ONLINE MASTER OF SCIENCE IN
STRATEGIC MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
FOSTER BRAND ENGAGEMENT WITH CONSUMERS
Customers today are savvier than ever, and they seek product experiences that are relevant to their identities. As a marketing and communications professional, you need to utilize a variety of approaches, such as purpose-driven campaigns, content marketing, and storytelling to build sustainable relationships between brands and consumers while adding value to their lives.
Our online Master of Science in Strategic Marketing Communications program was specifically developed to help you meet this new challenge. As a student, you’ll build on your background in the field to create compelling consumer engagement. You’ll learn to strategically align the latest in marketing and media communications efforts to build meaningful and lasting relationships with consumers in the new digital landscape. By incorporating real-world cases and situations that mirror the business challenges you encounter every day, the online program is the perfect setting to test and hone strategies that you can use to improve your organization or move upward into a new role.
Complete in as few as 12 months Choose from three start dates offered annually
Study during four quarters per year No GMAT/GRE scores required
3 years of professional work experience required
ADMISSIONS
To apply to the online MS in Strategic Marketing Communications program, you must have at least three years of demonstrated full-time professional experience in marketing, advertising, public relations, communications, media, or a related field.
As part of your application, you must provide official transcripts, a letter of recommendation, essays, and a current résumé.
Visit the application requirements page for a full list of items required. Before applying, we also recommend that you visit the tuition and financial aid page to learn more about program costs and financing your education.
APPLICATION DEADLINES
The online MS in Strategic Marketing Communications program offers start dates throughout the year, and the admissions committee reviews applications on a rolling basis. View the table below for upcoming start dates and application deadlines for the program.
| Program Start Date | Early Priority Application Deadline | Priority Application Deadline | Final Application Deadline |
| September 2021 | May 18, 2021 | June 22, 2021 | July 20, 2021 |
TO A NEW LEVEL
See how earning your MS in Strategic Marketing Communications from Fordham University can prepare you to better serve your organization in areas such as media management and crisis communications.
Apply Now
WHY CHOOSE THE GABELLI SCHOOL OF BUSINESS?
We believe there is no better place to study marketing, public relations, and communications than New York City. The Gabelli School is located in the heart of this global media hub and the online courses of the MS in Strategic Marketing Communications program connect you with the people, companies, and ideas that are moving us forward in the 21st century.
As a Gabelli School student, you will attend a residency experience in New York, where you will hear from business leaders and network with students and faculty who have worked for some of the world’s most esteemed companies. The Residency is part of our whole-person approach to education, which fosters critical thinking about your goals, values, and career.
A VIBRANT ALUMNI NETWORK
The Gabelli School’s 40,000 alumni are known worldwide for their loyalty. The Gabelli School alumni network shares our dedication to using cutting-edge business practices to advance the latest approaches in consumer-driven marketing.
As a graduate of the online MS in Strategic Marketing Communications program, you will have ongoing opportunities to network with other ambitious business leaders while staying connected to our home in New York City through events hosted by Gabelli School faculty, students, and research centers.
The Gabelli School of Business also offers an on-campus MBA program, along with other business-related undergraduate, graduate, and executive degrees. Visit the Gabelli School website to learn more about in-person programs.
CURRICULUM
The online MS in Strategic Marketing Communications curriculum prepares you to help 21st-century organizations communicate more effectively. You will learn integrated approaches to growing and maintaining a brand while telling purposeful stories that grab — and keep — your audience’s attention.
Our 33-credit curriculum will help you develop strategies to reach audiences across platforms. As a student, you will explore the following topics:
- understanding today's consumers
- social and digital media
- persuasive corporate communication
- crisis management
- purpose-driven marketing
RESIDENCIES
Residencies are three-day experiences that put you inside top New York companies, where you’ll network face-to-face with marketing and media executives. You’ll explore the latest integrated approaches in marketing, advertising, and media as you see how companies like Ogilvy and Mather, Ketchum PR, BBDO, and Ad Club of New York deliver successful campaigns to broad audiences.
Residencies are required, and you must attend at least one to earn your MS in Strategic Marketing Communications.
SAMPLE COURSE SCHEDULES
The online MS in Strategic Marketing Communications program can be completed in four terms during 12 months, or six terms during 18 months. Each term is 10 weeks in length. Each course includes one weekly live class which will take place on weekdays at either 6 p.m. ET or 8 p.m. ET. Class start times may vary.
Our terms are Fall, Spring, Summer 1, and Summer 2. Start dates are available in each term except Summer 2. Here are sample schedules that apply to each start date.
