Execute effective messages with a bachelor's in communications degree

This course introduces students to the Franklin University community and provides strategies for successful transition to and participation in that community. Topics include University resources and procedures, strategies for advancing communication skills, the use of electronic tools to participate in virtual environments, and the development of an academic and career plan.

This course prepares students to be successful lifelong learners both academically and in their chosen careers. Franklin courses require a high level of self-directed learning and focus on skills required in the workplace and the classroom that are easily transferable between the two environments. The course includes strategies for advancing communication skills, including the use of electronic tools to participate in virtual environments. The assignments and activities in the course are created to closely simulate teamwork found in the workplace.

By using applied critical and creative thinking, students in this course will develop a set of communication skills that will enhance their personal and professional relationships and endeavors. This course will focus on skill development in key areas such as self, perception, listening, verbal messages, conversations, relationships, conflict management, persuasion, and public speaking.

This public-speaking course emphasizes the fundamentals of extemporaneous speaking. Skill-building activities and assignments focus on research, organization, reasoning, style and delivery of presentations as well as listening and audience engagement.

This is an intermediate composition course focusing on writing for business and professional purposes. Students will review the writing conventions commonly expected within business and professional environments, as well as strategies for analyzing rhetorical situations within those environments. Coursework includes analysis, revision, and research exercises, as well as substantial practice in composing business correspondence. The final project is an extensive, researched business proposal developed in stages and presented to the class. Students will be encouraged to relate course materials to their major programs and workplace experiences.

This course provides students with instruction in graphic and image editing software that is widely used in the photography and graphic design fields. Hands-on projects will use image editing tools, layers, color adjustments, tonal adjustments, shapes, and filters to enable students to understand current postproduction techniques for both photography and graphic design applications. These skill sets are basic to digital 'literacy skills for today?s computer creative workers and will be necessary support for students majoring in IMD, WEBD, COMM, and other design-related majors.

This course starts with principles of good design relevant for print and ends with active learning through the prepress creation of professional communication items like fliers, posters, and brochures. It includes digital prepress techniques and orientation to software used by industry practitioners for layouts. Please note that access to the Adobe Creative Cloud version of InDesign is required for this course.

In this course students learn how to critically engage and make sense of the media around us and become media literate consumers who are knowledgeable and self-critical of mass media content. In addition to introducing students to the use of media, in both contemporary and historical contexts, this course will help students develop the analytical tools that they can use to examine media content, intent, context, and subtext in order to explore what and how we learn from the media, and how media shape our perceptions in regard to race/ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality, geography, and education as well as how media operate and exert their influence on individuals and society.

In this course students will learn how to apply principles of intelligent visual design to professional communication and self-presentation. The focus will be on helping students reframe how to look outward to the professional world, and how to get professionals to view them as great employees and collaborators. How do you seek information to better understand organizations and professional opportunities? How do you present yourself to employers or prospective clients? Throughout the course students will receive professional mentoring and participate in an informational interview. Students will enhance their skills in impression management and communication through social media such as Linked In, blogs, and digital portfolios. Each assignment is tailored to fit the students? professional goals and career path. This course is intended for all academic majors.

This course teaches the theories and practices associated with visual design principles, and layout for professional communication in traditional and new media formats. The focus of this course is on the creation of media content for use in promotion as well as a cursory overview of the Adobe image and web, creation and editing applications. Specifically, students will learn to utilize PhotoShop, InDesign, and Spark in the completion of these endeavors.

Theory, strategies and methods are foundational to the informed practice of marketing. Students investigate the importance of marketing to an organization or cause, the interrelationship of the difference phases of marketing, the marketing of goods versus services, analysis and identification of markets, pricing strategies and digital marketing tactics.

This course serves as an examination of the theoretical foundations of the communication and media discipline. This includes the major approaches to the study of communication and media from the critical, cultural, and empirical foundations. In addition, students will receive an overview of the historical roots, major theory building perspectives and a review of contemporary theories and applications in the various communication contexts and their application in addressing major issues relevant to communication studies, and media content, audiences and effects.

This course focuses on the professional production of video content. Students learn the basics of the production process from start to finish, including writing scripts, lighting, audio, and camera basics as well as the process associated with directing and shooting content. Students also learn to use professional editing software as well as how to deliver their final work for use on television, mobile devices, internet and physical media.

