Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communications
Program Overview
Develop an understanding of traditional marketing elements, including advertising, sales promotion, public relations, direct marketing, and more with the Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communication. You’ll discover the magic of integrating these different elements to deliver a powerful and unified message in support of an organization or its products. By using the latest communication technologies and applying integrated marketing fundamentals, you’ll be equipped to develop effective marketing programs that deliver meaningful and measurable results.
The Bachelor of Arts in Marketing program prepares you for a variety of careers in marketing, sales, advertising, fundraising, public relations, and other persuasive fields. It combines a business degree with advanced communication skills for traditional and Web 2.0 platforms, teaching you to develop multi-platform, multi-public message dissemination plans.
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Course Details
Prerequisites for the Major
- 2 courses; 9.0 quarter units
An introductory course on the written academic discourse patterns required for college-level writing. Emphasizing essay-length compositions, the course covers critical reading, thesis formation, essay organization, and basic revision techniques.
This course is the introduction to contemporary marketing theory and practice in both the local and global marketplace. Basic concepts of marketing are examined with an emphasis on marketing positioning, segmentation and targeting as well as product development and distribution.
Core Requirements
- 16 courses; 72 quarter units
Prerequisite: ENG 102
Looks at communication across cultures and considers how culture influences communication. Focuses on the dynamics of cross-cultural face-to-face interaction, conflict styles across cultures, societal influences on ethnocentrism and racism, cultural value orientations, non-verbal dimensions of communication, language interaction, stereotypes, relationship development, and cultural adaptation.
Prerequisite: ENG 102
Examines communication technologies and their effects on society. Looks at the history of such systems: how they emerged, diffused, and evolved. Covers current systems, with an emphasis on how the Internet and other new platforms are changing media, education, business, and politics around the world.
Prerequisite: ENG 102; COM 402 and MKT 302A, or COM 315
IMC allows organizations to plan and implement unified communication campaigns using traditional and new media. They can use these multiple media platforms to reach multiple audiences and publics, leveraging their assets to develop more efficient and effective efforts. Through case analysis, students learn how leading organizations use the principles of IMC. Hands-on projects give learners the experience and confidence they need in the workplace.
Prerequisite: ENG 102
Examines critical thinking and ethics, and their application to academic, personal, and professional situations. Covers systems of logical reasoning, critical analysis, and evaluation of message content, including supporting evidence, and logical fallacies. Discusses the morality and ramifications of decision-making in media industries.
Prerequisite: ENG 102
Introduces learners to the principles, functions, and practices of social influence. Examines how to influence others’ attitudes, beliefs, opinions, values, and behaviors through communication. Explores scientifically established principles of persuasion that are used in contemporary media.
Prerequisite: ENG 102
Explores professional speaking and presentations. Identifies and provides practice of theory and skills used in advanced speaking. Teaches creation and integration of text, graphics, audio, and video into presentations. Offers hands-on experience applying theory and methods to create professional presentations.
Prerequisite: MKT 302A
An introduction to the cultural environment of global markets, including such topics as cultural dynamics, management styles, and political and legal environments. Students learn how to assess global marketing opportunities as well as develop and implement strategies to capitalize on those opportunities.
Prerequisite: MKT 302A
A course that gives the student an overview and practical application of contemporary methods for gathering, analyzing, and preparing market research for use in marketing decision making. It focuses on defining organizational information needs and designing appropriate research methods to obtain it. Specific topic areas include qualitative and quantitative research methods, secondary research, internal market intelligence systems, and data analysis.
Prerequisite: MKT 302A
This course gives the student an overview and practical application of emerging business models in contrast to the traditional business models within the strategic marketing plan. It focuses on defining customer lifetime value in the emerging platform business world. Specific topic areas include sharing economy, subscription services, fractional ownership, value exchange, data monetization, business to individual, and inventory-free retail.
Prerequisite: MKT 302A
This course is designed to provide a contemporary view of consumer behavior. The course will delve into the psychology of marketing and the impact cognitive biases have on consumer decision-making. A focus on consumer motivations, brand loyalty, influence marketing, and adoption models in emerging markets. Specific areas covered are self, personality, lifestyle, and the consumer decision-making process.
Prerequisite: MKT 302A
This course gives the student an overview and practical application of brand management. It focuses on exploring the developing, sustaining, and leveraging brands in the marketplace. The course introduces brand research, brand development, and brand management and the importance for the modern marketer. Specific topic areas include brand management history, brand awareness, brand equity, and contemporary brand-sustaining strategies in the digital age.
Prerequisite: MKT 302A
This course gives the student an overview and practical application of traditional and online methods for advertising management. It focuses on defining traditional advertising management in contrast to digital omnichannel marketing management strategy. Specific topic areas include variances in advertising management in B2B, B2C, C2C, and emerging business to individual B2I models in the marketing digital transformation.
Prerequisite: MKT 302A
This course is designed to assist students pursuing a marketing career in the service industry, but is also a pivotal course for all marketers to understand, given the rise in the service sector. The course provides a comprehensive overview of the various methods deployed in the service sector for use in marketing decision-making. It focuses on defining the seven Ps of service marketing and the gap model of service quality and the role of technology in services marketing. Specific topic areas include the customer experience of service quality and service as a competitive advantage.
Prerequisite: COM 334
Synthesizes principles and strategies used to develop PR and integrated advertising messages used in the planning and implementation of communication campaigns. Focuses on analyzing markets, clients, products, and audiences and on creative copywriting and art direction. Provides training in how to develop campaign plans in traditional and digital media.
Prerequisite: COM 441
Create and integrate campaign materials and media assets for a complete public relations or advertising campaign to be delivered across multiple media platforms. Materials produced include print, graphic, video, and other digital assets. Provides hands-on experience presenting a creative plan to a potential client.
Prerequisite: COM 442
Apply and integrate new tools and techniques to design, create, and implement interactive communication programs and campaigns. Focuses on delivery through Social Media, location-based messaging, and personal mobile devices. Offers hands-on experience producing multimedia and mobile content.
Degree and Course Requirements
To receive a Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communication, students must complete at least 180 quarter units as articulated below, 45 of which must be completed in residence at National University, 76.5 of which must be completed at the upper-division level, and a minimum of 69 units of the University General Education requirements. In the absence of transfer credit, additional general electives may be necessary to satisfy total units for the degree. The following courses are specific degree requirements. All students receiving an undergraduate degree in Nevada are required by State Law to complete a course in Nevada Constitution.
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Apply appropriate theoretical precepts and practical skills in communication traditionally and within the digital economy.
- Demonstrate effective communication and change leadership skills consistent with an everchanging professional marketing environment.
- Layout a strategic communication program, gathering and utilizing data from the conduct of appropriate market research, including primary, secondary, and extending to the emergent AI driven market research.
- Evaluate global marketing strategies for products and services, utilizing contemporary buyer behavior.
- Apply persuasion theory to media messages and algorithms in the personalized marketing era.
- Analyze global, omnichannel, multi-platform, multi-public message dissemination plans.
- Integrate program content and collaborate with peers on a dynamic basic marketing plan that contains all essential elements, including ethical considerations.
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