Business Communication

Abstract

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  Profile of the study programme

  Description of the programme
  The programme consists of two modules.

  The objective of module 1 (compulsory) is to examine three aspects of communication in greater depth as part of a study programme focused on companies and organisations. The three aspects are:

  • Strategic communication: Which stakeholder should be addressed first in a communication plan? How do you manage Twitter and Facebook conversations during a crisis? How do you proactively build an online community? How do you communicate sustainability programmes to a sceptical audience? How do you generate social value and ethical consumerism in companies through communication?
  • Digitalisation and use of media: How do you create open-source platforms that allow citizens to get involved in an organisation's strategic decision-making? How has the digital transformation changed user communication? How do you develop a content strategy to create a customer, citizen or employee orientation?
  • Communication in a digital and media context: How do public and political actors communicate? What mobilisation strategies do the different social, economic and media actors develop? What are the different media systems, and what is their role at the societal level? How do you develop a digital advocacy strategy for an organisation or a political or public actor?

  The objective of module 2 (optional) is to acquire multidisciplinary skills relating to, for example, human resources, financial management, ethics in development and global change, social computing, etc. This second module is crucial because to communicate in an optimal way, a professional has to be able to understand how an organisation works (option Management), how public policies are negotiated (option Economics), how artificial intelligence works (option Business Informatics) and how a sustainability strategy is developed (option Ethics and Economics).

  Fribourg profile
  The Department of Communication and Media Research (DCM) at the University of Fribourg is known for its international expertise in the field of business communication.

  Thanks to our advanced teaching methods, you have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of work with challenges, case studies and multimedia simulations carried out in the classroom, applying the theoretical knowledge you have acquired during your degree course. While studying for your master's degree in Business Communication, you will also have the chance to put your knowledge into practice by learning how to manage web supports (sites, blogs, etc.), lead team projects and scientific research, and also build contacts with companies, especially when writing your thesis.

  Our master programme offers you the freedom and flexibility you need: you have numerous options to choose from and can attend most of the courses in the order you wish. In addition, with a wide choice of specialisations available, you can complement your master programme in Business Communication in accordance with your own interests, thereby gaining optimal, additional expertise.

  In our programme, we place special emphasis on interactive and innovative teaching methods and excellent mentoring of our students, which includes close collaboration and regular feedback. You also have the opportunity to spend an exchange semester at one of our numerous partner universities abroad.

  The master programme in Business Communication consists of courses in French and English. You can also take courses in German. This provides the only opportunity in Switzerland to study this subject bilingually or trilingually (distinction «Bilingual curriculum: French/German» on your diploma, or mention of the languages of study on the diploma: «The candidate completed the programme in French and English» or «The candidate completed the programme in French, German and English»).

  Learning outcomes and career prospects
  On completing your master's degree in Business Communication, you will be equipped for a position of responsibility in information and communication in a business context. For example, our alumni are communication officers, digital content managers, employer brand specialists, digital marketing managers, consumer data analysts, online community managers, journalists, public diplomacy specialists and brand managers.

  The degree course also provides academic prospects, for example as a scientific research worker, and gives you access to doctoral studies. To get an idea of what we do in our department, take a look at the different themes of our research projects.

  According to a survey carried out in 2019, 67% of our alumni found a job within three months of completing their studies. By six months after the end of their studies, 87% had found a job. Our alumni hold intermediate (52%), junior (25%), senior (16%) and higher (7%) positions. Their employers are diverse: the Swiss Confederation, Swiss Post, SBB, Philip Morris, Siemens, Swiss Olympic, Ringier, Festi'neuch, etc.

  Among our alumni, those who chose the specialisation Management are digital marketing communication managers or digital communication specialists, for example. Those who completed the specialisation Economics tend to work in communication for international organisations, national banks or public administration. Those who completed the specialisation Ethics and Economics work as communication and sustainability managers for companies or public institutions. Lastly, those who completed the specialisation Business Informatics work as data analysis experts in a communication context (e.g. stakeholder monitoring).

Studies organisation

Structure of studies

Curriculum

Admission