Digital Photography is a course covering the basics of photography. The focus will be on taking and critiquing photographs with an emphasis on creating professional images for use on the Web. Topics covered include photography and camera basics on how a camera works, lighting, composition, and special types of photography, such as portraiture, nature, landscape, motion, etc. The goal is to shoot professional photographs without manipulation. The course will primarily consist of several focused photography shooting assignments requiring students to take, share, and critique images. The course will not cover digital imaging enhancement, editing, or modification of images (see WEBD 117 - Graphic Editing Software).

This course examines the strategies involved in effective, ethical communication in professional contexts. Students examine principles of ethical organizational communication and the temporal/cultural/social forces behind those principles, as well as apply reasoning and critical thinking in individual and group assignments. Comparing values and perspectives from diverse cultures, students will respond to cases in an intercultural professional environment.

The course examines current theories and best practices of working collaboratively in professional contexts. Students apply these concepts to analyze their own work experience, generating strategies for how to improve their performance in work groups. Students will learn basic project management skills and work in online virtual teams to complete a final communication project.

This course examines the strategies involved in planning and managing communication in professional contexts and the ways these strategies are informed by the integration of information provided by other key areas. Students examine principles of integrated applied communication, creating written and web-based communication products in class. Working in collaborative teams, students complete a project that demonstrates planning and managing communication for organizational goals. The course includes media production of communications for a client organization.

The course examines the role of communication in organizations. Students will learn the major theories of organizational communication, identifying and defining primary concepts, and applying them to discussions of real-world situations. The role of technology, corporate culture, leadership, teamwork, ethics, and diversity in communication is examined. Effective communication in global organizations and critiques of organization communication systems and structures are also presented.

This course provides an overview of issues, processes, and theories involved with communicating with individuals from different cultures. Topics include thinking and communicating in global contexts and professional relationships in diverse environments.

Students develop an understanding of the theories and techniques of planning, conducting, analyzing and presenting market studies. Students will study different methodologies with emphasis on primary research including questionnaire design.

Applied Research Methods introduces students to the basic research designs and data collection techniques involved in human subjects? research common to social research environments. After completion of this course, the student should know the basics of social research ethics, the steps of the research process, the strengths and weaknesses of selected types of qualitative and quantitative research strategies, issues of selecting or creating and refining instruments of measurement, how to properly select an appropriate sample of subjects, and how to interpret selected statistical measures utilized in hypothesis testing.

This course introduces the fundamentals of Business and Data Analytics. Students will learn the fundamentals of business problem framing, data wrangling, descriptive and inferential statistics, data visualization, and data storytelling in analytics. Not open to students with credit for INFA 300.

Students investigate and evaluate various digital marketing and communication strategies and tactics. An emphasis is placed on critical evaluation skills, as well as social media, search marketing, content marketing, and evaluation of digital marketing initiatives. Students create a full digital marketing plan for a real-world company.

This course aims to give students the skills needed to analyze results of marketing efforts. Students will learn about factors that drive conversion and how to optimize their efforts using data and A/B testing. Students will understand what the key metrics for digital marketing are. Students will be assessed through a final project that gives them an opportunity to get hands-on experience using spreadsheets, Google Analytics and analyzing an A/B test. Basic internet skills and an understanding of Google Workspace or Microsoft Office applications are recommended.

This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of Business and Data Analytics. It aims to develop their understanding of analytics in the context of a business and to provide a framework for students to apply topics such as framing a business problem, stakeholder analysis, data wrangling using Google Sheets, data visualizations, descriptive statistics, exploratory data analysis, and data storytelling in business. After this course, students will be able to clean, visualize, analyze, and communicate data insights to stakeholders.The course is part of the Tableau Business & Data Analytics Certificate in Collaboration with Tableau & Silicon Valley Bank, and it is required to gain the certificate.

This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of SQL. Students will learn to identify the role and structure of relational databases as they apply to data analytics, apply the Structured Query Language (SQL) in MySQL for data manipulation language (DML), apply the Structured Query Language (SQL) in MySQL for data definition language (DDL), and apply normal forms (1NF, 2NF, & 3NF) for database normalization. The course is part of the Tableau Business & Data Analytics Certificate in Collaboration with Tableau & Silicon Valley Bank, and it is required to gain the certificate.

