Online Master’s in Corporate Training and Communication
Learn to drive profitability, close skill gaps and make an impact in your organization.
Excel in Communication and Advance Your Career
Equip your team to lead in today’s dynamic workforce
Purdue University’s online master’s degree in corporate training and communication is designed to teach professionals how to design, analyze and lead effective corporate training strategies in a variety of organizational contexts. The program emphasizes state-of-the-art tools and technologies for strategic communication and instructional design in corporate training and development.
This 100% online master’s degree was designed with professional students in mind — combining flexibility with hands-on learning directed by expert faculty. The online Master’s in Corporate Training and Communication is a collaboration between the College of Education’s Master of Science in Learning Design and Technology and the Brian Lamb School of Communication’s Master of Science in Communication that leverages communication methods, technology and instructional design principles to prepare students for organizational success. Graduates receive an interdisciplinary master’s from the Purdue Graduate School.
Application Information
| Semester | Priority Application Deadlines* |
|---|---|
| Summer | April 1 |
| Fall | August 1 |
| Spring | December 1 |
*Applications submitted after the priority deadline will still be considered.
This online program has rolling admission. Applications will only be considered if they are complete, submitted with all required materials and accompanied by all associated application fees.
Corporate Training & Communications Quick Program Facts
*Eligibility for this tuition benefit is available to employees of the U.S. federal government, including members of the uniformed services and civilian employees of federal departments or agencies.
Learn from Purdue experts and build skills that you can immediately apply at work
- The corporate training market is growing rapidly — over 7% per year according to Yahoo Finance, driven by new training technologies like artificial intelligence (AI)
- Corporate trainers and communicators work in a wide range of professional fields, including instructional design, human resources, e-learning and AI-mediated learning.
- Graduates of the program will develop the skills necessary to create optimal corporate learning materials using the modern tools, techniques, strategies and processes for educational training. The knowledge and skills gained through the degree can support career advancement in corporate training, instructional design and development roles.
What you’ll learn
The learning objectives for this program are designed to equip students with the knowledge and practical skills needed to excel in both organizational communication and instructional design. Through a combination of theory and application, students will learn to develop effective communication strategies, engage stakeholders, evaluate communication initiatives and respond to organizational challenges. In addition, students will explore foundational learning and motivational theories, apply instructional design principles to real-world situations and create impactful learning experiences that support organizational and educational goals.
Communication
Develop and implement communication plans that make an impact
- Develop communication plans to engage organizational stakeholders
- Implement messaging strategies to achieve organizational objectives
Analyze campaigns and use technology to improve performance and strategy
- Assess and evaluate the effectiveness of communication campaigns
- Evaluate communication and social technologies to support corporate communication needs
Steer your organization through change and crisis
- Respond effectively to organizational issues and crises through communication
Education
Utilize instructional design to support learning
- Compare and contrast the contributions of various learning theories to the field of instructional design
- Identify and describe the basic components within various motivational theories and their impact upon the learning process
- Select appropriate principles derived from given theories and apply those within practical learning situations
Create strong e-learning plans
- Understand and implement instructional and learning theory relevant to creating effective e-learning
Solve problems and develop interventions
- Identify and apply key characteristics of expert problem solving to instructional design problems through relevant intervention strategies
Credit pathways for professional credentials and graduate certificates
The College of Education and the School of Liberal Arts offer various pathways for converting non-credit courses or professional credentials into credits so that students can save time and money to degree completion. The Master’s in Corporate Training and Communication program has received approval from five associations:
- Association for Talent Development (ATD)
- Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP)
- International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI)
- International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)
- Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
Each of these associations provides professional credentials. Upon successfully acquiring a credential from any of these organizations, students can earn up to six credit hours of electives applicable to the master’s degree.
Graduate certificates
Credits from Purdue West Lafayette’s online graduate certificates in Instructional Design, Workplace Learning and Communication can also be counted toward the Master’s in Corporate Training and Communication degree, giving students even more opportunities to earn graduate credits and customize their learning plan.
Certificate stacking policies
Students should review Purdue’s graduate credit stacking policies before submitting an application to a graduate certificate program. Students should carefully review course overlap between certificate programs and the number of unique credits for each certificate before applying for a graduate certificate. Students may only pursue concurrent graduate programs if both programs are offered within the same delivery method.
