Forge Your Marketing Future with a Degree in Integrated Marketing Communications

Marketing is much more than posting on social media.

Think about the last brand, event, team or organization that got your attention. Maybe you saw a video, followed the brand on social, attended an event, received an email or noticed an outdoor bulletin or poster.

None of that happened by accident.

Rather, it’s intentional and based on a deliberate strategy - knowing your audience, understanding what they care about and saying the right thing at the right time.

That's integrated marketing communications.

West Virginia University's online Integrated Marketing Communications, B.S. program helps you understand and curate how all those pieces come together. You'll build a foundation in marketing and communications while exploring the parts of the field that interest you most.

And you don't need to have your entire career figured out before you start. Whether you're beginning college, transferring previous coursework from another institution, coming back to college after taking a break, or building on military or professional experience, the program can help you develop skills you can take in many different directions.

Integrated Marketing Communications is Bigger Than One Job

There isn't just one path in IMC. You might be interested in building a brand, writing content, analyzing data or bringing all of those pieces together to create a campaign. That's how marketing works in the real world. Advertising, public relations, social media and content all play a role in helping organizations connect with people.

The IMC program gives you a foundation across those areas while helping you understand audiences, messaging and the strategy behind effective communication. The goal isn't to prepare you for one specific job. It's to give you skills you can build on as you figure out where you want to go.

Learn it. Then Put it to Work.

Marketing isn't just something you learn from a textbook. It’s about taking what you are learning and applying it to what is happening in the world, identifying trends and creating messages and content to connect to audiences. Throughout the program, you'll work with marketing and communications tools and apply what you're learning to practical challenges. You'll tackle the kinds of questions marketing professionals face every day:

• Who are we trying to reach?
• What do they care about?
• How do we connect and engage with them?
• How do we monitor and evaluate to know if the strategy is working?

You'll also have room to explore different sides of the field.

• Interested in the creative side? You can develop skills in areas such as persuasive writing and visual design.
• More interested in strategy, research and decision-making? You can explore the analytical side of marketing, including media and data evaluation.

And you don't necessarily even have to choose.

The best marketing brings creativity and strategy together. A great idea has to go beyond being creative and reaching the right people to delivering measurable and impactful results. Data only matters if you know what to do with it. And even the best strategy needs a message people will notice and remember.

That's where IMC comes in.

Find Your Own Direction

Start your degree where you are. You don't need to have a precise destination. Take the first steps to head in the right direction.

The IMC program gives you a broad foundation in marketing and communications while allowing you to dig deeper into an area that interests you.

Choose from five specialized tracks:

• Entertainment Media: Explore marketing and communications in the fast-moving world of media and entertainment.
• Event Planning: Learn about the planning and promotion behind the memorable experiences that bring people together.
• Health Promotion: Explore how communication strategies can support wellness initiatives and create healthy communities.
• Sport Communication: Look beyond the game and explore the connection between sports organizations, media and raving fans.
• Strategic Social Media: Learn more about creating content, gaining trust and credibility, building communities and using social platforms strategically.

Your track lets you explore something that interests you while building a broader foundation in marketing communications.

Learn From People Who Know the Industry

Marketing changes fast. Platforms change. Technology changes. The way people consume information changes. That's why you need to learn from people who understand both the industry and the fundamentals behind it.

The IMC bachelor’s program brings together experienced industry professionals and faculty who teach students on campus. That means online students have the opportunity to learn from the same faculty and academic expertise that support WVU's traditional advertising and public relations programs, while also gaining perspectives from professionals with experience in executive leadership, agency work and other areas of the field.

The result is a mix of academic expertise and real-world experience that connects what you're learning to what's happening in marketing and communications today.

A Pathway for Military-Connected Students

The College of Creative Arts and Media has an undergraduate partnership with the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF), creating a pathway for eligible students to build on the education and training they have already completed.

For military-connected students who have earned applicable credit through their CCAF education or other military training, the IMC program can provide an opportunity to continue working toward a bachelor's degree.

Eligible students may be able to transfer previous coursework toward their degree and may also qualify for a special discounted military tuition rate.

Where Could an IMC Degree Take You?

That's up to you.

You can build brands, develop campaigns, promote events, create content, build social media strategy or curate how organizations better understand audiences and develop loyal relationships.

You might discover a direction you hadn't even considered when you started.

A bachelor’s degree in IMC gives you a broad foundation without locking you into one specific path. You'll build skills you can take with you as your interests evolve and your career takes shape.

Earn Your Degree Without Putting Life on Hold

Earning your degree has to fit in the rest of your daily life.

WVU's online IMC program is asynchronous, with no required in-person commitments. That gives you the flexibility to complete your coursework in sync with your job, family, military service or other responsibilities.

Already have college credit? Eligible coursework may transfer toward your degree.

The goal is simple: help you keep moving forward without putting everything else on hold.

If you're ready to take the next step, explore WVU's online Integrated Marketing Communications, B.S. program and connect with Assistant Dean for Online Programs, Cindy Hart, to learn more about the program and how it can fit your goals.