Advance your career and shape the future with storytelling, strategy, and purpose-driven leadership
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Our graduates are impactful storytellers, inclusive community-builders, and ethical communicators. You’ll find them at Expedia, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Boeing, and more than 800 other organizations.
With three STEM-designated degrees and eight specializations, you can pursue the direction that fits your goals. Our 45-credit degrees cost $39,915 — $887 per credit for the 2026–27 academic year, nearly half what comparable programs charge, and you can finish in as little as 12 months.
Your life doesn’t have to pause while you work and study.
Earn a degree with global recognition from a top U.S. university
#12 global university ranking
(2026 report)
#7 among U.S. public institutions
(2027 rankings)
#8 best public college in the U.S.
(2027 list)
Why Communication Leadership?
Our program is designed to meet market demands and prepare graduates with relevant skills across growing industries. Every degree includes an internship and real client work, so whether you’re a recent graduate or a few years into your career, you finish with work to show.
Interested in learning more about Communication Leadership?
Meet with one of our student advisors to hear from them directly about what it is like to be in the program, or just about any other question you have about Communication Leadership.
Study in Seattle
Seattle is home to Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, and Starbucks, alongside hundreds of agencies, startups, and nonprofits — ideal for communicators, storytellers, and strategists.
Through monthly networking events and industry talks hosted by local organizations, our students meet and learn from the people already doing this work.
Whether it’s your first job or a career reinvention, Seattle is a great place to build what’s next.
Is this the right Master’s in Communication for you?
Communication Leadership is designed and taught by industry experts from leading companies for working professionals pursuing an impact-driven direction in their careers. Whether you’re early in your career or already an experienced professional exploring a leadership shift or changing directions, the program is designed with flexibility in mind.
If you are early on, it helps you move from tactical execution into strategic work with a hands-on curriculum. The student-run consulting initiative offers opportunities to work on real client projects to build a portfolio as you graduate. And, if you have several years of experience, it helps you broaden a specialist background into a wider scope, or move into a new field, with small classes that keep you close to faculty through a 4:1 student-to-faculty ratio.
An MBA’s strengths lie in training you broadly in strategic business management — we focus on the strategic side of things, with an emphasis on communication, storytelling, and leadership, in shaping brands, communities, and organizations.
Unlike other Master’s programs that focus on a specialized study, you choose from three degrees and eight specializations, so the degree fits around the direction you want to take as you progress through the program.
Gaining strategic leadership training of a business degree combined with the digital agility of a specialized master’s.
While all three are STEM-designated and share the same eight specializations, they differ in focus and length.
Digital Media (MCDM, 45 credits, 15-18 months) — Centered around careers in content creation, brand marketing, and storytelling.
Communities & Networks (MCCN, 45 credits, 15-18 months) — Ideal for those who want to build skills in community engagement, strategic communications, and organizational management.
Communication Leadership (MCCL, 60 credits, 18-24 months) — A broader foundational degree for people entering the communication field, with an internship and capstone project built into the curriculum.
Students may also switch to another degree once after starting the program, if you decide to change your focus. Compare the three degrees side by side.
Full-time enrollment (required for international students) is 10 credits per quarter and part-time is 5, so your pace depends on how many credits you take and whether you study through the summer.
The MCDM/MCCN degrees require 45 credits and can be finished in as little as 12-18 months full-time or 2-3 years part-time. Meanwhile, the MCCL degree requires 60 credits due to its more comprehensive nature and takes 21 months full-time or 3-4 years part-time to complete.
Classes are held in person on the Seattle campus, with some scheduled in the evenings or on weekends so you can keep working while you study — the program is designed to be flexible for working professionals through its curriculum and how it is offered.
University of Washington
Department of Communication