Sample Four-Term, 12-Month Schedule
| Term | Courses |
| 1 | Marketing in the Digital Age Understanding Digital Consumer Crisis Communication and Leadership Strategies |
| 2 | Contemporary Research Methods Persuasive Corporate Communication Sponsorship |
| 3 | Integrated Marketing Communications Social and Digital Media Advanced Business Communication |
| 4 | Marketing Strategy Applied Project |
Sample Six-Term, 18-Month Schedule
| Term | Courses |
| 1 | Marketing in the Digital Age Understanding the Digital Consumer |
| 2 | Crisis Communication and Leadership Strategies Contemporary Research Methods |
| 3 | Persuasive Corporate Communication Sponsorship |
| 4 | Integrated Marketing Communications Social and Digital Media |
| 5 | Advanced Business Communication Marketing Strategy |
| 6 | Applied Project |
In addition to taking the courses above, students will complete a residency while enrolled. Read our course descriptions to learn more about the curriculum.
The job outlook for advertising, marketing, and promotions managers is expected to grow 6 percent—an estimated 18,800 new jobs—between 2019 and 2029.1 Pursue your MS in Strategic Marketing Communications online at Fordham, and be prepared with the integrated strategies you need to pursue those positions.
FACULTY
All courses in the online program are taught by Fordham faculty from two fields of expertise: communications and media management, and marketing.
Meet Our Program Director
Timothy D. Malefyt, PhD
Clinical Professor of Marketing
Dr. Timothy Malefyt brings extensive experience from his years of serving as a consumer insights director at global advertising agencies (such as BBDO and D’Arcy). His accomplishments include generating insights for the Cadillac brand relaunch and leading a global in-agency consumer insights group for companies including AT&T, Campbell's, eBay, HBO, and PepsiCo.
Dr. Malefyt earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Fordham University, as well as a master’s degree and PhD in anthropology from Brown University. He has co-written and co-edited four books: Advertising Cultures (2003), Advertising Anthropology (2012), Ethics in the Anthropology of Business (2017), and Magical Capitalism (2018).
Featured Faculty
Hooman Estelami, PhD
Professor
Dr. Hooman Estelami has received national awards for his research and teaching as well as Fordham’s Gladys and Henry Crown Award for Academic Excellence and the Stanley Fuchs Teaching Award. He has published dozens of articles, research reports, and book chapters on topics relating to financial-services marketing, pricing, customer-service management, and buyer behavior. He has published 8 books and is the editor of the International Journal of Bank Marketing.
John Fortunato, PhD
Professor and Area Chair, Communications and Media Management
Dr. John Fortunato is the author of five books, including Making Media: The Influence of Constituency Groups on Mass Media Content and Sports Sponsorship: Principles and Practices. He has published more than 50 journal articles and book chapters. His research interests include sports media, crisis communication, and sponsorship.
Genevieve E. O’Connor, PhD
Assistant Professor
Dr. Genevieve E. O'Connor earned her Ph.D. from Rutgers University. Dr. O'Connor's publications have appeared in top tier journals including Journal of Public Policy & Management and Journal of Consumer Affairs. Dr. O’Connor is a services marketing strategist who specializes in consumer well-being with a focus on healthcare and financial well-being. Drawing on more than a decade of industry experience with Fortune 500 companies, including 3M, U.S. Surgical and Boston Scientific, Dr. O’Connor conducts research and provides expert consultation for healthcare organizations.
THE ONLINE LEARNING EXPERIENCE
By offering quality curriculum content combined with the convenience of online learning, we are broadening the Fordham community and creating the kind of business leaders the world most needs today. You can benefit from the resources Fordham has to offer through highly interactive live online classes and asynchronous virtual coursework.
As a student of the online master’s in strategic marketing communications program, you will benefit from the following features:
- Online Dashboard — Access upcoming assignments, live classes, grades, and 24/7 tech support. All features of the online dashboard are also available on a mobile app.
- Weekly Live Classes — Attend seminar-style online classes hosted on the Zoom HD platform where you can directly interact with Fordham faculty, collaborate with classmates in break-out rooms, and participate using real-time presentation and annotation tools.
- Personalized Learning Experience — Personalize the way you complete your coursework to align with your learning style by utilizing dark mode to avoid eye strain while studying at night, varying video speeds and searchable transcripts to successfully digest content, or streaming content to your TV.
- Student Support — Receive support from your dedicated academic and student success advisers, program directors, and Fordham faculty, who will further your development throughout the program.
- Networking Opportunities — Connect with our national network, filled with professors and peers from across the country, and take advantage of participating in school-sponsored events, including presentations and talks with industry leaders, as well as student leadership opportunities.
- LinkedIn Premium Career Membership — Accelerate your career with LinkedIn’s premium suite of networking tools, job applicant insights, and LinkedIn Learning online courses.