Integrated Marketing Communication

Integrated marketing communication is a strategic communication discipline that draws together advertising, public relations and marketing. As an undergraduate in the IMC program, you will develop competencies in advertising, public relations, event planning, emerging communication technologies, community relations, visual communication and branding.

The integrated marketing communication major will prepare you for a career in advertising and at public relations agencies, consulting firms and in positions requiring strategic communication planning and strategy. The curriculum will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of marketing communication strategies, tactics and tools that help organizations effectively communicate with their target audience(s).

Along the way, you’ll delve into such topics as advertising, public relations, digital marketing, branding, media planning, sales promotion and event management and study such areas as consumer behavior, market research and data analysis, essential skills for developing effective marketing strategies.

What You’ll Learn with an Integrated Marketing Communication Degree

With an integrated marketing communication degree, you will have the skills needed to achieve your bigger goals, regardless of industry or area of expertise within the marketing realm and will be able to:

  • Understand integrated marketing communication as a strategic discipline that draws together advertising, public relations and marketing.
  • Apply communication ethics to decision making in advertising and public relations.
  • Develop competencies in advertising, public relations, event planning, community relations, visual communication and branding.
  • Use consumer behavior, market research and data analysis to develop effective marketing strategies.
  • Create an integrated marketing communication campaign for a for-profit or nonprofit marketplace client.

 

Program Information

Our IMC program offers a comprehensive understanding of marketing communication strategies, tactics, and tools. Learn to effectively communicate with target audiences, empowering organizations.

Program Type

Major

Degree

Bachelor's

School

McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts

Academic Department

Communication and Rhetorical Studies

Duration

4-year

Required Credit Hours

120

Modality

In-Person

From Classroom to Career

Ryan Stoudt, A’26, is entering graduation with a full-time job offer at PNC Bank and a strong foundation built in Pittsburgh. Originally from Reading, Pa., he chose Duquesne to gain independence while staying close to home. As an integrated marketing communication major with a minor in digital media arts and a certificate in business management, he’ll return to eastern Pennsylvania with both experience and direction shaped by experiences that transform.

“I wanted to be in a spot that had a lot of opportunity, and Pittsburgh was one of the areas I was looking to meet those needs,” he said. “I love that at Duquesne you have the opportunity to branch out, experience things and go off campus, but when you're back on campus you have that small town, community vibe that I'm used to.”

On campus, Ryan took on leadership roles in the Public Relations Student Society of America, including co-president, and joined Pi Sigma Epsilon. He also gained hands-on experience through internships in sports marketing and product innovation, where he worked on projects from concept to completion.

From classroom to career, Ryan’s experience reflects what the IMC program is designed to do: connect students with real opportunities and prepare them to step confidently into the field.

Ryan Stoudt uses his computer in the second floor College Hall lobby.

Professional Growth for Empowerment

Build marketing and communication experience through internships, leadership roles, and client-based projects.

Ryan's Journey

A personal connection to learning

“There are so many great professors from Duquesne in communication. They pushed me and encouraged me to form a personal connection to the work that I was doing, and it made it not feel like work and definitely increased the quality of my work.”

—Ian Johnston

Program Requirements

View Catalog
  • COMM 301W History of Communication (3 Credits)
  • COMM 494W Communication Ethics (3 Credits)
  • COMM 206 Communication in the Marketplace (3 Credits)

Select one:

  • COMM 201 Human Communication in a Technological Age (3 Credits)
  • COMM 407 or 114 Intercultural Communication (3 Credits)
  • COMM 204 Professional Comm. in IMC (recommended) (3 Credits)
  • COMM 202 Business & Professional (can be substituted if needed) (3 Credits)

Select three:

  • COMM 330 IMC Functions I: PR (3 Credits)
  • COMM 333 IMC Functions II: Ad (3 Credits)
  • COMM 430 IMC Strategies I: PR (3 Credits)
  • COMM 433 IMC Strategies II: Ad (3 Credits)
  • COMM 436 IMC: Coordinating Ad & PR (3 Credits)
You will select one additional communication elective in consultation with your advisors.

Enhanced Major

You may take up to 15 additional credits for an enhanced major. An enhanced major allows you to supplement the 30-credit major with additional coursework and internships. This option requires consultation with the undergraduate directors.

Learning Outcomes

In addition to the Liberal Arts General Outcomes for all Undergraduate Degree Areas, students in the B.A. in Integrated Marketing Communication program will demonstrate the following general competencies:
  1. IMC fluency and competency: Students will demonstrate fluency and competency in the vocabulary and skills of advertising and/or public relations as a function of integrated marketing communication.
  2. Ethical praxis: Students will articulate the importance of "the good" protected and promoted as the narrative and philosophical basis for ethical decision making in communicative contexts in public and private life, while recognizing the presence of diverse conceptualizations of the good in a world of narrative and virtue contention.
  3. Create messages appropriate for an IMC audience, purpose, and context: Students will create an IMC campaign for a marketplace client (for profit or nonprofit or not for profit).