Communication is changing fast. AI tools, algorithmic platforms, and information overload are reshaping how organizations and individuals communicate every day. Cal Lutheran’s Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communication prepares working adults to lead in this environment.

You’ll build a strong foundation in communication theory, information literacy, research, and persuasion, and you’ll learn to think critically about how AI and emerging technologies are transforming professional communication. Whether you’re looking to advance in your current organization or open doors to new career paths, this degree gives you the analytical and strategic skills to communicate with purpose.

Part of California Lutheran University’s Bachelor’s Degree for Professionals, this degree completion program is built for learners with previous college credit. You’ll learn in small classes with faculty who get to know you, value the experience you bring and support you as you finish your degree.

What You’ll Learn in the Strategic Communication Degree

The program is hands-on, starting with how communication works in theory and moving to how that translates into real campaigns. By graduation you’ll be able to:

  • Understand communication as a discipline, including its central questions and key theories
  • Craft messages that fit a specific audience, purpose and setting, with real practice doing it
  • Analyze how messages land and the wider influence communication has on people
  • Apply ethical principles to your communication work
  • Recognize and account for individual and cultural differences in how you communicate

See the courses you’ll take as a strategic communication student.

“I returned to school with decades of professional experience, and the program showed me how much more I could learn, apply and bring back to my teams. Strategic communication helped me lead with curiosity, communicate more intentionally, and continue growing both personally and professionally.”

Dawn LaGuardia, BA in Strategic Communication Alum

Who Is This Program For?

The BA in Strategic Communication program fits people who already communicate as part of their work and want to get formal skills to enhance their work.

Some of our students manage social media, write for their organization or handle public messaging, and want the theory and the credential to back up what they already do. Others are moving toward communication, marketing or public relations roles for the first time.

Clear communication matters in every job, so the degree can also suit people in other fields who want it as a strength on their resume.

What all our students share is that they know communicating well is a skill worth having. To apply, you need a high school diploma or GED certificate and at least 24 credits of college credit from an accredited institution. Visit our admissions page for more on what you need.

If you’re considering a strategic communication bachelor’s vs. a marketing bachelor’s, read our article comparing the two degrees.

Strategic Communication Curriculum

This is a 100% online degree. Students complete a minimum of 124 credits to graduate. At least 45 of those credits will be from strategic communication major courses. The rest can come from general education courses or credits you transfer in.

Required Courses (39 credits)

Research Writing for Professionals

Advanced Research Writing for Professionals

Essentials of Statistics

Media Literacy in the 21st Century

Persuasion and Influence

Principles of Strategic Communication

Principles of Professional Communication

Theories of Mass and Strategic Communication

Research Methods

Legal Perspectives and Strategic Communication

Pop Culture and the Public Sphere

Global Issues and Public Engagement

Strategic Communication Campaigns

Electives (6 credits)

Select at least two of the following:

Digital Content Creation

Organizational Communication

Ethical Perspectives and Strategic Communication

Career Outcomes With a BA in Strategic Communication

Strategic communication graduates go on to communications roles inside companies across just about every industry. They might be a social media manager, content strategist, communications coordinator or PR lead at an automaker, a hospital, a bank or a tech firm. Nearly every organization needs people who can shape a message and connect with an audience, which is why these skills travel so widely.

Other graduates go on to work in agencies, media or other creative settings where communication is the whole business.

And the skills reach past jobs with “communications” in the title. Strong communicators tend to get further in almost any career, because knowing how to read a crowded media environment, understand an audience and make your point clearly makes you better at the work itself.

Job Title
Median Salary

Communications specialist
$64.9K

Public relations specialist
$62.6K

Social media specialist
$55.5

Marketing associate
$50.0K

Content specialist
$57.5

Internal communications coordinator
$53.5K

Media planner
$67.3K

Community relations specialist
$66.4

Source: Lightcast Data Analytics

Attend a Class Before You Apply

Get a closer look at what it’s like to be a Cal Lutheran student by sitting in on a live online class. For more information and to reserve your spot, contact an enrollment specialist at 805-521-9856 or complete our form.

Frequently Asked Questions

A degree completion program is a bachelor’s degree built for people who already have some college credit. Instead of starting over, you transfer in the courses you’ve already earned and build your degree plan from there.

For the Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communication, every incoming student brings at least 24 credit hours from a previous accredited associate or undergraduate program, and many bring more credits.

We know our students have to balance their degree around jobs, families and everything else, so the program runs fully online with the option to join a weekly live session in the evening.

Student support services are built for adult learners coming back to school too: academic advisors know your situation and personalized career counseling when you need it.

For someone who started a degree years ago and always meant to finish, a completion program is the most direct way back.

Learn more about what it’s like to return to school after some time away »

Public relations is one part of strategic communication. PR focuses on an organization’s reputation and its relationships with the public and the media. Strategic communication is a wider field. It covers PR along with marketing messaging, internal communication, digital content and the overall strategy behind how an organization communicates.

Studying strategic communication means you learn PR as one tool among several, plus the theory and analysis to decide which approach fits a given goal. That broader foundation works in PR roles and beyond them.

You are welcome to apply if you have:

  • Graduated from high school or possess a GED certificate
  • Completed 24 credits of transferable college credit
  • Earned a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.25

Visit our admissions page for more information, including an application checklist.

The program is fully online, with an optional weekly live session in the evening for students who want real-time connection with faculty and classmates. Otherwise you complete coursework asynchronously on your own schedule.

Many of our students work during the day, so the program is built to fit around a working life. Classes stay small, so your instructors get to know you and what you’re working toward.

On average, Cal Lutheran students finish their bachelor’s degree in about two years when taking two courses per term.

Your personal timeline depends on a few things: how many credits you transfer in, how many of those count toward this specific degree and how many courses you take each term.

The best way to find out is to talk with an enrollment specialist. They can review your previous coursework and tell you which credits transfer and how they apply to this degree. Call 805-521-9856 or complete our form to request a call.

Yes, from several sources. Students can apply for federal aid such as Pell Grants and Direct Loans, and other awards can bring the cost down further.

If you transferred from a California community college, you may qualify for a Cal Grant, and graduates of a PACE program at a partner community college can receive a $100 per credit tuition reduction through PACE Promise. Many employers also offer tuition assistance, and as a Yellow Ribbon school, Cal Lutheran supports students using veterans benefits.

Our tuition and financial aid page has more information on funding options.

Request Information

To learn more about the Bachelor’s Degree for Professionals offered by the Cal Lutheran School for Professional and Continuing Studies and download a brochure, please fill out the form. You can also get in touch with an enrollment specialist directly by calling us at 805-521-9856.

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