Class Type: MCCN

Classes

Classes are designed to challenge your thinking and develop your professional skills. You’ll leave each class with a unique set of tools to approach new communications challenges.

Tailor your experience to your career goals by focusing on one of eight areas of specialization. Use the search widget below to sort classes by quarter, specialization, instructor and degree track for each quarter. Get a comprehensive view of the full academic year in our Course Guide.

View the University of Washington Academic Calendar for important dates, including quarter start and end dates, registration dates and deadlines, and campus holidays.

Registration numbers (SLNs) are located on the Time Schedule. Please read the Department’s statement on internet resource requirements for access to courses.

COMMLD 563: Multicultural Marketing: Creating Equitable and Inclusive Communications

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- 2026-2027 | Autumn 2026

Open Elective | Meets Law & Ethics Requirement | 5 Credits
Saturdays 10/03, 10/17, 10/31, 11/14, 12/05, 9:00am – 5:00pm | Online
Registration SLN: 12829

Course Description

This course will take a close look at the evolution of multicultural marketing, industry best practices and foundational strategies related to multicultural communications. We will explore how agencies and companies have adapted, pivoted and transformed the way brands and organizations engage with diverse audiences. You’ll learn how to build marketing campaigns that are rooted in principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. Additionally, we’ll learn how to craft campaigns that are responsive to the increasingly diverse marketplace and ever-changing marketing landscape.

Meets Law & Ethics Requirement.

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COMMLD 503A: Practicum: Advanced Marketing

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- 2026-2027 | Autumn 2026

Open Elective | 5 Credits
Thursdays 10/01 – 12/10, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | Room on Time Schedule
Application Required

Course Description

Level up your leadership. Build a real-world marketing strategy that actually gets used.

In this hands-on practicum, you’ll partner with a real client to create and deliver a strategic marketing plan—plus sample content they can start using now. You’ll assess their current outreach (social, web, posters, community engagement) and design a smarter, more integrated approach. The client will provide real-time feedback and decide what to adopt—so the stakes (and impact) are real.

This course is built for students ready to stretch: to lead through ambiguity, influence without authority, and work through the messy middle of real-world challenges. There’s no step-by-step playbook—just strong coaching, clear expectations, and support to help you grow fast.

You’ll also learn to work the way modern marketers actually work—with AI as a strategic tool, not a shortcut.

Throughout the practicum, you’ll use AI to accelerate and sharpen your work at three levels:

Deep research: Use AI to map competitive landscapes, surface audience insights, and synthesize market data faster than traditional methods—so you spend less time compiling and more time thinking.

Creative support: Leverage AI to rapidly prototype messaging, generate content variations, and pressure-test ideas before bringing them to the client—giving you more creative range without sacrificing craft.

Process improvement: Apply AI tools to audit existing marketing efforts, identify gaps, and streamline workflows—so your recommendations are grounded in evidence, not just instinct.

You won’t just learn about AI in marketing. You’ll develop the judgment to know when to use it, when to push back on it, and how to integrate it into a professional workflow with integrity.

By the end, you’ll walk away with a marketing plan, content samples, client-facing experience, and a standout project for your resume or portfolio—plus a fluency in AI-assisted strategy that most practitioners are still figuring out.

Credit/No Credit only

**Since this class takes foundational concepts to the next level, students who register must have already taken any of the following courses:

• COMMLD 520: Advanced Marketing (Marr)

• COMMLD 520: Principles of Marketing

• COMMLD 520: Strategic Communications

• COMMLD 521: Digital Marketing

• COMMLD 522: Future of Marketing

Or have equivalent Marketing experience.

Please fill out the form below to the best of your ability. If your form is approved, you will receive an add code to register for the course. (Note: applications will be time stamped, and qualified applicants will be added to remaining class spots on an equitable basis determined by time of application and remaining time in the program.)

Apply to COMMLD 503 Marketing Practicum. Form will open on Monday, May 11, 6:15am PDT.

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COMMLD 525: Brand Values

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- 2026-2027 | Autumn 2026

Open Elective | 5 Credits
Wednesdays 9/30 – 12/9, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | Room on Time Schedule
Registration SLN: 12813

Course Description:

This course will take a close up look at corporate brand values in marketing communications today. Brand values should be timeless and unchanging, but in a constantly fluctuating business environment, is this goal even possible? While high volume video advertising and A/B testing is exploding, paradoxically, messaging of corporate brand values is oftentimes minimized. Marketing today is composed of ever-changing algorithms, transactional communications, and confusing narratives. Should creativity play a bigger role in storytelling in today’s marketplace? Do customers even know what the companies they make purchases from actually stand for values-wise? Does it matter? How can companies still connect emotionally with consumers? Students will ideate a marketing film for a company or nonprofit of their choice. All the while, they’ll be considering deeply how emotion, story, and marketing message function in a project that resonates with the consumer while also reinforcing an organization’s belief system.

