Strategic Communication

Butler’s Strategic Communication: PR and Advertising degree explores creating and delivering socially responsible communication to diverse audiences supported by research and strategy. The courses in this major are highly interactive and emphasize the synergy of advertising and public relations along with mass communication practices. Students are prepared to commit to professional and ethical communication strategies by researching, interpreting, and producing professional-quality communication materials.

Graduates from Butler’s Strategic Communication program are prepared for an array of unique opportunities in the workforce. By utilizing the analytical and theoretical frameworks of mass communication, graduates are ready for careers requiring responsible communication knowledge. Some of these careers include but are not limited to:

• Research Analyst
• Journalist
• Communications Officer
• SEO Manager
• Director of Content Strategy
• Public Relations Manager

All careers benefit from good communication skills. That may account for the wide variety of career paths our graduates take. Some head directly for an advertising or public relations agency to take advantage of the rich experience that comes with agency work. Others seek careers in corporate communications, where the success of huge marketing plans may hinge on the written word. Some have entered government to serve as a White House liaison or a member of a senator’s or governor’s communications staff. Others find work in the arts, in event planning, in music and entertainment, in fashion, or in digital media. Some choose to pursue a career outside the field of communication, in law, business, or social work. The important thing is that our alumni all have the communication skills required to succeed in life as well as work.

Is it what you know or who you know? The truth is that it’s probably both—so in addition to instructing students, faculty also put them in touch with people who count. Butler is well recognized on the national stage; alumni can be found across the country and overseas. Faculty also help introduce students to local professionals by inviting these professionals to provide guest lectures and by partnering with their organizations for class assignments and projects. Further, students can broaden their professional networks through participation in the department’s chapters of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and the American Advertising Federation’s student Ad Club, both of which put students in touch with professionals on an ongoing basis. Finally, we are big on internships. More than three-fourths of the department’s juniors and seniors have internships, which often include placements at major PR and advertising agencies, Fortune 500 companies, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, fashion houses, sports teams, and event planning agencies.

Ninety-five percent of our CCOM are employed in the field or seeking graduate school within one year of graduation. While this placement rate is impressive, we don’t train students for a job; we train them for a career. And the success of our alumni at the local and national level speaks for itself. Strategic Communication alumni work for PR and advertising agencies such as Borshoff, Edelman, FleishmanHillard, Golin, Ogilvy & Mather, the Basement, and Young & Laramore. They work for companies such as Anthem, Emmis Communications, General Mills, Salesforce, and Walmart on the corporate side. They work for the Patachou Foundation; the Spy Museum in Washington, DC; for U.S. senators; and for Indiana governors. They work in sports, music and entertainment, and tourism and destination promotion. Students also earn prestigious fellowships, including the Orr Fellowship, and pursue graduate education or law school at highly competitive institutions such as Columbia, Georgetown University, and the University of Chicago.