Each student’s program of study is chosen with help from an
academic advisor. Students can customize their program of study based on their particular needs and interests as long as the requirements below are met. Choosing one of the eight areas of focus is highly recommended but is not required.
These are the requirements for the Master of Communication Management degree:
Thirty-two units (usually eight courses) in approved graduate-level course work:
- 4 units — Core Course
- 4 units — One Research Methodology Course
- 4 units — Communication Research Practicum
- 12 units — Three Elective Communication Management Courses
- 8 units — Other Communication Management Electives or approved Cognates from other departments
Core Course
All students must complete a core course selected from the following list:
- CMGT 500—Managing Communication
Production and distribution of information within large organizations; information networks, organization structure, control and decision-making functions. Resources necessary for effective organizational communication systems.
- CMGT 502—Strategic Corporate Communication
Roles, responsibilities and requirements of communication functions within corporations; design and implementation of communication plans; strategic message production for internal and external audiences.
- CMGT 510—Communication, Values, Attitudes, and Behavior
Theory and research on value and attitude formation and change; consequences for communication and behavior.
- CMGT 511—Patient-Provider Communication: Interpersonal Experience, Message Design, and Informal Technology
Connections between health providers’ communication and patients’ well-being; consultation language, nonverbal behavior, physical settings, design of media messages, information technologies in patient education and care.
- CMGT 520—Social Roles of Communication Media
How mass media shape public images of groups, channel political power and promote consumption of goods. Social and political theories as tools in evaluating media impact.
- CMGT 530—Social Dynamics on Communication Technologies
Impact of television, satellites, computers and other new technologies; competing theories about the role of technology in society; historical effects of introducing new technologies.
- CMGT 531—Communication and the International Economy
Examines the impact of global economic changes on communications industries, the political and economic forces shaping these industries and the roles of its managers.
- CMGT 533—Emerging Communication Technologies
Basics of multimedia; new forms of audio and video interactive technologies; computer communication networks; social, political, cultural, interpersonal and organizational issues related to emerging communication technologies.
- CMGT 541—Integrated Communication Strategies
Communication strategies for product marketing and advertising; communication’s role in developing domestic and international marketplaces; practical applications of persuasion theory.
- CMGT 545—Communication and Global Competition
How communication technologies are used to secure competitive advantage; how firms use communication systems to sustain effective positioning in an industry; convergence of communication industries.
- CMGT 558—The International Entertainment Marketplace
Global influences on entertainment industries (broadcasting, film, telecommunications, Internet, video games, and music); case analyses of specific organizations and geographic regions; impact on local cultures.
- CMGT 560—Communications Policy
Evolving regulation of telephone, radio, television, cable, print and other media. Major policy-makers and decision points in policy-making at local, state, national and international levels.
- CMGT 570—Economics of the Communication Industries
The economic forces that determine the structure and outputs of communication and media industries, including newspapers, broadcasting, cable and telecommunications.
- CMGT 580—Media and Politics
Mass media in American political life, including political reporting, election campaigns, non-electoral politics, and the media as a political issue.
- CMGT 583—Social Marketing and Entertainment Education
Theoretical foundations of social marketing and entertainment education; uses of dramatic serials, telenovelas and animation to promote human rights; program design, evaluation.
- CMGT 586—Entertainment Media: Content, Theory, and Industry Practices
Examination of social scientific theory and research on patterns of media content; effects of mass media exposure on individuals and society; and industry practices.
Research Methodology
All students must complete one research methodology course:
- CMGT 540—Uses of Communication Research
Applications of both data and interpretation in communications management. Topics include: audience ratings, surveys, experimental tests of programs and campaigns, formative evaluation, secondary data sources. (Duplicates credit in former CMGT 540).
- CMGT 573—Evaluating Communication Needs
Participation as consultants in field projects. Use of organizational, interpretive, and statistical methods to design organizational communication systems is emphasized. (Duplicates credit in former CMGT 573).
Communication Professional Practicum
The capstone Communication Professional Practicum course is generally taken during the last semester:
- CMGT 597—Communication Professional Practicum
Students design and produce an original project appropriate for their emphasis area within the Master of Communication Management degree; oral defense of project.
Electives
Of the remaining units, up to eight units may be taken at USC outside the School of Communication (including at the USC Annenberg School of Journalism); these courses may be selected from a variety of disciplines, depending upon student needs and career interests. All remaining course work must be chosen from USC Annenberg School offerings, either from the Communication Management program course list or from approved electives.
Residence
Students may pursue the Master of Communication Management degree on either a full- or part-time basis. Full time, the degree can be finished in twelve months; part time, all degree work can be finished in one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half years. With permission of a School of Communication committee, a maximum of four graduate units toward the M.C.M. degree may be transferred from another accredited institution.