MA in Strategic Communications | Public Relations

Credit Hours

100% online, 8-week courses

Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total

Next Start Dates: January 19, 2026 | February 16, 2026 | March 23, 2026

Use Effective Communication Skills to Help Facilitate Change and Engage Audiences with Liberty’s Master’s in Public Relations

Whether your audience is the public or employees in an organization, effective communication is the key to getting across policies, selling products, and promoting ideas. Liberty University’s Master of Arts (MA) in Strategic Communication – Public Relations seeks to help equip you with the tools to make your message known.

Through social media, video, mobile, or traditional communication venues, our public relations master’s degree aims to help you learn how to craft messages that move hearts and minds. Furthermore, your classes will focus on real-world applications and skills that may assist you in assessing, writing, planning, creating, and implementing marketing and communications plans.

Your officially conferred degree name will be Master of Arts (MA) in Strategic Communication – Public Relations.

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Transfer in up to 75% of an Undergrad Degree
Transfer in up to 50% of a Grad/Doctoral Degree

Top 10 Reasons to Choose Liberty

Why Choose Liberty’s MA in Strategic Communication – Public Relations Degree?

Liberty University’s master’s in public relations and communications is designed to help you pursue your career aspirations, emphasizing specialized skills in foundational aspects of the communications sector. This program delivers practical training that focuses on real-world application and effective messaging to meet organizational objectives.

The program can provide you with the opportunity to gain the following:

Industry-relevant training
Insights into digital marketing
Methods for writing and planning strategic communications campaigns and initiatives
Portfolio development
Skills for conducting a situation analysis and providing recommendations to clients

Businesses, nonprofits, and agencies in every industry need talented professionals who can reach audiences in a way that resonates and persuades. Our master’s in strategic communications and public relations can help you enhance your résumé while providing you with the flexibility of 100% online courses.

What is Strategic Communication?

At its core, strategic communications focuses on reaching a target audience in order to meet an organizational or business objective. Social media, video marketing, advertising, and public relations are all avenues of communication that make up the world of strategic communications. This growing, evolving field combines many different outreach methods to help a company achieve its goals.

What Will You Study in a Master’s in Public Relations?

Liberty University’s public relations master’s degree explores the many facets of strategic communication with a focus on public relations. Our program blends classic and modern communication strategies, offering practical projects to help you understand key concepts in communication.

You’ll explore marketing theories as well as develop actionable campaigns and assess their outcomes. Our curriculum includes storytelling, digital communication optimization, and methods for creating engaging content for social media and video. You can also explore how to conduct campaigns across various media and communication platforms. The aim of this public relations master’s degree is to equip you with the skills to effectively reach and influence diverse audiences.

The public relations specialization will focus on strategies and skills in public relations writing. This degree will also examine the process of setting goals and establishing measurable outcomes using communication tools. Furthermore, you will have the opportunity to create campaigns and initiatives.

The public relations curriculum also covers how to deal with organizational change. Change is difficult and needs effective communication at all levels. This program will explore how to facilitate those changes to take organizations to the next level.

Marketing, communication, and advertising are crucial in both for-profit and nonprofit organizations, shaping how society and organizations interact and thrive. Liberty University is here to support your growth, offering the expertise to help you on your path in the communications industry.

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Tuition & Aid

At Liberty University, a private Christian education is less expensive than you think. Over the last 10 years, Liberty University’s Online Program has only raised its standard tuition costs by less than 5% – and most of our online tuition rates rank in the top 35% for affordability for 2025 when compared to our leading online competitors.

Graduate Full Time	$580/Credit
Graduate Part Time	$645/Credit
Military Graduate	$290/Credit

These rates are reflective of academic year 2025-2026. Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

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Admission Information for the Online MA in Strategic Communication – Public Relations Degree

Admission Requirements

Apply online or over the phone with an admissions counselor by calling (800) 424-9596.
- A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required).
Send official college transcripts (mailed as sealed, unopened copies or sent via a direct electronic transcript system). A regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with at least a 2.5 GPA is required for admission in good standing. Applicants who have earned a master’s degree or at least 12 graduate credits from an accredited institution will be assessed on the basis of the master’s-level degree work.
- Unofficial transcripts can be used for acceptance purposes with the submission of a Transcript Request Form.
Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy.

Preliminary Acceptance

If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:

Be in your final term and planning to start your master’s degree after the last day of class for your bachelor’s degree.
Complete a Bachelor’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
Submit an official/unofficial transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript must show a minimum of 105 completed credit hours.
If you are a current Liberty University student completing your undergraduate degree, you will need to submit a Degree/Certificate Completion Application.
Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment in the new master’s degree.

Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses Policy

Transcript Policies

Unofficial College Transcript Policy

Unofficial transcripts combined with a Transcript Request Form can be used for admission. Official transcripts are required within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first, and will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.

Before sending unofficial college transcripts, please make sure they include the following:

Your previous school’s name or logo printed on the document
Cumulative GPA
A list of completed courses and earned credit broken down by semester
Degree and date conferred (if applicable)

Official College Transcript Policy

An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to luoverify@liberty.edu.

If the student uses unofficial transcripts with a Transcript Request Form to gain acceptance, all official transcripts must be received within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first. Failure to send all official transcripts within the 60-day period will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.

Admissions Office Contact Information

Submit your application online or over the phone.

Start Online Application

Apply by phone: (800) 424-9595

Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe.

Who May Qualify?

Active Duty
Reserve/National Guard
Veterans/Retirees
Spouses of Service Members and Veterans/Retirees
Current Department of Defense Employees

Available Benefits:

Tuition discounts – $290 per credit hour for graduate courses
Additional discount for veterans who serve in a civilian capacity as a First Responder*
8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)

*Not applicable to certificates.

These rates are reflective of academic year 2025-2026. Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

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*Some restrictions may occur for this promotion to apply. This promotion also excludes active faculty and staff, military, non-degree-seeking, DGIA, Continuing Education, WSB, and certificate students.

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Master’s in Strat Comm – Public Relations Managing Perceptions and Expectations

Use Effective Communication Skills to Help Facilitate Change and Engage Audiences with Liberty’s Master’s in Public Relations

What Sets Us Apart?

Why Choose Liberty’s MA in Strategic Communication – Public Relations Degree?

What is Strategic Communication?

What Will You Study in a Master’s in Public Relations?

Potential Career Opportunities

Featured Courses

Degree Information

Not sure what to choose?

Tuition & Aid

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Admission Information for the Online MA in Strategic Communication – Public Relations Degree

Admission Requirements

Preliminary Acceptance

Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses Policy

Transcript Policies

Admissions Office Contact Information

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