Can you imagine yourself in a leadership role? Do you enjoy communicating with others and building meaningful relationships? If so, a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Communication could be the right choice for you.
PLNU Organizational Communication majors learn invaluable skills that allow them to expertly navigate any company, industry, or nonprofit group. Organizational Communication focuses on the relationship between communication and human behavior in all organizational contexts, including business, government, and non-profits. At the heart of the discipline is a recognition that organizations are created, maintained, and changed through human communication. An ability to assess and manage interpersonal, group, and organizational communication processes and create a collaborative environment is essential in today’s turbulent information environment.
The Organizational Communication program offers you a flexible curriculum grounded in social scientific and interpretive theories, focusing on the study and practice of those organizational activities most dependent on communicative behavior. It also provides practice in oral and written communication; collaboration skills; and critical thinking through in-class activities, service-learning projects, and internship opportunities.
The Organizational Communication vision is to think deeply about life — set your sights higher than grades, money, and professional accomplishments (as good as these may be) — and on your journey embrace spirituality, practice empathy, find the humor in everything, and strive for originality, for you are made in the image of God.
The B.A. in Organizational Communication is an approved program under PLNU's WASC Regional Accreditation, WSCUC. Since it is not a business major, it is not an Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) approved program.
Leading Through Story: How Great Business Leaders Use Narrative to Inspire and Lead Others
The ability to tell a story for employees and customers is what separates great leaders from only good ones.
Are you ready to take the next step to begin your PLNU journey? Whether you’re a high school senior, college transfer student, or international student, find out what we’re looking for in our applicants and how you can apply.
For most students, the transition into college life is one full of adjustments. There is the excitement of newfound freedoms, but also some uncertainty as you begin to make choices and take responsibility for your own future.
At PLNU, we’re committed to supporting you — academically, professionally, spiritually, personally — so that you may be successful both in your time as a student and beyond. That’s why we offer a holistic support system that focuses on your unique experiences, particular needs, and personal and professional goals — resulting from our deep concern for you, our student.
With a focus on authentic relationships and personalized attention, our goal is to help transform you so you can follow your calling in your own career and life.
PLNU organizational communication graduates are exceptionally skilled in the intangible aspects of their discipline that can form, sustain, and strengthen any company or community. These soft skills are highly sought after by employers, and according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers' Job Outlook 2019 report, employers rated written communication skills as the most important candidate quality.
A Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Communication can lead to a wide variety of careers and industries, including:
Management
Advertising
Marketing
Human resources
International relations
Government
Ministry
Education
Law
Entrepreneurship
What can you do with a organizational communication degree?
Point Loma organizational communication studies alumni have gone into a broad array of employment. The following companies are just some examples that employ PLNU alumni: Amazon, Allegis Group, Inc., Alliant Insurance Services, Asml Us, and Aya Healthcare. Along with a wide array of companies, there’s a versatile set of titles that PLNU organizational communication studies alumni hold, the most prominent being: sales managers, business development and marketing managers, management consultants and business analysts, secretaries and administrative assistants, and social and human service specialists.
The following are more examples of positions that PLNU communication studies alumni currently hold:
General and Operations Managers
2020 Median annual salary $123,880
General and operations managers are responsible for managing activities that are part of the production of services in wide-ranging fields from social media to election campaigns. Operations managers' responsibilities include human resource management, asset management, and cost management. Their indirect responsibilities can include interacting with the managers in other functional areas within the organization whose roles have an impact on operations.
What it takes to be a general and operations manager:
Strategic planning skills
Financial planning skills
Interpersonal skills
Leadership skills
Communication skills
Innovative thinking
Public Relations Specialists
2020 Median annual salary $62,810
Public relations specialists create and uphold a favorable public image for the organization they represent. These specialists write media releases and craft social media programs to shape a positive public perception of their organization, while also increasing awareness of the organization’s work and goals.
Necessary attributes and skills include the ability to:
Write and speak effectively
Draft speeches, press releases, and arrange interviews
Maintain and make quick deadlines
Interpret social media trends and public interactions
Aid their clients in effectively communicating with the public
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
2020 Median annual salary $65,810
Marketing research analysts and marketing specialists follow and interpret market conditions to capitalize on and inform clients and organizations of potential sales of a product or service. They’re experts at understanding which products people want, the buyers of those products, and what price those buyers are willing to pay.
Necessary attributes and skills:
Robust understanding of market trends and patterns
Innovation in creating methods for collecting data (surveys, questionnaires, polls, etc.)
Ability to gather, interpret, and utilizate data
Strong writing and communications skills in presenting reports and results
Student Profile
Jeremy Carter
In his role at Hurley, Jeremy Carter gets to combine his passions for both working with kids and surfing as he heads up the digital portion of the Hurley Surf Club.
Alumni listed the following skills as the top strengths they acquired as an organizational communication student at PLNU:
Event planning
Social networks
Public relations
Social media marketing
Event management
Marketing strategies
Organizational communication as a lifelong skill:
Being able to communicate and collaborate efficiently and effectively with others is an invaluable skill that can carry you through life, and one any employer would value. As the talented American motivational speaker Les Brown once said, “Your ability to communicate is an important tool in your pursuit of your goals, whether it is with your family, your co-workers or your clients and customers.” By being an organizational communication major at PLNU, you’ll be working on learning to communicate in an abundance of ways through your entire academic journey, meaning communication will always be a strong and important aspect of your relationships for any path you choose to follow.
