Corporate Communication

Corporate Communication encompasses all aspects of strategic communication in for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, from internal communication between senior leaders and frontline professionals to communication with external clients. Corporate communicators are highly skilled professionals in the art of planning, problem solving, and persuading with a sharp understanding of their audience's needs, tastes, and interests.

You Might Like This Program If...

• You know you are creative with strong writing and speaking skills.
• You desire to be an ethical communicator who creates meaningful connections with your audience.
• You possess an international, multicultural mindset.
• You want to pursue a career in social media, public relations, or marketing.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CORPORATE COMMUNICATION

The Penn State Corporate Communication Bachelor of Arts (CCBA) program prepares students for various strategic communication roles inside and outside organizations. Graduates of the program hold titles such as public relations professional, social media strategist, speech and copywriter, political aide, marketing communication manager, organizational learning and development specialist, corporate recruiter, and event planner. Graduates have earned advanced degrees in areas such as Business, Law, and Corporate Communication.

The CCBA program is interdisciplinary. While providing depth of study in Corporate Communication, it also includes mandatory Business courses and courses focusing on web based competencies such as writing for the web and digital design. With its overall emphasis on the human and design aspects of contemporary organizations, the program is particularly well-suited to individuals seeking to develop and apply their analytical, verbal, and creative talents. Such talents foster aptitudes in strategic counseling and integrative praxis that, in part, make a Corporate Communication degree unique and highly sought after in the marketplace.

• Apply Ethical Corporate Communication Principles and Practice
  • Identify ethical perspectives.
  • Explain the relevance of various ethical perspectives.
  • Articulate the ethical dimensions of a Corporate Communication situation.
  • Propose solutions for an (un)ethical Corporate Communication situation.
  • Evaluate the ethical elements of a Corporate Communication situation.
• Create Messages Appropriate to the Audience, Purpose, and Context
  • Locate and use information relevant to goals, audiences, purposes, and contexts.
  • Select creative and appropriate modalities and technologies to accomplish Corporate Communication goals.
  • Adapt messages to the diverse needs of individuals, groups, and contexts.
  • Present messages in multiple communication modalities and contexts.
  • Adjust messages while in the process of communicating.
  • Critically reflect on one's own messages after the communication event.
• Critically Analyze Messages
  • Identify meanings embedded in messages.
  • Articulate characteristics of mediated and non-mediated messages.
  • Recognize the influence of messages.
  • Engage in active listening.
  • Enact mindful responding to messages.
• Demonstrate the Ability to Accomplish Communicative Goals (Self-Efficacy)
  • Identify contexts, situations, and barriers that impede communication self-efficacy
  • Perform verbal and nonverbal communication behaviors that illustrate self-efficacy
  • Articulate personal beliefs about abilities to accomplish communication goals
  • Evaluate personal communication strengths and weaknesses.
• Describe the Corporate Communication field and its central questions
  • Explain the origins of the Corporate Communication field.
  • Summarize the broad nature of the Corporate Communication field.
  • Categorize the various career pathways for students of Communication.
  • Articulate the importance of Corporate Communication expertise in career development and civic engagement.
  • Examine contemporary debates within the field.
  • Distinguish the Corporate Communication field from related areas of study.
  • Identify with intellectual specialization(s) in the Corporate Communication field.
• Employ Corporate Communication Theories, Perspectives, Principles, and Concepts
  • Explain Corporate Communication perspectives, theories, principles, and concepts.
  • Synthesize Corporate Communication perspectives, theories, principles, and concepts.
  • Apply Corporate Communication perspectives, theories, principles, and concepts.
  • Critique Corporate Communication perspectives, theories, principles, and concepts.
• Engage in Corporate Communication Inquiry
  • Interpret Corporate Communication scholarship.
  • Evaluate Corporate Communication scholarship.
  • Formulate questions appropriate for Corporate Communication scholarship.
  • Engage in Corporate Communication scholarship using the research traditions of the field.
  • Differentiate among various approaches to the study of Corporate Communication.
  • Contribute to the scholarly conversations appropriate to the purpose of inquiry.
• Influence for Greater Good
  • Explain the importance of Corporate Communication for civic life from the local to global levels.
  • Identify the challenges facing communities and the role of Corporate Communication in resolving those challenges.
  • Frame local, national, and/or global issues from a Corporate Communication point of view.
  • Evaluate local, national, and/or global issues from a Corporate Communication point of view.
  • Use Corporate Communication to respond to issues at the local, national, and/or global level.
  • Advocate a course of action to address local, national, and/or global issues from a Corporate Communication point of view.
  • Use Corporate Communication to empower individuals in terms of human rights, human dignity, and human freedom.
• Utilize Corporate Communication to Embrace Difference
  • Articulate the connection between Corporate Communication and culture.
  • Recognize individual and cultural similarities and differences.
  • Appreciate individual and cultural similarities and differences.
  • Respect diverse perspectives and the ways they influence communication.
  • Articulate one's own cultural standpoint and how it affects communication and world view.
  • Demonstrate the ability to be culturally self-aware.
  • Adapt one's communication in diverse cultural contexts.

If you are a first year student applying to Penn State:

Click Apply to start your Penn State application. Before starting, you can also review the Applying Online Worksheet for more details and helpful hints about the application.

Your application work can be saved at each step of the process by clicking the Save and Continue button at the bottom of the page. This feature will allow you to move back and forth within the application or log off and return to complete your application at a later time.

After completing your Academic History, you will need to provide your Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR). As you begin the SRAR process, a new window will open allowing you to complete your SRAR. SRAR will focus on your high school coursework. It is important that this step is a complete and accurate representation of your school record. Therefore, have a copy of your secondary school records available as you complete your SRAR. You will need to enter every class and every grade earned for the last three years, as well as those classes in progress.

After completing your SRAR, you will be directed back to the Penn State application in order to complete the Program of Study portion of the application. Here, you will indicate your desired starting semester, your intended program of study, and your starting and ending campus. For further details on how to complete this portion based on your applicant type, please see the steps to apply for first-year students.

After completing this section of the application, you will provide some additional information, an activities resume, and a personal statement. You will be able to paste in this information from other sources, but note that the formatting may not always paste in as intended.

If you are a transfer student applying to Penn State:

All international transfer students will be required to submit official high school transcripts in order to complete the application. International transfer students will not complete the Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR) for either their high school or college coursework.

If you have accepted your offer of admission to Penn State:

If you completed SRAR and are accepted to Penn State, please provide the following for grade verification:

• Official transcript from years 9, 10, 11, and 12. If the transcript is issued in a language other than English, it must be accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.
• Official copy of the Tawjihi, accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.

Corporate Communication is a challenging and exciting career field. Corporate communicators manage the dissemination of information to key constituencies, the execution of corporate strategy, and the development of messages for a variety of purposes inside and outside the organization. Corporate communicators usually oversee media relations, crisis communications, internal communications, reputation management, corporate responsibility, investor relations, government affairs, and sometimes marketing communication. The Penn State Abington Center for Career & Professional Development supports and serves students in all areas related to career development and preparation including career counseling and coaching, internships, resume creation, interview training, and job search strategies.

A Corporate Communication degree can lead to a career in for-profit businesses or in not-for-profit areas such as charitable, political, health care, and educational organizations. You'll be prepared to work as a professional in a wide range of fields including event planning, human resources, marketing, public relations/public information, and social media relations.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES OF THE CORPORATE COMMUNICATION PROGRAM

Opportunities for Graduate Studies

A baccalaureate degree in Corporate Communication prepares students to pursue master's degrees in programs such as strategic communication and obtain admission to MBA programs and law schools, among other post-graduate opportunities.