Strategic Communication Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Frostburg State University

Program Overview

The B.S. in Strategic Communication is designed for students who want to become confident communicators and leaders across public relations, social media, organizations, government and nonprofit settings. Students learn how to develop persuasive messages, build relationships, communicate across cultures, manage conflict and crises, and lead communication in both face-to-face and digital environments.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1 – Communication and Collaboration Foundations

Students begin by developing a strong understanding of interpersonal and public communication through STCO 102/112 – Introduction to Human Communication or STCO 122 – Introduction to Public Communication. They then move into STCO 215 – Collaboration and Team Communication, developing the teamwork and relationship-building skills needed to communicate effectively in professional and community settings.

Year 2 – Strategic Messaging and Advocacy

The second year focuses on how communication can influence audiences and support organisational or public goals through STCO 225 – Persuasive and Strategic Messaging and STCO 302 – Argumentation and Advocacy. Students can also develop technology-based communication skills through the recommended EMME 205 – Mobile Media Production or take ART 207 – Graphic Design to satisfy the technology-fluency component.

Year 3 – Organizational Leadership and Crisis Communication

Students progress into professional communication through STCO 335 – Organizational Communication, identified in the current study plan as a capstone course, while the recommended STCO 350 – Intercultural Communication strengthens their ability to communicate across diverse cultural environments. STCO 322 – Presentational Communication and STCO 345 – Conflict and Crisis Management further develop professional presentation, leadership and crisis-response skills.

Year 4 – Public Relations and Career Specialisation

The final year provides substantial flexibility for students to shape the degree around their career goals while completing STCO 425 – Public Relations Campaigns, bringing strategic messaging and communication planning into a campaign context. Remaining elective and minor space can be used to strengthen areas such as Digital Identity and Community, Public Relations Principles, social media, leadership, journalism or marketing, allowing students to build a more specialised graduate profile.

Focus Areas

Learning Outcomes

Develop persuasive and strategic messages | Build productive professional and community relationships | Communicate effectively across cultural differences | Collaborate within teams and organizations | Present ideas confidently | Manage conflict and crisis communication | Plan public-relations campaigns | communicate through oral, written, visual and virtual formats | lead communication within organizations and communities | use communication ethically and strategically to create trust and common purpose.

Professional Alignment – Accreditation

Frostburg State University is institutionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), an accrediting body recognised by both the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Frostburg's official accreditation information does not list a separate professional accreditation specifically for the Strategic Communication B.S., so MSCHE institutional accreditation is the principal accreditation applying to this degree.

Reputation – Employability & Rankings

In the 2027 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, Frostburg State University was ranked #20 among Top Public Schools in Regional Universities North, #10 for Best Value for In-State Students and #76 overall among Regional Universities North. For career context, the Strategic Communication program page reports a $81,400 median pay benchmark for communication graduates, using BLS 2023 data, while Frostburg's university-wide Fall 2025 graduate survey reports an average annual salary of $57,000 among respondents.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Strategic Communication at Frostburg is designed around applying communication skills in real professional, civic and community settings, rather than studying communication only theoretically. Students practise oral, written, visual and virtual communication through collaborative coursework, public-relations campaigns, presentations and community-facing projects, with the Communication Leadership Lab serving as the program's main experiential-learning hub. Frostburg's official Strategic Communication pages do not identify a mandatory proprietary software package for the major; instead, the practical emphasis is on strategic messaging, social media, digital communication, public dialogue and campaign development.

The program-specific practical opportunities include:

