Business - Marketing and communication

This program builds skills employers value across industries, including critical thinking, communication and problem-solving. Coursework also strengthens your ability to analyze information, manage projects and make systems-driven decisions.

You’ll explore four topic areas to become career-ready:

• Global and natural science perspectives
  • Learn to think scientifically, interpret data and explore global challenges in science and technology.
• Humanities, identities and society
  • Study culture, identity and human behavior through history, philosophy and the arts.
• National and civil service and professional studies
  • Explore government, civic leadership and ethical practices in public and professional settings.
• Organizations, technology and ethics
  • Understand how organizations function, use digital tools and apply ethics in practical settings.

Build on your previously earned credits with this transfer-friendly program

ASU values your previously earned credits and has designed this program to minimize credit loss. With a broad range of courses, you can tailor how you complete your remaining degree requirements.

You’re an ideal candidate if earning a bachelor’s degree supports your goals, whether you want to shift careers, advance in your current role, prepare for graduate school or achieve personal milestones. Completing a widely recognized general studies degree can help you stand out as a well-rounded candidate with marketable skills.

How three of our most flexible programs compare

Our most flexible degrees — general studies, interdisciplinary studies and liberal studies — share a commonality of choice and transferability. Housed in a college with advisors who specialize in supporting students with diverse interests, these programs enable you to explore multiple areas of study. Each offers a different level of customization and structure. Discover the best option for your goals:

• General studies
  • Finish your degree efficiently by applying the credits you’ve already earned. By choosing the most flexible path, you’ll build career-relevant skills and graduate with the academic credentials needed for advancement.
• Interdisciplinary studies
  • Design a degree that combines two areas of study and builds transferable expertise from nearly 200 concentrations. This is a strong option for gaining focused knowledge aligned with your career goals or graduate study.
• Liberal studies
  • Pursue a humanities-based education and tailor your course plan to your interests. This degree combines structure and choice, offering a broad foundation to explore diverse academic paths.

This digital concentration builds on traditional marketing principles to connect with audiences in the digital realm. In tailored courses, you’ll learn how organizations use digital media tactics, create engaging experiences and build relationships through social media. Topics range from content planning and paid media buying to email marketing and user experience. You’ll also get hands-on practice with Google Analytics, The Trade Desk, HubSpot, Hootsuite, Semrush, OpenAI and other industry tools.

As a digital marketing major, you’ll gain the skills to craft impactful campaigns and make strategic decisions. You’ll graduate prepared for careers in search engine optimization, growth marketing, social media marketing and analytics. This degree also provides a competitive edge for roles in media buying and planning, influencer marketing, e-commerce and more.

Who’s a good fit for this program?

This program is ideal if you’re passionate about combining marketing and technology to transform how brands engage with customers. It’s also a great fit if you’re interested in marketing beyond content creation, such as understanding consumer behavior and using insights to guide marketing initiatives. Whether you’ve gained experience through organizations or student-led ad agencies, or are new to marketing, this program provides the skills to launch your digital marketing career.

If you’re interested in exploring marketing more broadly — such as brand management, graphic design, video production or advertising — ASU’s online bachelor’s in marketing may better align with your goals.

Marketing is a broad discipline that applies to nearly every industry and field of expertise. In this specialized program, you’ll gain foundational marketing knowledge alongside an applied focus on professional sales techniques. Your courses will emphasize building long-term customer relationships in a B2B sales environment to prepare you for real-world scenarios. Ideal candidates for this concentration are interested in pursuing roles in sales, business development, account management and related fields.

The skills you’ll develop as a professional sales major

In this professional sales program, you’ll have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience developing selling skills such as personal pitching, strategic questioning and active listening. You’ll also become proficient in analytical research, relationship management, consumer behavior, global applications and B2B marketing. Other transferable skills you’ll gain include:

• Communication.
• Critical thinking.
• Leadership.
• Personal ethics.
• Problem-solving.
• Teamwork.

Social media managers operate in fast-paced environments where they balance strategy with real-time communication. They’re also responsible for ensuring messages reflect the cultural, social and economic values of the communities they serve.