In this course students will explore and utilize techniques for integrating social media marketing as an integral component of marketing campaigns, serving as listening and outreach tools for building brand awareness and promoting business. Through an investigation of tools which include internet forums, message boards, blogs, wikis, podcasts, picture sharing, video sharing, and social networking, students will have the opportunity to create and present a written plan for achieving business goals through the use of a social media marketing campaign.

This course explores current trends in digital media design and production. The focus will be on creating media that can be used in interactive media projects, web sites, and social media contexts. The course examines common practices and methods of creating professional quality media using current technologies. Students work individually and in teams to design, develop, and implement digital media for projects.

This course introduces data visualization fundamentals using the leading visualization tools in the industry and focuses on project-based learning. Students will learn how to develop dashboards and discover insight effectively based on data. Not open to students with credit for INFA 350.

This course aims to give students the skills needed to analyze results of marketing efforts. Students will learn about factors that drive conversion and how to optimize their efforts using data and A/B testing. Students will understand what the key metrics for digital marketing are. Students will be assessed through a final project that gives them an opportunity to get hands-on experience using spreadsheets, Google Analytics and analyzing an A/B test. Basic internet skills and an understanding of Google Workspace or Microsoft Office applications are recommended.

This course gives students a deeper understanding of the role social media plays in a digital marketing strategy. Students will learn about different platforms and their best practices. Students will create a social media strategy. The students will be assessed through a capstone project completed throughout the course. The project will give students an opportunity to test their social media skills as well as creating a simulated ad campaign on the Facebook platform. Basic internet skills and an understanding of Google Workspace applications are recommended.

This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of using Tableau Desktop in the context of business and data analytics. Students will explore the role and application of data visualization in the data analysis process using Tableau. They will create and design both static and dynamic tables, data visualizations, dashboards, and stories while incorporating visual design best practices to better communicate insights to the intended audience, such as business stakeholders. Students will also connect multiple external data sources (e.g., Text Files, Excel, SQL databases) to Tableau and optimize large data to efficiently wrangle and analyze real-industry data.

This course will introduce the foundations of medical terminology nomenclature and use. Emphasis will be on the fundamentals of prefix, word root, and suffix linkages to build a broad medical vocabulary.

This course provides qualified students with an opportunity to receive academic credit for supervised professional training and experience in an actual work environment. This Internship is an ongoing seminar between the student, the faculty member and the employment supervisor. It involves an Internship Application and Learning Agreement, periodic meetings with the faculty representative, professional experience at a level equivalent to other senior-level courses and submission of material as established in the Internship Application and Learning Agreement. Participation cannot be guaranteed for all applicants.

In this course, students will be introduced to the foundations of project management. Students will familiarize themselves with the role of the project manager and the leadership skills they will need to be successful project managers. Students will be introduced to Asana, and other project management tools such as spreadsheets. They will learn essential information about projects, project life cycles, project management processes and methodologies. Students will explore stakeholder management, and create a plan for engaging with stakeholders. They will produce a project charter, a scope statement and a work breakdown structure, all of which provide a strong foundation for a project. This course is aimed at students with little or no background in project management.

In this course, students will become familiar with project management tools such as Google Sheets and Asana. Students will use tools to create a project schedule and budget. Students will also learn about procurement and project resources. Students will develop project kickoff activities, like planning an agenda for a meeting and setting up communications for the project team and stakeholders. Students will also create a communication plan. This course is aimed at students with little or no background in project management

This course provides a basic introduction to public health concepts and practice by examining the philosophy, purpose, history, organization, functions, tools, activities and results of public health practice at the national, state, and community levels. The course also examines public health occupations and careers. Case studies and a variety of practice-related exercises serve as a basis for learner participation in practical public health problem-solving simulations.

This course will provide students with an overview of how the social and behavioral sciences contribute to primary prevention in the rapidly expanding field of health behavior. Emphasis will be placed on theory-driven approaches that are supported by empirical investigations. Students will acquire a working knowledge of foundational theories used in public health practice as well as the ability to measure key theoretical constructs.

