Turn your creativity into a career
Become a dynamic communications leader as our Corporate Communication program prepares you with a variety of subject areas, including communications, business, and technology.
Business communicators are highly skilled professionals in the areas of planning, problem solving, crisis management, and persuasion, with a sharp understanding of their audiences' needs, tastes, and interests.
You’ll love the Corporate Communication major 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 want to join the growing communications industry
- You possess an international, multicultural mindset
- You want to pursue a career in social media, public relations, or marketing
Visit Penn State Shenango
Check out our selection of open houses, application workshops, and personalized visits to discover why Penn State Shenango is the perfect place for you.
Corporate Communication career opportunities
Corporate communicators manage information for key stakeholders, execute corporate strategy, and develop messages for their organization.
As a field that’s growing faster than average at 11%, skilled communications professionals are in demand.
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. In addition, graduates have earned masters and doctoral degrees in the areas of business, strategic communications, and law.
Media relations manager
Public and media managers develop policies and procedures for the relations between your business and media. This position requires a deep understanding of the company, performance, and strategy.
Social media specialist
Manage your organization’s online presence by developing strategies, creating and writing effective content, analyzing data, facilitating customer service, and managing marketing projects and campaigns.
Human resources and internal communications
Ensure that business employees are informed and motivated through mediums like a staff intranet, email bulletins, social media, and regular newsletters.
Investor or governmental relations manager
An investor relations manager supports releasing information, handling inquiries and meetings, providing feedback to management, and crisis management from investors, while a government relations manager promotes legislative efforts that are beneficial to their business to earn the backing of government officials and the public
Marketing communications manager
Oversee and create the messaging and advertising produced by a business, like campaigns, press releases, and other communications with the public or media.
Continuing your education
Graduates may be eligible to earn masters and doctoral degrees in the areas of business, law, corporate or strategic communication, marketing, media studies, or related areas.
What to expect in the Corporate Communication major
The Penn State Bachelor of Arts in Corporate Communication program will prepare you for a robust career through interdisciplinary coursework that spans areas of every organization so you’re ready to hit the ground running.
You will learn how business communicators coordinate factors like branding, event planning, human resources, marketing, media relations, and social responsibility to increase organizations perceptions and revenues.
National Communication Association's Honor Society Lambda Pi Eta
Penn State Shenango’s Corporate Communication major values the great work of our student scholars. Our campus is the home of the Alpha Zeta Phi chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the National Communication Association’s official honor society that focuses on creating a community of philanthropic, academic, and social students.
“$3,000 for your 3.0 GPA” scholarship program
Penn State Shenango believes you should be rewarded for your academic achievements. Inspired by a high campus average GPA, our signature scholarship program has expanded into a tiered system that can net you up to $5,000 in awards. Find out how much your grade-point average can earn you.
A culture of collaboration
There’s something special at Penn State that converts the “I” to the “we” and ignites our passions to collaborate on meaningful impact. Shenango is rooted in supporting each other in the classroom, in the community, and beyond. In the Corporate Communication major, you can expect to collaborate on unique projects outside of your direct area of study to learn new ways to problem solve and expand your skill set.
Start your Penn State story
We're excited you're ready to become a Penn Stater! Now's the perfect time to get started on your application. If you need help getting started, check out our guides to apply for first-year, transfer, or adult students.
Corporate Communication major courses
Review the full Corporate Communication course listing for additional requirements and a sample of the program’s structure.
The Mass Media and Society
This course pays particular attention to the social influences like economics, politics, technology, law and culture that shape media messages on social media, television, film, radio, newspapers, and magazines.
Principles of Marketing
This course will help you consider the domestic and global factors influencing marketing environments, how marketing research is used to create marketing strategies, product development, and how marketing campaigns like advertising are designed to reach customers.
Organizational Communication
Learn communication skills applicable to modern work-related issues such as organizational culture, problem solving in teams, organizational conflict, communication technology, social media, and ethical leadership.
Social Media in Corporate Communication
Explores the internal and external functions of social media in organizations, with a focus on organizational-stakeholder relationships.
Conflict Resolution and Negotiation
Conflict and its management are critical issues that pervade the fabric of our society. This class is designed as an opportunity to explore the complexities of conflict, to understand the forces that make conflict challenging, and to develop a repertoire of skills for thinking about and managing conflict more effectively.
Gain Corporate Communication experience before you graduate
Our Corporate Communication program is designed for you to complete an internship in your senior year that facilitates the application of your classroom learning in a field setting.
This opportunity is designed to provide students with firsthand experience in both the challenges and rewards of being a business professional in our local communities, a design that sets the major apart from other communications programs.
Corporate Communication majors have completed internships in a variety of fields related to:
- Social media
- Human resources
- Marketing
- News media
- Special events
- Strategic communications
- Video production
