Marketing and Communication Online Bachelor’s Degree Program

This course introduces students to the fundamental language of visual form and basic skills including the industry-standard software applications used to create, acquire, and manipulate digital images. Students will learn about two-dimensional composition and design, color theory and terminology, and will apply these principles to a variety of basic design projects. Color, form and content will be explored in terms of cultural, psychological, physiological, and historical aspects.

This course offers a holistic approach to designing promotional materials that effectively communicate brand messages across digital and print media. Students will learn essential design elements and apply branding considerations to various formats. Through practical assignments, students will conceptualize, design, and produce a range of promotional materials while learning approaches to effectively work with design and production teams and following industry-standard practices. Some basic art supplies will be required.

This class is designed to provide students who have little or no digital video production knowledge with an introduction to methods and strategies for production of digital video stories. Using the art of telling a story, the class will create educational, informational or personal experience video productions utilizing audio, video, storyboard, scriptwriting and digital editing techniques

This hands-on content production class examines and creates audio and video for an evolving variety of social media platforms. Students will examine, question, critique, draft, and revise text, audio, and video created for specific target audiences.

This course is an historical overview, and examination of the evolution of digital, film, and print media, and their functions. Students will identify and analyze contemporary problems of the media such as the legal, social, economic and psychological implications of their relationships with society. They also will examine the ways in which marketing and PR professionals utilize the mass media channels to reach their intended target audiences.

This course focuses on the field of public information and public relations, with an emphasis on applying the appropriate theories and techniques to solve organizational and institutional communications problems.Students will learn how the field of public relations fits into the overall marketing and communication strategy for an organization.

The American Marketing Association defines Marketing as the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. In this course, students will learn marketing terminology and principles including the marketing mix, marketing segmentation and how external forces impact marketing strategy as well as how marketing fits into the organization.The impact of ethical issues, diversity, globalization and social responsibility on marketing decisions will also be examined.

This course explores the psychological and behavioral factors that influence consumer decision-making. Through a combination of theoretical and applied approaches, students will examine how individuals acquire, process, and use information to make purchasing decisions. Topics include the impact of social and cultural factors on consumer behavior, the role of emotions in decision-making, and the effects of marketing and advertising on consumer choices. Students will apply their knowledge of consumer behavior to the development of buyer personas for an organization.

This course will provide an overview of digital marketing strategies and techniques for organizations operating in a digital environment. Students will learn about consumer behavior in digital spaces as well as tactics including search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, email marketing, social media and content marketing and analytics. Students will apply what they learn to the development of a digital audit and recommendations project for an organization. Additionally, students will earn several industry certifications as part of their coursework.

This course explores the planning, execution, and evaluation of integrated marketing communication strategies. Students will learn how to create comprehensive campaigns that combine advertising, public relations, sales promotion, and digital media to achieve business objectives. Topics include consumer behavior, message development, media planning, and measuring campaign effectiveness. Students will apply what they have learned to design a strategic IMC campaign including the development of a positioning statement, big idea/theme, message strategy, media plan, and evaluation plan.

In this capstone course, students undertake an individual project, aligning it with their marketing expertise. They will examine ethics, personal values, and conduct self-assessment for career progression. A robust peer-review process aids in assessing strengths and refining career goals. Students will build an active, career-focused network, publish original content demonstrating marketing knowledge, and express a commitment to ethics and integrity through a values statement.

This course examines persuasive communication in a variety of contexts (interpersonal, group, public) and media (face to face, computer mediated, traditional mass media). Topics will include classical rhetorical theory, social psychology theories, audience analysis, ethics, credibility and power. Students will apply contemporary persuasive strategies used in marketing communications, content marketing, interpersonal communications, and sales to produce a persuasive content marketing campaign.

Students will learn the various forms of public relations writing and will develop competency in written communications for different media including print, digital and audiovisual formats. Students will conduct research and audience analysis, establish communications goals, execute the communications plan, and evaluate the total communication effort. Students will apply research, public relations writing, design, production, copy disseminations, and media to produce a complete media kit.

Students will explore the legal context of communication through the mass media in the United States. Students will become familiar with US legal code as it applies to media and digital technologies. Students will develop the ability to analyze the important legal, ethical and policy issues related to the mass media.

Students will examine the role Strategic Communication professionals play in helping corporate, nonprofit and government organizations, and individuals in the public sphere to successfully manage crises through optimal use of communication theory and best practices. Students develop an understanding of the crucial role traditional and social media play in crisis management. The primary focus will be on real-world examples and case studies.

Effective branding can help an organization differentiate itself from competitors, build brand loyalty, and establish a strong reputation. In this course, students will learn how to create, develop, and manage a brand, from initial concept and positioning to execution. An emphasis on ethical practices in branding, along with an exploration of technological innovation on branding and the branding process, will provide students with skills to build and maintain a brand that is innovative and upholds strong ethical standards.

