MCM Course Descriptions
*Course to be phased out during 2007-2008 Academic year.
GRAD 703
Effectively Communicating & Collaborating (2 cr. hrs.)
Prerequisite(s): Admittance to the Graduate School.
More than ever before, the ability to understand and be understood is critical for success in the corporate world. But communication is no longer limited by the narrow definitions of the past. Achieving a business leadership position today means not only being adept at both oral and written communication, but also understanding communication from a strategic point of view and knowing how to effectively organize and present information to audiences of all sizes. In this course, you will develop and refine these capabilities. In addition, you will focus on development of the interpersonal skills required for working collaboratively within the team structure so prevalent in today's enterprises. What you gain from this course will be of value throughout your graduate studies, as well as in your current job.
MCM 704
Framing the Persuasive Message (4 cr. hrs.)
Prerequisite(s): Effectively Communicating & Collaborating (GRAD 703).
Communication skills are ranked as among the most important attributes of an individual. The student will develop writing skills at the business and research level, critical analysis and synthesis, rhetorical conventions, group communications and professional presentations of the quality expected of graduate students and communication professionals in the field. Additionally, effective communication framing techniques will be addressed in multiple contexts including persuasion, motivation, internal audiences and global/multicultural communication.
MCM 705
Ethics, Regulation and Society (4 cr. hrs.)
Prerequisite(s): Framing the Persuasive Message (MCM 704).
Students will analyze the ethical underpinnings of how organizations are approaching current issues in marketing and communication. Students will also review key legal principles and compliance topics that affect marketing and communication. The last section of the course requires students to explore the social and economic role of marketing to sensitive target markets.
MCM 720
Behavioral Research (4 cr. hrs.)
Prerequisite(s): Ethics, Regulation and Society (MCM 705).
Understanding consumer motives and actions are essential to the success of any organization. Students will explore consumer behavior, specifically analyzing consumer wants and needs and researching solutions to consumer problems. Students will learn to determine which measurements and analyses are most suited for specific situations. Areas addressed include archival research, content analysis, focus groups, surveys, and observational techniques with an emphasis on quantitative versus qualitative results.
MCM 740
Design Concepts in Marketing and Communication (4 cr. hrs.)
Prerequisite(s): Framing the Persuasive Message (MCM 704).
Marketing and communication professionals are often called upon to produce brochures, web pages, and other print or electronic media, and to know design concepts used to improve these activities. The student will focus on layout, color, texture, and copy as applied to specific media and will determine how design concepts apply in order to attract a specific target audience.
*MCM 750 (formerly MCM 616)
Communication Management (4 cr. hrs.)
Prerequisite(s): None. Not open to students with credit for MCM 616.
The role of communication within business and organizations of all types has expanded to meet a variety of new challenges and responsibilities. Effective communication now involves far more than simply the application of good communication skills. It also requires the ability to grasp a “big picture view” of the organization and a keen understanding of the many audiences with which it must communicate. Areas such as media relations, crisis management, reputation management and special events planning depend for their success on the quality of a business or organization’s communication.
MCM 770
Marketing Management (4 cr. hrs.)
Prerequisite(s): Framing the Persuasive Message (MCM 704).
Marketing has emerged as a key function within successful organizations. It is expected that the marketing professional be able to analyze their market, craft the right message, and develop and execute a plan that effectively reaches the target audience. Students will explore how to manage the marketing function within an organization, including market analysis, target marketing, branding, advertising, and marketing mix manipulation.
MCM 771
Communication Theory and Application (4 cr. hrs.)
Prerequisite(s): Framing the Persuasive Message (MCM 704).
The role of communication within organizations has expanded to meet a variety of new challenges and responsibilities. Fragmented audiences and emerging technologies require that the traditional communication model be reexamined. The communication professional must analyze audiences, understand the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of communication media and activities. Students will explore communication theories and the application of those theories to media relations, crisis management, reputation management, and special events planning from a managerial perspective.
MCM 773
Applied Marketing and Communication Capstone (4 cr. hrs.)
Prerequisite(s): Framing the Persuasive Message (MCM 704).
Successful marketing and communication professionals are able to identify a problem or opportunity, draw on a theoretical base, and propose a creative and practical solution for implementation in a business setting. This course, the culmination of your graduate experience, provides the opportunity to apply what you have learned. Students will create a scholarly work that applies marketing and communication theory and concepts to a business or organizational setting while working under the guidance of a faculty advisor.
*MCM 810 (formerly MCM 638)
Marketing and Media Research (4 cr. hrs.)
Prerequisite(s): None. Not open to students with credit for MCM 638.
There is nothing purely intuitive about today’s effective marketing/communication strategies and plans. They are based on data that describes and defines the target audience with pinpoint accuracy. In this course you will be introduced to the wide variety of methods used to collect and analyze this data, turning it from raw numbers to meaningful information that forms the foundation of good marketing and communication decision-making. Areas covered include archival research, content analysis, focus groups, surveys, and observational techniques. You will learn which methods are most appropriate for the task at hand, with special attention to quantitative versus qualitative results.
*MCM 811 (formerly MCM 627)
Audience and Consumer Behavior (4 cr. hrs.)
Prerequisite(s): None. Not open to students with credit for MCM 627.
As the sciences that focus on human thought processes and behavior have grown more sophisticated and precise, so has their application in the marketing and communication fields. Today the thoughts and actions of consumers and other “publics” are shaped by a wide range of messages that appeal to far more than their basic understanding of wants and needs. This course views this phenomenon from the perspectives of psychology, sociology and cultural anthropology. You will explore the human behavior theories and practices applied in marketing and communication, as well as how messages are constructed using these tools to appeal and influence various target audiences.
*MCM 812 (formerly MCM 652)
Integrated Marketing Communication (4 cr. hrs.)
Prerequisite(s): None. Not open to students with credit for MCM 652.
As more and more companies and organizations move toward combining the marketing and communication functions within their operations, the ability to perform in this challenging dual role becomes increasingly important. This course has been designed to prepare you for just such responsibilities. The Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) department manager must be able to plan, coordinate and adjust the full spectrum of marketing and communication elements to achieve operational efficiency while ensuring message consistency in both internal and external communication. You will learn the components of an IMC plan and strategies for its effective implementation and, as a course project, will develop an integrated marketing and communication plan.