Integrated Marketing Communication (Advanced Certificate) Catalog
Director: John S. Dahlberg, Ph.D
The Certificate in Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) will enhance your ability to work in marketing communication across a range of industries and organizations, both inside the marketer or outside in advertising, public relations and/or social media. This program is intended for professionals in related fields who want to integrate marketing communication strategies and tactics in their work, extending their existing skills, short of completing a graduate degree. Students will learn how to implement marketing and media plans and develop tactics for advertising, public relations and related digital marketing communication. Students will develop and hone the effective teamwork and communication skills essential to working within a corporate marketing communication environment and/or an advertising agency, public relations firm or digital communication company.
Courses used for this certificate may be used to fulfill requirements for an MBA.
Admissions Requirements
- Students from any undergraduate major are welcome to apply, as long as they have acquired a bachelor's degree prior to the start of classes.
- Cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher.
- Students may apply at any time. We have rolling admissions.
Materials to be Submitted
- Free Online Application, with essay
- An official transcript from each college attended
Curriculum
Students must take 5 courses from the lists below (at least two must from COM and at least two from MKT):
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Take two courses from the following MKT electives: | 6 | |
MKT 634 | Consumer Behavior | |
MKT 648 | Digital Marketing Strategies | |
MKT 664 | Search Marketing | |
| Take two courses from the following COM electives: | 6 | |
COM 511 | Principles of Advertising | |
COM 512 | Public Relations: Principles and Practices | |
COM 520 | Advertising Writing | |
COM 530 | Public Relations Writing | |
COM 551 | Advertising Campaigns | |
| Take one additional course from either of the COM or MKT courses above | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 15 | |
Learning Goals and Objectives
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of the theory and application of principles of integrated marketing communication including:
- Objective A: How the various functions of marketing, advertising, public relations, and media (both traditional and digital) interrelate.
- Objective B: How best practices of these functions can be selected and applied to help achieve marketing and marketing communication goals.
- Objective C: How to evaluate the success of those applications.
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of strategic planning for integrated marketing communication including:
- Objective A: how to conduct and interpret basic primary and secondary market research
- Objective B: how to manipulate and explain simple data analytics involved in the integrated marketing communication environment.
- Objective C: how to use research to develop/create a workable integrated marketing communication plan.
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of the tactical skills necessary to implement an integrated marketing communication plan including:
- Objective A: how to identify and understand a primary and secondary target market.
- Objective B: how to create messages, both visual and verbal, traditional and digital, that will effectively promote a brand to a target market.
- Objective C: how to evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated tactical plan.