Integrated Marketing Communications: Overview

Why WVU IMC?

The Integrated Marketing Communications master’s program at WVU was developed in 2003, it was recognized as the nation’s first online IMC master’s program. Since its development, it has evolved alongside the industry and remains in a class of its own. This program will give you a full omni-channel view that you can specialize to fit your interests or the needs of your company.

So what exactly is Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)? IMC plays a crucial role in unifying all pieces of marketing communications, including advertising, public relations, direct marketing, social media and sales promotion. IMC adopts a human-centered approach where messages not only caters to the audience, but status consistent across all channels. IMC teaches you how to align your marketing strategy to ensure a constant flow of information to consumers from a variety of media. As technology continues to advance and digital media becomes increasingly more important, companies must be able to adapt and use those mediums to create effective and consistent marketing and messaging that connects the consumer to their brand. As a graduate student of an IMC program, you will be provided the necessary skill set and tools such as learning to analyze data and manage strategic project planning. All of this will lead you to excel at marketing communications.

Exploring the Program

WVU’s M.S. IMC program was built for working practitioners and can be as flexible as you need it to be. You will be learning what's happening in our marketing industry now and what's coming next from experienced faculty who are practicing what they preach every day. The program consists of 10 online courses that can be completed at a pace that is comfortable for you. An advisor will help you craft the perfect schedule that best suits your needs. The program can be finished in 18 months as a full time student, two years as a part time student, or as fast as one year, through the One-Year Accelerated program. Additionally, the program offers specializations that allow you to take one additional elective requirement that will serve as an area of emphasis of your choice, this will fill a knowledge gap in your company or better move you into an area of interest to you.

The M.S. IMC curriculum consists of an introduction course, 3 core courses, 2 speciality courses, 3 elective courses, and 1 capstone course. Let's take a closer look at what kind of courses you can expect to take while completing the program.

Required Courses:

• Introduction to IMC: In this course, students will learn and apply the IMC planning process and examine the role of integration to ensure consistency of creativity strategy and complimentary use of traditional and digital media. Students will also receive a comprehensive orientation to the WVU IMC graduate program.
• Audience Insight: In this course, students will take an in-depth look at consumer behavior and its role in IMC. Students will examine consumer behavior in terms of internal influences, external influences, the consumer decision-making process and consumers and culture.
• Brand Equity Management: In this course, students will explore strategic and creative decisions in managing, building and measuring the equity of brands. Students will demonstrate mastery by conducting a comprehensive brand audit.
• Marketing Research and Analysis: in this course, students will combine secondary and primary research design to examine the roles of marketing research within an IMC campaign. Students will learn to identify research problems, craft research objectives, and select appropriate qualitative and quantitative methodologies to develop an effective research start and analysis.
• IMC Campaigns: in this capstone experience, students will produce a comprehensive campaign plan for a real-world client. This course must be completed in a student’s final academic term. The best final campaign submissions may be featured in the program’s online IMC Student Portfolio.

Specialty Courses:

• Creative Strategy and Execution: This course offers a comprehensive look at creative strategy and its role in IMC. Students will master the fundamentals of conceiving and executing and eye-catching, effective and integrated campaign that uses traditional and digital media.
• Direct and Digital Marketing: In this course, students will explore direct and digital marketing from an IMC perspective including database marketing, direct and digital message strategies across multiple media, direct and digital marketing metrics, and the role of direct and digital marketing in IMC campaigns.
• Emerging Media and The Market: In this course, students will explore how modern industry uses novel technologies to enhance the integrated marketing communications process. Students will examine the creative and ethical issues unique to emerging media.
• Public Relations Concepts and Strategy: This course explores the capabilities of incorporating public relations within an integrated marketing communications approach. Students will learn about leveraging earned media, determination of key publics, the legal and ethical responsibilities of PR practitioners, and emerging trends in the industry.

Elective Courses:

The IMC program offers more than 25 elective course choices to choose from. Here are a few courses that are offered.

• Advanced Creative Concepts: In this course, students will learn the creative aspects of executing an integrated marketing communications strategy, including visual branding, verbal branding, creative direction, and art direction. Students will focus on conceiving, developing, expressing, and executing a coherent visual identity using a comprehensive strategy.
• Applied Public Relations: In this course, students will explore the utilization of public relations theories and strategies within an integrated marketing communications framework, and examine topics relevant to public relations management such as business literacy, organized culture, reputation management and ethics.
• Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality in IMC: In this course, students will examine how brands are using transformational Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR and VR) platforms to expand customer interaction and build brand affinity.
• B2B Direct Marketing: This course examines strategies and tactics for incorporating a business-to-business approach (B2B) into and integrated marketing communications framework. Students will explore the differences of a B2B approach from business-to-consumer (B2C), as well as the considerations marketing communicators must take into account in order to be successful in B2B.
• Brand Evolution Strategy: This course explores strategies and tactics that are used to help brands innovate to compete within their marketplace, Students will examine disruptive technologies, changing consumer demands, internal and external pressures from startups, talent erosion and changing market dynamics.
• Cause Marketing: In this course, students will learn about the mutually-beneficial partnership of a for-profit business and a nonprofit organization. Students will review case studies to explore the potential of incorporating cause marketing in an integrated marketing communications approach to framework.
• Crisis Communication: This course examines how integrated marketing communications professionals address crises, both proactively and reactively. Students will explore case studies and current events to prepare them to respond to the myriad of potential crisis situations that today’s organizations face and individuals encounter.
• Content Marketing: In this course, students will explore the role of content in the evolving modern integrated marketing communications landscape and how to establish a content marketing plan and the steps necessary to achieve implementation.

IMC Specializations:

Adding an Area of Emphasis to the fully online M.S. IMC program adds one more course to the 10- course requirements. Here are some options regarding specializations within the program.

• Creative Strategy: The Creative Strategy specialization will help develop the skills needed to deliver great content to a variety of consumers
• Data Marketing Communications: Use a data-drive approach to bridge the gap between communicators and data scientists and be equipped to implement and refine strategic marketing communications activities.
• Digital and Social Media: From social media best practices to search engine optimization, from web metrics to developing a broader digital ad strategy, This specialization will provide you with the skills needed to thrive as digital and social media specialists.
• Healthcare Communications: The healthcare field needs effective communicators. This specialization will provide the tools to develop healthcare communication campaigns using marketing strategies.
• Higher Education Marketing: Utilize integrated marketing communications strategies for student recruitment and institutional branding initiatives.
• Public Relations Leadership: This specialization will expose students to coursework that provides practical knowledge, data-minded analysis and hands-on experience in both client- and agency-related public relations.

Careers in IMC

There are a wide variety of career paths to choose from once graduating the M.S. Integrated Marketing Communications program. Some job opportunities include:

• Content Producer
• Chief Marketing Officer
• Content Director
• Marketing Manager
• Public Affairs Specialist
• Creative Director
• Account Director
• Public Relations Manager
• Founder/President/CEO
• Vice President of Marketing
• Content Marketing Manager
• Marketing Communication Manager
• Brand Manager
• Brand Marketing Specialist

98% of alumni said they felt more competitive and/or received a promotion upon completing their master’s degree. WVU’s M.S.Integrated Marketing Communications degree will not only give you the skills needed to excel. It will make you stand out against the competition, due to being a nationally-recognized program. If the M.S. Integrated Marketing Communications Program sounds like something of interest, you can request more information here.

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