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COMMLD 520A: Principles of Marketing

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- 2026-2027 | Autumn 2026

Open Elective | 5 Credits
Tuesdays 10/06 – 12/8, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | Room on Time Schedule
Registration SLN: 12809

Course Description

This course provides a foundational understanding of marketing principles and their application within business, nonprofit, and public-sector organizations. Students will learn through the lens of integrated marketing, a key skill in today’s marketing landscape. Our focus will be on understanding the key elements of a marketing strategy, including goal setting, audience identification, planning, and landscape analysis. Students will learn practical and commonly-used tools like SWOT analyses, stakeholder maps, brand positioning exercises, and messaging frameworks.

Building on this foundation, the course will also explore elements of brand and behavior change marketing, with real-world applications in areas such as public health, sustainability, and social impact. Students will complete the course with increased confidence in designing and executing strategies that work across public relations, creative, digital, and operational functions in complex organizations.

Through lectures, case studies, guest speakers, in-class activities, and group projects, students will connect theory with practice, based on their areas of interest and expertise. Students will develop portfolio-level plans to support their career goals. This class is a fit for students who plan to pursue more advanced coursework, and those with an interest in marketing, communications, public affairs, or brand strategy careers where cross-functional collaboration is essential.

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COMMLD 544 A/B: Professional Short-Form Writing

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- 2026-2027 | Autumn 2026

Open Elective | Meets Professional Writing Requirement | 3 or 5 Credits
Wednesdays 9/30 – 12/9, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | Room on Time Schedule
3-credit 544A Registration SLN: 12822
5-credit 544B Registration SLN: 12823

Course Description

This collaborative hands-on course explores the kind of short-form writing that dominates today’s rapidly evolving professional communications space — the digital space where lines between content and form increasingly blur and where always-on media feeds deliver a mix of advertising, marketing, public relations, human resources, personal brand-building and journalistic reporting and research. It’s a space that presents new writing challenges every day: professional emails, office memos, newsletters, website copy, funding proposals, executive summaries, op-eds, tweets, blurbs, blogs. Much of this material is badly done. Most of it is mediocre. The best of it, though, sings out and demands our attention, demonstrating mastery in the kind of critical thinking and dedicated practice that delivers copy sharply focused and sure in matching voice and material with form and audience. This course is part professional-communications criticism class and part writing workshop. It’s about learning how to identify good writing; it’s about understanding the process that produces good writing; and it’s about practicing that process yourself.

Students can choose between a 3-credit and 5 credit option:

• Section A will be 3 Credits and meet the Professional Writing Requirement. It meets 6-8:20.

• Section B will be 5 Credits and also meet the Professional Writing Requirement. It will meet for a longer period from 6-9:50 and include additional short form assignments over the course of the quarter.

Meets Professional Writing Requirement.

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COMMLD 570E: Culture Design for Communication Leaders

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- 2026-2027 | Autumn 2026

MCCN Elective | 5 Credits
Saturdays 10/03, 10/17, 10/31, 11/14, 12/12 9:00am – 5:00pm | Room on Time Schedule
Registration SLN: 22859

Course Description

As organizations navigate unprecedented changes driven by technology, shifting expectations, and global challenges, the need for culture-centered leadership has become paramount. This is especially true for communication leaders who will continue to shape how work is understood and practiced.

During this course, students will explore the key aspects of culture design, co-creation, and leadership for the future of work. Students will identify their own co-creation and leadership style within the context of an organization, and learn to leverage these strengths in coordination with others. They will also design specific elements of culture including working agreements, collaborative work environments, and steps for fostering autonomy within the workplace.

At the end of this course students will be able to answer the question – How do communication leaders build/support organizational culture to create environments that support psychological safety, collaboration, and drive innovation?

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COMMLD 570A: Building Successful Online Communities

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- 2026-2027 | Autumn 2026

MCCN Elective | Meets Research Methods Requirement | 5 Credits
Tuesdays 10/06 – 12/8, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | Room on Time Schedule
Registration SLN: 12830

Course Description:

Before Wikipedia was created, there were seven very similar attempts to build online collaborative encyclopedias. Before Facebook, there were dozens of very similar social networks. Why did Wikipedia and Facebook take off when so many similar sites struggled? Why do some attempts to build communities online lead to large thriving communities while most struggle to attract even a small group of users?

