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Master of Arts in Business Communication and Leadership in Executive Influence Course Descriptions

30 Total Credit Hours

Required Courses

  • COMMS 600 – Introduction to Business Communication and Leadership (first year experience) 3 credits. Complete the program successfully. You will complete a communication-style assessment to identify strengths and areas to improve. You will also learn how to communicate with diverse individuals, foster relationships, find a mentor, and how to express your professional brand through media.
  • COMMS 601 – Interpersonal Influence 3 credits. Strengthen your career through relationships. Learn how the fundamentals of interpersonal communication can be used to build trust, foster collaboration, increase productivity, resolve conflict, and employee engagement.
  • COMMS 602 – Creating Persuasive Mediated Messages 3 credits. Perform at a higher level with strong persuasive skills. You will study the fundamental elements of persuasion and apply them to create memorable mediated messages.
  • COMMS 603 – Writing and Presenting for Impact 3 credits. Leave an impact. Whether you are writing a concise email or delivering an engaging presentation, in this class you will learn how to harness your natural skills, analyze your audience, and express your ideas in meaningful ways.
  • COMMS 604 – Communication in a Distributed Workplace 3 credits. Enhance your online presence. Remote work is here to stay. In this class you will learn how to coordinate and lead remote teams, maintain team accountability, manage effective online meetings, deliver timely and constructive feedback.
  • COMMS 605 – Personal and Professional Branding and Leadership Development 3 credits. Create your professional brand for results. You will learn how to develop your network, chart your career plan, and enhance your leadership message. You will also master interviewing, resume and cover letter writing.
  • COMMS 606 – Communication in an Inter-Cultural Workplace 3 credits. Make the most of your diverse team. Understand and navigate cultural differences in order to effectively communicate and interact with people from diverse cultures. 

Executive Influence Concentration Requirements 

  • BUS 776 – Data-Driven Decision Making 3 credits. Make informed decisions. This course presents an overview of managerial decision making – why do it, risk management, and key considerations. The course will present decision matrices through concepts, examples, and applied practice. You will explore the use of decision trees, expected monetary value, and data visualization using concepts, examples, and applied practice. You will also learn about function-specific use cases of analytics (such as marketing, finance, etc.). All concepts will be viewed through a lens of ethical business decision making.
  • COMMS 710 – Conflict Resolution and Mediation 3 credits. Address conflict in various contexts. You will understand fundamental causes of conflict, apply various approaches to resolving conflict and develop skills necessary to navigate and negotiate disputes in diverse settings. You will practice mediation techniques through role-play and case studies.
  • COMMS 711 – Storytelling 3 credits. Tell a compelling story. Professional storytelling is the art of crafting and delivering compelling narratives in a business or professional context. Use storytelling techniques to engage, persuade, and connect with an audience in order to achieve specific objectives.