In this course, students will focus on addressing risk and ensuring quality in projects. Students will also learn techniques for monitoring a project and for managing work and deliverables throughout a project's life cycle. Students will use tools to make reports. Students will study change control and review, approve, and manage changes related to a project and communicate the changes to stakeholders and team members. Finally, students will learn how to close a project and conduct a retrospective on a project to improve organizational operations. This course is aimed at students with little or no background in project management.

This course analyzes the forces that drive organizations to change, examines impediments to change, and surveys a range of approaches for making organizational change more effective. Students will develop an understanding of change processes and develop practical skills for becoming an organization change agent.

This course focuses on the relationship between an organization's culture and its performance. The challenges and opportunities presented to both leaders and followers in adapting to and implementing organizational cultural change are addressed in this course. The impact culture performs as a mediating factor between a leader's style and the effective performance of an organization is examined in this course.

In this course, students will explore the Salesforce fundamentals covered in the Customer Relationship Management for Business course from the perspective of a CRM system administrator. They will learn how to conduct the typical job functions of a junior Salesforce administrator, who is responsible for setting up and maintaining an organization's Salesforce instance. Students will explore Salesforce user management, platform customization, and user interface configuration, then get hands-on practice by translating and fulfilling simulated "feature requests" from business users, managers, and other stakeholders. Students will create a custom app to meet a business-specific use case, and also learn how to customize Salesforce reporting tools to address analytical requests.

Students investigate and evaluate various digital marketing and communication strategies and tactics. An emphasis is placed on critical evaluation skills, as well as social media, search marketing, content marketing, and evaluation of digital marketing initiatives. Students create a full digital marketing plan for a real-world company.

In this course, students will learn how to quantifiably measure and define client interaction through web analytics. Successful companies today are leveraging the power of web analytics to realize the full potential of their websites, and are able to develop and maintain client relationships that create measurable value to business. In this course students will be introduced to key concepts, tools, techniques, and practices of web analytics. Students will understand how web analytics can drive higher profits and improve the customer experience.

This course is designed to introduce students to the use cases of customer relationship management systems, specifically Salesforce, and how end users on sales teams leverage Salesforce's Sales Cloud Lightning tool. Students will learn how sales team members like Sales Development Representatives, Account Managers, Sales Managers, and Customer Service Managers use the tool, in the process building a foundational understanding of Sales Cloud and Service Cloud, Salesforce's most widely used products. Students will learn how information like accounts, contacts, records, leads, and opportunities are stored in Salesforce. They will gain practical skills working with Sales and Service Cloud by updating information according to the sales process, creating basic reports and dashboards for forecasting projections, and understanding how standard user profiles and permissions work.

Today's public relations professionals have entered a new era where preparedness to respond rapidly to various levels of crisis is essential. Building a positive reputation through the strategic management of communications with internal and external audiences during good times is a necessary foundation for withstanding negative press. Utilizing analysis techniques, public relations tactics, and hands-on projects, students will evaluate crisis situations, create and implement a strategic crisis communication plan, and learn to coach the corporate spokesperson and manage the media, while maintaining the organization's reputation.

Students research, develop and implement persuasive and promotional campaign strategies appropriate to corporate, governmental and non-profit organizations. This advanced course is designed for those who desire specialized skills in public relations and promotional communication. Emphasis is placed on various tactics including investor relations and employee communications.

This course provides qualified students with an opportunity to receive academic credit for supervised professional training and experience in an actual work environment. This Internship is an ongoing seminar between the student, the faculty member and the employment supervisor. It involves an Internship Application and Learning Agreement, periodic meetings with the faculty representative, professional experience at a level equivalent to other senior-level courses and submission of material as established in the Internship Application and Learning Agreement. Participation cannot be guaranteed for all applicants.

Building upon Salesforce fundamentals and basic administration/customization skills gained from the Customer Relationship Management for Business and Introduction to Salesforce Administration courses, this course will challenge students to utilize increasingly complex Salesforce functionality as a CRM system administrator. Students will learn to customize advanced Salesforce settings and implement a permissions and sharing model to control access to data and records. They will learn how to enable and configure standard Sales and Service Cloud features to support business-specific use cases. They will deepen their understanding of how to translate business requirements into functional specifications and configure custom features using Process Automation tools. Students will learn how to use Salesforce tools to improve and maintain data quality. They will also explore and configure advanced analytics capabilities through historical trend reports, joined reports, and creating dynamic dashboards.