Communication Leadership Lab: This student-run, faculty-advised lab allows students to work on real campus and community communication initiatives, bringing together people and groups that may not otherwise interact.
Community Dialogue & Facilitation: Lab assistants gain hands-on experience planning events, facilitating community dialogue and deliberation, networking, building partnerships and supporting community initiatives.
Internship within the Communication Leadership Lab: Strategic Communication students can serve as Lab Assistant interns, working alongside faculty and community partners to support dialogue sessions and other communication-leadership activities.
Real Community Partnerships: The Lab's work includes student-faculty-partner research, internship and consulting collaborations, allowing students to apply communication methods to regional and civic challenges.
Group and Team Projects: STCO 215 – Collaboration and Team Communication directly develops collaborative communication skills, while the wider program emphasises coordination and leadership within groups, organisations and communities.
Public Relations Campaign Work: STCO 425 – Public Relations Campaigns gives upper-level students the opportunity to bring together strategic messaging, public communication and campaign planning.
Conflict & Crisis Scenarios: STCO 345 – Conflict and Crisis Management develops communication strategies for handling difficult organisational and public situations.
Digital and Social Media Development: Students interested in the digital side of communication can strengthen their studies through areas such as Digital Identity and Community, Mobile Media Production and Frostburg's Social Media minor, which incorporates online messaging, digital communities and social-media strategy.
Mobile Media & Technology Fluency: The current 2026–27 plan recommends EMME 205 – Mobile Media Production as a technology-fluency option, giving students an opportunity to add practical mobile-media skills to their strategic communication training.
Portfolio Development: Frostburg specifically states that its experiential and leadership-development opportunities help Strategic Communication students build insights and a portfolio they can use for employment or further study.
Professional Networking: Students have opportunities to network locally, regionally and nationally through communication research, practice and campus/community leadership-development activities.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates are prepared for communication-focused roles across private companies, government agencies and nonprofit organisations, with the degree especially relevant to careers that depend on persuasive messaging, stakeholder relationships, social media and organisational communication. Typical career directions include Public Relations Specialist/Director, Social Media Specialist, Communication Strategist and Marketing Manager, while Frostburg also identifies opportunities in corporate training, fundraising, government consulting and nonprofit leadership.

Frostburg supports students in moving from the degree into employment through:

Career & Professional Development Center: Students can receive individual career counselling, résumé and cover-letter support, mock interviews, internship guidance and career planning.
Handshake & Job Search Tools: Frostburg gives students access to Handshake, along with resources such as Forage, Parker Dewey and LinkedIn, to search for internships, projects and graduate employment opportunities.
Career & Internship Fairs: Frostburg runs employer-facing career and internship fairs, and 96% of students who attended the Career Fair were able to engage with employers, according to the university's career-outcomes page.
Career Readiness: 94% of students who attended the Career Fair reported feeling that they were becoming career ready, showing the practical role these university services play in preparing students for employment.
Salary Outcomes: Frostburg's university-wide First Destination Survey reports an average annual salary of $57,000 among Fall 2025 graduate respondents. Separately, the Strategic Communication program page lists $81,400 as the BLS 2023 median-pay benchmark for communication graduates; this is an occupational benchmark rather than a guaranteed starting salary for Frostburg graduates.
Employer Access: Frostburg's Career Center works directly with employers through recruiting, job and internship postings and career fairs, while Handshake gives students access to a wider employer network.
Communication Leadership Lab Partnerships: Strategic Communication students can collaborate with campus and community partners on events, dialogue sessions, research, internships and consulting-style communication projects, creating professional experience before graduation.
Graduate Outcomes: Frostburg lists Strategic Communication alumni working as social media specialists, government consultants, nonprofit leaders, grant writers and professors, demonstrating the degree's applicability across several communication and leadership sectors.
Accreditation Value: Frostburg's MSCHE accreditation confirms that the university meets recognised U.S. higher-education standards. While the Strategic Communication program does not list separate specialist accreditation, graduates earn their degree from an institution accredited by an agency recognised by the U.S. Secretary of Education and CHEA.
University-Wide Further-Study Outcome: Frostburg reports that 51% of respondents continue their education in advanced degrees at FSU. This figure is university-wide and is not specific to Strategic Communication graduates.

Further Academic Progression:
After completing the B.S. in Strategic Communication, students can progress into graduate study in areas such as communication, strategic communication, public relations, social media, organizational leadership or related professional fields. Frostburg specifically highlights graduate-study networking opportunities for Strategic Communication students, and its communication curriculum is also positioned as useful preparation for graduate or law school, making the degree suitable both for students who want to enter communication practice immediately and those considering advanced academic or professional qualifications.