Position Summary

The program director will be responsible for overseeing and managing multiple aspects of the Online Master’s Program in Strategic Communication, including: recruiting and admitting qualified students, advising students during their time in the online program, engaging alumni and nurturing industry alliances and partnerships, working with an advisory committee to revise and maintain a competitive and relevant curriculum, recruiting, managing, and evaluating faculty to ensure high-quality instruction, overseeing program marketing, and managing program budget. The director will also teach classes in the program as necessary. This position will be an annual year (twelve month) position.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Degree

Masters -Strategic communication, advertising, public relations, marketing, communication, business, or a related field

Minimum Requirements

• Minimum of a master’s degree in strategic communication, advertising, public relations, marketing, communication, business, or a related field
• Professional leadership or academic administrative experience of at least 1 year
• Experience in budget management
• Community building skills pertaining to student and faculty relationships, networking with alumni and industry partners, and the like

Desired Qualifications

• Experience in or openness to learn about higher education (e.g., administration, teaching, research), especially in relation to online education and curriculum design
• Professional, teaching, or research experience in integrated digital and social media campaigns, data analytics, and related areas
• Demonstrated ability to recruit competitive candidates for organizations, programs, and the like

Required Application Materials

• Cover letter
• Curriculum Vita
• List of three references

Special Instructions

To apply for the position, candidates must complete an online application at careers.msu.edu. The committee will start the review of applications on May 13, 2025, and will continue accepting applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

As an institution of higher learning, Michigan State University is committed to providing a safe environment for its students, faculty, and staff in support of its educational mission. With this commitment, the University conducts criminal background checks and professional misconduct reviews of all applicants for employment in faculty, academic staff, and executive management searches. 

Professional Misconduct Review 

A professional misconduct review is a prerequisite for a candidate to be selected for this position. Applicants will be asked to disclose whether they are subject to any pending investigation, findings or sanctions related to professional misconduct. Professional misconduct includes misconduct related to a person’s employment, including, but not limited to, theft, embezzlement, research integrity, discrimination, or harassment under civil rights laws and policies, including protected identity harassment, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct (sexual assault, sexual exploitation, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, etc.), and retaliation. All applicants will be asked to sign an authorization and release, which authorizes the University to contact the candidate’s current and former employers, for a period of 7 years prior to the date of application, related to any pending investigations, findings of responsibility and/or sanctions related to professional misconduct. Nothing will be sent to current or former employers unless the candidate reaches the semi-finalist stage. 

The existence of professional misconduct history does not automatically exclude a candidate from employment. The University will assess the information, including any information provided by the candidate, in determining whether the candidate is fit for the position. The University may decline to hire a candidate based on the professional misconduct review. All records obtained from external employers will be kept in a secure location, separate from personnel files. If an applicant fails to sign the authorization and release, the application will be deemed incomplete and will be withdrawn.  

Review of Applications Begins On

05/13/2025

Remote Work Statement

MSU strives to provide a flexible work environment and this position has been designated as remote-friendly. Remote-friendly means some or all of the duties can be performed remotely as mutually agreed upon.

Website

https://comartsci.msu.edu/academics/academic-departments/advertising-public-relations/graduate/master-arts-strategic

Department Statement

The Michigan State University Department of Advertising and Public Relations is a leader in education, research and outreach. For more than 60 years, the program has set the global pace in research excellence and achievement while also maintaining an award-winning undergraduate program. These remain the department’s core values. The department is housed in MSU’s world-renowned College of Communication Arts and Sciences. Established in 1955 as the first of its kind in the country, ComArtSci is now one of the largest and most respected colleges of communication in the world. ComArtSci combines a research-intensive faculty with a strong professional mission to prepare students for rewarding careers and to influence the professional practice of strategic communication globally.

The Master of Arts degree in Strategic Communication is designed for working professionals seeking to enhance their knowledge and skills in the rapidly changing media and technology environment. Students will learn to create and manage digital communication in organizational contexts by mastering skills in research, ethics, branding, content design, analytics and leadership. Graduates of this program have gone on to successful careers in private sector organizations as well as the public sector. Through a combination of mentoring from instructors and learning from peers, this program is designed to serve as a career accelerator.

MSU Statement

Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.

About Michigan State University

Spartans work every day to advance the common good in uncommon ways.Together, we tackle some of the world?s toughest problems to find solutions that make life better?from alternative energy to better food safety to breakthrough medical and environmental applications achieved through rare isotope research.We teach. We explore and we discover. We collaborate and lead. We innovate, inspire, and empower. We achieve our potential and create circumstances that help our students and others achieve theirs.We're good at it, and we've been at it for more than 150 years.The nation?s pioneer land-grant university, MSU began as a bold experiment that democratized higher education and helped bring science and innovation into everyday life. The revolutionary concept became a model for the nation.Today, MSU is one of the top research universities in the world?on one of the biggest, greenest campuses in the nation. Home to nationally ranked and recognized academic, residential college, and service-learning programs, we?re a diverse community of dedicated students and scholars, athletes and artists, scientists and leaders.In ways both practical and profound, we work to create a stronger, more sustainable, and more hopeful future for all.

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