Taught through a technical communication lens, this program trains you to create content about, for and through digital technology. You’ll focus on writing for specific audiences, managing design projects and supporting ethical, accessible communication across platforms.

This concentration takes an interdisciplinary approach. The curriculum integrates business skills, content production, organizational communication and crisis and reputation management — topics often spread across departments at other universities. At ASU, they’re combined in one program that prepares you for a professional career in social media.

The knowledge and skills you’ll develop

Projects focus on writing, design and strategic content creation. You’ll also work with visual, video and audio formats to expand your digital communication abilities.

The curriculum covers topics such as podcasting, data visualization, grant writing, accessibility, global communication and usability testing. You’ll also gain insight into the history, theory and techniques of professional social media production. Key skills include:

• Advanced technology use for content creation
• Content development and management
• Cross-cultural communication and collaboration
• Writing for specific audiences

Social media evolves quickly, so course content is regularly updated to reflect new tools and best practices.

Who’s a good candidate for this program?

This program is ideal if you’re interested in professional communication roles within businesses, nonprofits or government settings. Coursework focuses on organizational strategy, including customer service, content planning and crisis communication.

This is not a journalism degree focused on news production. If you’re more interested in media theory and analysis, the Bachelor of Arts in mass communication and media studies may be a better fit.

Data visualization focuses on increasing universal access to data using a variety of visual design techniques. The three primary benefits of earning a data visualization degree concentration include, but aren’t limited to:

• Career opportunities.
  • Diverse skills increase your marketability and may open doors for career opportunities in the public, private and nonprofit sectors.
  • New career opportunities in the fields of data analysis, data visualization and data specialization.
  • Other career opportunities in the fields of graphic design and content management.
• Personal development.
  • Further your skills and theory of data management, helping you understand, manage, normalize, create and visualize different types of data according to best practices.
  • Learn how to independently analyze and scrutinize sources of data, including publicly available datasets.
• Professional competencies.
  • Understanding the theory of data management allows you to manage, normalize, create and visualize many types of data using best practices.
  • Gaining knowledge about graphic design and visual communication principles enables you to design infographics, informational posters and other media that increase accessibility to information.
  • Independently analyze and scrutinize many sources of data, including publicly available datasets.

Earning a data visualization degree concentration prepares you to join a field with high demand in data-related occupations. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment for data scientists is projected to grow 35% from 2022 to 2032, which is much faster than average for all occupations. The median annual salary in 2022 for data scientists was $103,500 and typically requires earning a bachelor’s degree in a related field.

The skills you’ll develop in this program

During this program, you'll explore a variety of topics you can apply to your career, such as graphic design, data visualization, infographic development and data analysis. You’ll also learn about the structure of digital information and all facets of data management. Skills you’ll develop include:

• Collaborating with people of diverse backgrounds.
• Conducting user research to create complex communication products.
• Creating communication pieces in multiple media formats.
• Managing design projects.
• Writing clearly and effectively for specific audiences.

Data visualization and technical communication are integral to driving strategic decisions across industries. This data visualization degree concentration prepares you to organize and present data in appealing visuals, ultimately making information easy to understand for wide audiences.

How does this program compare to other technical communication degree concentrations?

This bachelor’s in technical communication with a concentration in data visualization provides foundational knowledge in technical writing with a focus on visual data. As part of the technical communication core curriculum, you’ll learn the fundamentals of technical communication and practice principles of technical editing. After completing your core curriculum, you’ll take data visualization concentration courses that help you advance your data visualization tools and techniques. Upon graduation, you’ll be prepared for a variety of careers in data or technical communication.

If you’re interested in exploring other aspects of technical communication, you may also consider the following ASU Online programs:

• Bachelor of Science in technical communication with a concentration in social media management.
  • In this program, you’ll take courses that focus on writing, design, management and other techniques for producing a variety of content. In your social media concentration courses, you’ll develop insight into the opportunities, concerns and demands associated with professional social media management.
• Bachelor of Science in technical communication with a concentration in user experience.
  • In this program, you’ll take courses that emphasize technical communication, while incorporating relevant context from fields such as human systems engineering and graphic information technology. In your user experience courses, you’ll gain a foundation in UX concepts and their application to real-world assignments.