This course explores the role of data in creating effective digital marketing strategies. Students will analyze digital marketing data and use various analytical tools to evaluate marketing campaigns, measure performance, and optimize marketing strategies. Course topics will address web analytics, social media analytics, search engine optimization, and data visualization. Students will gain practical experience working with real-world data sets and learn to make data-driven decisions to drive success in digital marketing. Additionally, students will receive industry standard Google Analytics certification.

Students will expand on what they learned in Digital Marketing by moving beyond making recommendations to actually running various aspects of digital marketing campaigns. Students will earn industry standard certifications, practice tactics in a simulated environment and work with a live client project to implement digital marketing strategies and tactics. Students will learn the privacy, ethical and legal implications of utilizing digital tools.

In this course, students explore how social media platforms and online communities impact modern society as they gain an in-depth understanding of the principles of community management. Through course materials and embedded industry-standard certification, students will examine and practice strategies for fostering online communities and engaging with audiences across various digital channels. Key topics such as social media metrics, crisis management, and content creation, with an emphasis on developing effective community management skills are emphasized.

This course introduces students to the foundational concepts needed to communicate effectively in writing for academic study and professional development. Students will also learn to read critically to evaluate an author's message. Students will be introduced to rhetorical modes and their role in the development of written communication. Students will also learn how to use revision strategies to create written communication that meets its intended purpose for its intended audience

This course builds on students' proficiency in the writing process and rhetorical modes to introduce the use of sources in written communication. Students will practice information literacy as they learn to determine information needs from sources, develop effective search strategies, and incorporate sources in written communication, legally and ethically.

Starting with a frame of human communication as a dynamic system of interactions in which people make choices that impact their relationships, other people, and themselves, students will define theory-informed communication concepts and processes, and critically examine how they apply to everyday life across a variety of contexts. Students will reflect on how the theory, concepts and processes apply to their own lives in becoming competent communicators who are knowledgeable, skilled, and versatile.

This course draws on fundamental concepts of contemporary group communication research to help students identify and develop strategies to communicate effectively in small groups and teams for the cooperative purpose of advancing common goals. Students will draw on listening and responding strategies learned in COMM-130 Interpersonal Communication and apply them to communicating as a leader or member of a small group. They will also learn how to recognize and manage the types of conflicts that can arise in small groups. Prerequisite: COMM-130 Interpersonal Communication

Students will learn and apply critical inquiry skills to analyze persuasive communication created by others and to develop persuasive communication/arguments of their own to solve problems in professional, civic, social, and personal contexts. Specifically, students will learn to recognize fallacies in logic; apply inductive and deductive reasoning strategies to the interpretation and development of persuasive communication; evaluate the validity of sources; and develop logically sound persuasive communication. Students will explore the roles of self-awareness, empathy, and ethics in the context of critical inquiry and the development of arguments.

This course is an historical overview, and examination of the evolution of digital, film, and print media, and their functions. Students will identify and analyze contemporary problems of the media such as the legal, social, economic and psychological implications of their relationships with society. They also will examine the ways in which marketing and PR professionals utilize the mass media channels to reach their intended target audiences.

This course explores the complex and evolving relationship between human beings and technology. Through a multi-disciplinary approach that draws on fields such as sociology, psychology, philosophy, and history, students will examine the ways in which technology has shaped human culture, identity, and values, as well as how humans have influenced and continue to influence the development, adoption and use of technology.

Mathematical reasoning, when applied to everyday and professional lives, has two dimensions: logic for deterministic situations and probabilities for non-deterministic situations. This course aims to help students develop these mathematical reasoning skills.

This course introduces students to basic statistics for data literacy. With a focus on exploring real-world data, students will interpret numerical information and utilize the tools necessary to complete the entire statistical process: designing a study; gathering, organizing, and analyzing sample data; and making inferences about a population. Students will demonstrate data-driven decision-making and effective communication of numerical data.

This course covers the fundamental concepts of linear algebra and analytical geometry, including matrices, vectors, linear transformations, and systems of linear equations. Students will also explore the analytical geometry of Euclidean spaces, including lines, planes, circles, spheres, and conic sections. In this course, students will develop their mathematical reasoning skills and learn how to apply these principles to solve real-world problems.

Introduces students to the biochemistry and physiology of nutrition and exercise. Emphasis will be placed on human body systems such as musculoskeletal, digestive, respiratory and circulatory, and their relationship to nutrition and fitness. Students will also study the biochemistry of energy conversion as it relates to exercise physiology. Laboratory sessions are designed to reinforce, by a hands-on approach, the principles discussed in lecture. Course includes two laboratory hours per week.

Students learn the biology, genetics, chemistry, and physics involved in the forensic investigation of crimes. A wide range of topics are studied including DNA, entomology, fingerprinting, trace evidence, serology (blood, saliva, and semen), blood spatter, and chemical analysis of drugs, alcohol, and other compounds. Students apply their new knowledge of forensic science through the use of case studies and laboratories. This course includes two laboratory hours per week.

Students will develop the ability to apply scientific methods to understand the natural world, to identify scientific aspects of daily life, and to evaluate the quality of scientific information based on its source and the methods used for its generation.