This class will begin with an introduction to several decades of research on computer-mediated communication and online communities to try and understand the building blocks of successful online communities. With this theoretical background in hand, every student will then apply this new understanding by helping to design, build, and improve a real online community.

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COMMLD 541A: Crisis Communication

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- 2026-2027 | Autumn 2026

Open Elective | Meets Law & Ethics Requirement | 5 Credits
Wednesdays 9/30 – 12/9, 4:00pm – 7:50pm | Online
Registration SLN: 12821

Course Description:

The 24-hour news cycle, social media, and online reporting fundamentally changed how institutional leaders, executives, celebrities, politicians, and organizations address crises big and small. Effectively managing a crisis means not just employing PR strategies, but developing a comprehensive communications plan that disseminates actionable content and engages all stakeholders with equal focus across multiple and diverse networks.

This course will identify the key communication issues that must be addressed during an organizational crisis (real or imagined). We’ll examine implementation strategies to engage traditional and social media; digital networks; federal, state and local lawmakers; external and internal stakeholders; and consumers or constituents. As important, we’ll deconstruct and reinforce the personal ethics and behavior required by professionals in a crisis situation. This class uses current events, interactive discussions, real-time exercises, and engaging guest lectures to provide practical insight about effective techniques and lessons learned.

Meets Law and Ethics Requirement.

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COMMLD 535: Foundations of Audio Storytelling (Podcasting)

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- 2026-2027 | Autumn 2026

Open Elective | 5 Credits
Wednesdays 9/30 – 12/9, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | Room on Time Schedule
Registration SLN: 12817

Course Description

The podcasting industry has surged in recent years, with podcasts also becoming an increasingly important part of marketing and communication campaigns. Since it is the only medium that audiences can consume while engaged in a multitude of other activities, audio storytelling has a unique advantage to inform, entertain and call to action.

This course will teach you how to use audio to tell a powerful story. You will learn how to create your own short sound-rich, nonfiction audio story driven by characters and scenes. You will move through the process of research, reporting, interviewing, writing, editing, and mixing an audio story, as well as pitching a story for radio or podcast. By the end of the class you will have a working knowledge of the basics of audio storytelling and production. You will feel more confident about how to support visual storytelling with audio, as well as how to work with a larger production team on audio projects.

This course is a good match for students who:

• Are seeking an individualized, project-based course

• Want foundational storytelling and editing skills that can translate into any medium

• Would like to learn how audio can elevate and transform storytelling

This class greatly elevated my ability to concisely tell stories!—Jacob Christensen, Foundations of Video and Advanced Video Practicum Instructor, and MCDM cohort ‘15 alumni

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COMMLD 520B: Principles of Marketing

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- 2026-2027 | Autumn 2026

Open Elective | 5 Credits
Mondays 10/05 – 12/14, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | Rooms on Time Schedule
Registration SLN: 22780

Course Description

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COMMLD 513: Content Marketing

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- 2026-2027 | Autumn 2026

Open Elective | Meets Research Methods Requirement | 5 Credits
Saturdays 10/10, 10/24, 11/07, 11/21, 12/05, 9:00am – 5:00pm | Online
Registration SLN: 12807

Course Description

This course focuses on the approach and implementation of marketing programs that encourage community building and engagement. Content marketing is a special kind of content that you can use to build relationships with audiences, drawing new audiences or rewarding loyal fans. Our focus will be on how to give freely of our knowledge. We will explore a research-backed method for how to make content that educates and supports audiences, that complements advertising, mission-driven, or task-based content.

To do so, we will learn the basics of a content strategy process. Our 6 part data-driven methodology includes working with secondary research: stakeholder goals and audiences. Conducting our own primary research in comparative and content review. Building from research, we’ll explore best practices and tactics for messaging, content planning, and delivering strategy concepts to clients or coworkers. Our final product focuses on building brand storytelling, effective messaging, and planning adaptable content for multichannel (physical or digital) environments. Final materials can be useful for portfolios.

Meets Research Methods Requirement.

