communication. The majority of classes for both programs use asynchronous instruction, allowing students to complete coursework on their own schedule instead of attending live online classes at a specific time, though students must submit their coursework by assigned deadlines. Students use an online course management platform to interact with peers via discussion boards and chat, as well as complete assignments and access class emails.

The Master of Science in Communication program is offered through Purdue University’s Brian Lamb School of Communication. It consists of 30 credits divided across 10 courses, which students can complete within 12-20 months, depending on whether they are full-time or part-time. There are five academic concentration options to choose from: Strategic Communication and Public Relations; Branding and Marketing Communication; Digital Media and Communication Technologies; Health Communication; and Management Communication and Leadership. Regardless of their selected concentration, all students complete core courses that cover strategic communication, communication ethics, and communication research methods.

After satisfying core curriculum requirements, students pursue a course of study that is tailored to their chosen concentration, each of which consists of nine credits or three courses. For example, students of the Health Communication concentration take a required foundational course in healthcare communication before choosing from courses in health advocacy, public health administration, epidemiology, public health interventions, and the theory of health behavior. Meanwhile, students who choose the Management Communication and Leadership concentration take a required course in communication and its role in managerial and organizational leadership, before selecting from courses in areas such as leadership and global strategic communication, personal branding, communication education and training, and internal communication optimization.

The Strategic Communication and Public Relations concentration requires a foundational course in strategic public relations scholarship, practice, ethics, and theories, before students delve into courses that cover topics in areas such as communication plans and campaigns for international audiences, crisis communication management, professional writing, and communication for fundraising campaigns. The Digital Media and Communication Technologies concentration requires a course in strategic communication and social media, after which students can choose two more courses in strategic communication and professional writing, data and science storytelling, and digital media analytics. Finally, the Branding and Marketing Communication concentration requires two courses in integrated marketing communication and strategic corporate branding, before students choose from courses in persuasive communication, strategic social media communication, and advertising planning and implementation.

Purdue’s Master of Science in Corporate Training and Communication is offered through a collaboration between the College of Education’s Master of Science in Learning Design and Technology, and the Brian Lamb School of Communication’s Master of Science in Communication. Students of this program complete 30 course credits, which students can complete in as few as 12 months, and up to 20 months, depending on whether they pursue a full-time or part-time course of study. The 30 credits are divided into 12 credits of Learning Design and Technology classes, 15 credits of Communication courses, and a final 3-credit Practicum. For the Communication coursework, students learn about strategic communication, crisis communication, social media, communication in leadership, organizational culture, and internal communication management. For the Learning Design and Technology portion of the curriculum, students take courses in learning theory, instructional design, learning systems design, e-learning, and strategic learning assessments and evaluations. The culminating experience for the program is the Learning Design and Technology Practicum/Capstone, wherein students address a real-world organizational communication and/or corporate training challenge by engaging in the design of instructional materials, training programs, and other deliverables.

Both of these programs require applicants to submit a personal statement, a resume or curriculum vitae, and two letters of recommendation. Neither program formally requires GRE scores, but they do recommend GRE scores submissions for students who apply with a baccalaureate GPA below 3.0. Both the MS in Communication and the MS in Corporate Training and Communication are considered applied learning programs and are not intended for doctoral studies preparation. Purdue University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.