The Master is divided into a two-year course, for a total of 1500 hours of classroom training, distance learning, in-company internships and individual study.
Overall, the two annual training cycles include:
- 270 total hours of lectures, assisted teaching, laboratory;
- 120 hours for the preparation of the written work (intermediate exam) and other activities (seminars, workshops, company meetings, etc.);
- 375 hours of company internship;
- 125 hours of preparation for the final exam to assess the acquired skills;
- 610 total hours of self-study.
First year programme
Il first year offers un preparatory and general framework on the fundamental topics of communication and is divided into the following modules:
Media, markets and trends
The module introduces the basic concepts of current communication theories and analyzes contemporary means of communication, trends and markets, with particular attention to mass and corporate communication.
Corporate communication and reputation management
It deals with integrated communication, external and internal, and its strategic value for the company's business objectives. Public relations and press office, visual identity and events, advertising and social media are some of the tools of the communication mix. A focus is dedicated to managing the reputation and credibility of a brand, social responsibility and environmental sustainability.
Interpersonal communication and conflict management in professional environments
The module aims to develop knowledgeable and effective communication skills; creation and management of working groups; conflict prevention and management in working contexts; individual and group stress management; of strategies win-win in decision-making processes.
Effective writing for companies and professions
Different cases of obscure or ineffective writing are analyzed (bureaucratic, business and other unhappiness), and the key themes of effective writing are explored: design, editing and revision of the text, clarity of exposition, correctness and formal appropriateness. The module lays the foundations for the construction of a media planning, starting from the analysis of the target and the scenario, to identify the media mix. The guidelines for creating effective messages on various media are presented, from press releases to tweets, from blogs to facebook pages.
New Business Writing
More and more often we read texts through the small or large window of a screen: articles, brochures, presentations, minutes, letters, e-books, posts and tweets. The module offers strategies to make the texts we write clearer, more readable and more effective in the increasingly fast, crowded and fragmented contexts of contemporary professions.
Internet Marketing
The module explores the fundamental topics of online marketing: web advertising from video to social media advertising, the web in general media planning, search engines, customer loyalty techniques, the personalization of online services in marketing automation , the new digital business models.
Sales Management
Through concrete cases, the module explains the fundamentals of the psychology of persuasion and delves into the main persuasive strategies on which commercial dynamics, group management and leadership in organizations are based.
Second year programme
The second year is direction oriented practical-applicative and is divided into the following modules:
Budgeting and media planning
The budgeting process is essential in planning and coordinating business activities. The module provides the necessary skills for the strategic planning of an effective budget for communication and the most suitable techniques to achieve it. The main methodologies for analyzing deviations and drafting the relative reports are also examined.
Creative writing
Those who work in communication must not only know how to write correctly, clearly and functionally, but must be able to produce (or at least evaluate) the persuasive effectiveness of texts. With examples and exercises, the presentation of the corporate mission and vision, the creation of interest, the management of style, the choice of register, humor and figures of speech are discussed.
Social media marketing
The module offers the necessary skills to use and manage the opportunities offered by digital media and web 2.0 in the design, planning and verification of communication and marketing activities for products and services of public and private companies.
Media production and consumption, including television, podcasts and social networks
The module offers an overview of the contemporary media system, in general and with reference to the Italian market, identifying both the changes and the lines of continuity in the digital redefinition of audiovisual media. Some concepts of television and radio languages and crafts will help to understand what is also happening on the most recent platforms and social media. Particular attention will be paid to the industrial, production and distribution aspects, as well as to the most widespread practices and trends in media use.
Visual Communication
The fundamentals of visual communication are taught: choice of colours, use of fonts, relationship between images and written texts, layout. Visual communication on various media is analysed: paper, TV, web. Particular attention is paid to the strategies for setting up the coordinated graphic image of an organization. The market positioning of some large companies and institutions is studied, providing the tools to apply the rules of visual identity to the various public and private contexts.
Public Speaking
The fundamental techniques of speaking in public are deepened: awareness of verbal and non-verbal communication, with particular reference to the organization of speech and control of the body, gestures and one's personal image with the aim of sustaining attention and audience participation.
Business Games I and II
At the end of the second year, students must present a group work on one or more topics covered during the Master: the executive project of a website, the project for the reorganization of a company's internal communication, the analysis of coordinated image of a company, etc. The Business Game provides for a contest between the different groups, giving everyone the opportunity to evaluate the results obtained in the two years of the Master in terms of consistency and effectiveness.