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COMMLD 501: Leadership & Communities

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- 2026-2027 | Autumn 2026

Required Core Course | 5 Credits
Thursdays 10/01 – 12/10, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | Room on Time Schedule
Registration SLN: 12802

Course Description

Our core class offers an interactive, community-focused learning experience where students define and express their values, shape their leadership practices, and create portfolio pieces. Through a blend of individual and group assignments, we explore the meaning of “communication leadership” while developing key skills like active listening, reflection, innovation, collaboration, and storytelling. We aim to foster an awareness of the communication practices our community can contribute to shaping the future of work.

During class sessions we articulate shared values and cultivate a community that understands our mindsets are not fixed. Along the way, students build professional connections and engage with key leaders in the field who review and discuss topics with them.

Credit/No Credit only

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COMMLD 560E: Inclusive Design & Product Equity

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- 2025-2026 | Summer 2026

Open Elective | Meets Law & Ethics Requirement | 5 Credits
Mondays 6/22- 8/17, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | Room on Time Schedule
Registration SLN: 10727

Course Description:

This course offers a comprehensive exploration of the critical intersection between Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and technology. In an era where technology such as artificial intelligence and machine learning plays an ever-expanding role in shaping our world, we should interrogate who gets to build it, use it, and profit from it. As future technology leaders it is imperative to not only be well versed in DEI but to create necessary solutions that democratize technology rather than allow it to perpetuate systems of inequality.

Meets Law & Ethics Requirement.

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COMMLD 541A: Crisis Communication

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- 2025-2026 | Summer 2026

Open Elective | Meets Law and Ethics Requirement | 5 Credits
Tuesdays 6/23 – 8/18, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | Online
Registration SLN: 10726

Course Description

Crisis communications is about much more than “spin.” Crises will happen – in government, in the corporate sector, in nonprofits and political campaigns. What will differentiate you as a communicator is your ability to plan for it, navigate it in real time, and learn something from it. There is opportunity in crisis. A crisis forces us to look inside ourselves, at our policies, at our practices, and at how we do our business.

Of course, crisis communications has always been tough; social media and the advent of generative AI have just made it tougher. We will navigate the latest cultural challenges, from “cancel culture” to messaging in our polarized society. In this course, we will look at before the crisis (including planning), how we respond during the crisis (this includes the critical crisis communications plan) and after (this is where we cover actions one must take afterwards, including how to repair the damage done). The class is designed to look at crises in various sectors and will include participation from professionals in the field.

Meets Law and Ethics Requirement.

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COMMLD 520A: Principles of Marketing

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- Current Quarter | 2025-2026 | Spring 2026

Open Elective | 5 Credits
Tuesdays 3/31 – 6/2, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | Room on Time Schedule
Registration SLN: 21665

Course Description

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COMMLD 570D: Online Community Data Research

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- Current Quarter | 2025-2026 | Spring 2026

Open Elective | Meets Research Methods Requirement | 5 Credits
Thursdays 4/2 – 6/4, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | Room on Time Schedule
Registration SLN: 12422

Course Description:

Navigating online communities constitutes a large portion of what we experience as “the internet,” and yet understanding these communities is not always a straightforward or easy task. This course will explore the nature of online communities, different ways we can come to learn about them, and how we should think about handling the data we collect (and indeed, whether to collect it at all). Students will gain a basic social scientific foundation for thinking about communities and the affordances of computer mediated communication before surveying several established approaches to collecting and analyzing data produced by and about specific communities, including surveys, web scraping, and social listening/monitoring.

Throughout, we will consider the ethical implications and demands of our work as researchers and professionals, emphasizing such values as respect for persons, prevention of harm, and beneficence. Students will conclude the course by developing group research projects using one or more of the methods we’ve learned together to answer a clearly defined research question and presenting their findings within a professional context.

Meets Research Methods Requirement.

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COMMLD 563: Multicultural Marketing: Creating Equitable and Inclusive Communications

COMMLD 503A: Practicum: Advanced Marketing

COMMLD 525: Brand Values

COMMLD 520A: Principles of Marketing

COMMLD 544 A/B: Professional Short-Form Writing

COMMLD 570E: Culture Design for Communication Leaders

COMMLD 570A: Building Successful Online Communities

COMMLD 541A: Crisis Communication

COMMLD 535: Foundations of Audio Storytelling (Podcasting)

COMMLD 520B: Principles of Marketing

COMMLD 513: Content Marketing

COMMLD 501: Leadership & Communities

COMMLD 560E: Inclusive Design & Product Equity

COMMLD 541A: Crisis Communication

COMMLD 520A: Principles of Marketing

COMMLD 570D: Online Community Data Research

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