This course will introduce students to major streams of social justice thought, including historical social justice movements, theoretical problems having to do with social equality, personal freedom, marginalization, and stigmatization, and the ways in which civic and professional communities respond to these issues.

With pressure and release, a window opens and closes, recording light on a sensor. The simple action captures the instinct, judgement, and skill of the person behind the lens. This class will begin a study of the art and craft of photography. Students will develop their vision and their understanding of how to achieve it. Solid skills will be learned and many doors will be opened.

A survey of the continuing change experienced in art since the 15th century. Students will examine how an image is achieved as well as the significance of the subject represented. Individual inquiry concerning the nature of art is encouraged.

Students learn to appreciate films through the critical analysis of various elements of mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing and sound. The course introduces the conventions of classical Hollywood cinema, considers the work of one major director (auteur), and surveys selected international and independent films. Students view and discuss films each week.

Students in the course will explore the cultural history of the music genre broadly referred to as rock. Students will explore the social, economic and political contexts that are influenced by and that influenced each style in the United States. By listening, watching, reflecting upon, discussing and writing, students will explore how music takes on meaning, personally, and culturally. Topics and themes include the relationships between and among gospel, country, funk, folk, disco, rap and hip hop; the role of business and technology in those relationships, and political or transgressive elements of rock music.

Students will apply communication theory and research to address the particular challenges to communicating effectively in organizations. Students will learn how to identify organizational communication problems, analyze those problems, and generate effective solutions. Students will examine the relationship between organizational structure and specific communicative practices, and how communication practices by organizational members establish, maintain, or change organizational culture. They will also learn how to anticipate communication deficiencies in organizations, and use communication as a means to facilitate organizational development and innovation.

Specific application of common tools for writing in the working world. Students will be instructed in rhetorical strategies of professional writing including style, report formats, editing, document design, and integration of visual aids. Students will complete a semester-long writing project; oral and written reports associated with the process of problem-solving within the project will be included.

Students will learn how to create conditions for successful conflict engagement, a necessary skill for any professional. The course focuses on the foundational capacities to remain calm and connected with oneself and others. In this state students can access helpful ideas and responses and be their best selves regardless of environment. Improving facility for conflict creates stronger relationships and reduces fear. By the end of the course, students will understand that disagreement and difference can become a source of personal and interpersonal growth.

Ethics refers to accepted standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do in various contexts, typically in relation to rights, obligations/duties, benefits to society, fairness, consequences, and virtues. In this course, students will explore both theoretical and practical dimensions of ethics in order to 1) define ethics and identify ethical positions and principles, 2) critically reflect on how ethics impacts individual and collective responsibility, decision-making, and action, and 3) apply ethics to the personal, civic, and professional contexts.

This course introduces students to the fundamental elements of technical writing (clear, concise, and targeted)that are common among seven forms of technical communication: email correspondence, editing,employment communication, proposals, long, formal reports,oral communication, and inventions. Through peer reviews and writing workshops, students develop the ability to write and edit text that precisely targets its audience. This course emphasizes deepening and broadening students' writing, speaking, and thinking abilities in a non-lecture-based, hands-on, discussion-centered classroom.

Provides a comprehensive analysis of the fundamentals of substantive criminal law. Students will learn the essential elements of crimes and the rationale underlying criminal law. The nature of jurisdiction, the criminal act, the criminal state of mind and matters affecting responsibility for criminal conduct are included.

This course focuses on the rules and procedures governing how the American criminal justice system must process individuals suspected, accused, and convicted of law violations.

This course provides students with a broad overview of the history, theory, and fundamentals of criminal investigation. Students are introduced to the basic responsibilities of investigators and protocols for report writing, evidence collection, and preparation of cases for trial. They also learn specific investigative techniques for different types of crimes, such as crimes involving violence and property, terrorism, and hate crimes, and, where appropriate, compare investigative protocols from other legal cultures.

Principles of Economics introduces the fundamental concepts of economics - the study of how people manage resources, and how they react to scarcity. This course focuses on both microeconomics (the behavior of consumers and companies) and macroeconomics (large-scale economic factors such as employment and interest rates), so that you'll gain a broad understanding of how a modern market economy functions, how decisions in business settings are informed by economics, and how economics applies to your everyday life.

Students will study important themes in the social history of the United States since the Civil War. This course allows students to expand their critical thinking skills through an examination of primary and secondary sources. Themes might include: the evolving status of women; the immigrant experience; the concept of the American dream; the paradox of freedom vs. slavery; the minority experience; the tensions between social classes. Students will be evaluated primarily on writing assignments.

In this course, students will explore broad, foundational knowledge in psychology, including its history, major theorists and a survey of psychology subfields such as developmental, cognitive and social psychology. Students will also describe and assess the role of ethics and social responsibility in the study and application of psychological theory and practices.

In this class, students will explore how social relationships, groups, societies and culture develop and change over time. From a sociological theory foundation and employing the sociological imagination, students will examine the impact of social structures, institutions, and systems on individual lives. Students will apply sociological research methods to investigate sociological phenomena in their own lives.