A Look at WVU's Integrated Marketing Communications Master’s Degree

Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) is a “planning process designed to assure that all brand contacts received by a customer or prospect for a product, service, or organization are relevant to that person and consistent over time."

But what exactly does this mean?

IMC attempts to unify all pieces of marketing communications, including advertising, public relations, direct marketing, social media, and sales promotion. It is a human-centered approach where messaging is catered to the audience and consistent across all channels.

So, what makes WVU’s Integrated Marketing Communications master’s program so unique?

WVU’s IMC program is exclusively online and customizable.

This master’s program is perfect for students interested in graduate school online, because the IMC programs is offered totally online. This format allows students the opportunity to earn their degree from virtually anywhere in the world! Degree requirements consist of an introductory course, four core courses, four specialty courses, three electives, and a capstone course. Typically, most students complete these courses and earn their degree in about two years.

The WVU IMC network is 1,200+ strong.

WVU IMC graduates have opportunities to network with alumni all over the world. Couple an innovative curriculum with these connections, and IMC graduate are introduced to a broad range of strategic marketing positions.

Graduates hold positions such as:

• Brand managers
• Marketing directors
• Public relations directors
• Business owners
• CEOs

In a recent survey of graduates:

• 94 percent of total respondents rated their overall satisfaction level with WVU’s program at an 8 out of 10 or higher.
• 100 percent of respondents stated that they would recommend the IMC program to a friend or colleague.
• 76 percent of recent graduates indicated an increase of $5,000 or more in their annual salary after completing this master’s program.

WVU’s IMC graduates have positive job outlooks.

IMC graduates can also pursue careers as marketing managers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, marketing managers make an average of $131,180 a year. In 2016, the lowest 10 percent earned less than $67,490 and highest 10 percent earned more than $208,000.

The employment rate of marketing managers is expected to grow 9 percent from 2016 to 2026. Marketing manager positions are highly desirable and are often sought by other managers and experienced professionals. These statistics demonstrate the high demand for the marketing management field, as well as the demand for a degree in IMC.

Watch the video below for the testimonial of a WVU alum who participated in the Integrated Marketing Communications online master's program!

If you want to experience West Virginia University for yourself, and if you want to explore the online graduate programs available at WVU, we hope you'll download our Online Graduate School Toolkit for a comprehensive look at the online offerings at WVU!