In this program, courses focus on how communication shapes relationships within organizations, communities and society. You’ll engage with faculty whose expertise spans interpersonal and intercultural communication, organizational communication, rhetorical studies, performance studies and health communication.

The curriculum blends liberal arts and social sciences to prepare you for roles in various fields. Upon graduating, you can use your ability to analyze and interpret communication patterns to drive meaningful change in business, international relations, nonprofit organizations, social services, human resources, advertising and more. Beyond the workplace, you’ll also be equipped to articulate ideas clearly and persuasively in personal contexts.

The skills you’ll develop as a communication major

This humanities-centered communication degree will transform your understanding of complex human interaction into practical applications. Ideal for problem-solvers, you’ll learn how to address communication challenges in various contexts. You’ll also expand your qualitative research skills using interviews, focus groups and ethnography to analyze and interpret data.

Additionally, you should expect to develop management skills in group communication, conflict resolution and leadership development. Graduates are equipped to convey information across diverse cultures and contexts, tailor strategies for different audiences and present confidently. Participating in experiential learning opportunities such as internships and research allows you to apply these skills in real-world settings.

How our BA and BS in communication compare to each other

Our BA and BS in communication foster global awareness while building skills in interpersonal communication, data analysis and critical thinking. However, there are key differences. The BS emphasizes using quantitative research methods such as surveys, data visualization and other tools to tell compelling stories through data. You’ll also complete a science and society elective.

In comparison, this BA takes a humanistic approach, exploring communication in culture and society. You’ll develop expertise in synthesizing qualitative research and engaging with diverse audiences. Additionally, the two-year foreign language requirement will enhance your global communication skills and increase your marketability for roles in the U.S. and abroad.

Both programs offer the opportunity to participate in our Accelerated Master’s program. When accepted, you can earn a master’s degree in as little as one year after completing your undergraduate degree. This opportunity saves you time and money while giving you advanced knowledge in your field. Applicable master's degrees include:

• Master of Arts in communication.

Digital media literacy is the ability to access, analyze, create and use digital media. This includes everything from knowing how to find credible information online to being able to communicate using digital media. A few examples of digital media literacy include knowing how to use digital media technology, spotting misinformation, creating digital content and evaluating the social, cultural and historical impact of media.

Digital media literacy goes beyond digital literacy and using digital tools. Instead, digital media literacy is the ability to use digital media to understand and interact with the world around you. Upon graduating from this program, you’ll have the skills needed to interpret digital media and produce digital content in a way that can benefit society.

Why is digital media literacy important?

Digital media is all around us. Nearly every message is created or distributed using digital technology, making it easier than ever to access important information. While this is generally seen as a positive, the rapid spread of misinformation can threaten our democracy. Being able to navigate these digital media challenges is fundamental to being a well-informed member of society.

Digital media literacy is not only important on a personal level, but also in the workplace and community. Understanding how people interact with information is essential in many communications careers. If you want to further develop your digital media skills, you can pair this degree with an online Bachelor of Science in digital audiences or further your education with the Master of Science in digital audience strategy.

Who’s a good candidate for this program?

If you’re interested in content creation, digital humanities, representation in media and education communication or other related fields, this online digital media literacy degree may be a great fit for you. Preparing you to be at the forefront of strategic digital media decisions with a deep understanding of how information and technology affect our daily interactions, you’ll graduate with the skills and knowledge needed to advance your career or pursue master’s, PhD or other professional programs.

One thing that sets this degree apart from other communication degrees is its focus on what happens after the content is made and distributed. You’ll learn how to examine who saw the content, who trusts it and what the audience did with it. This degree aims to help you become a professional communicator and understand how digital content helps or harms your audience and their communities, so you can create content that has a positive impact.