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Studies & Degrees in Management of Communication Businesses

Management of communication businesses is the study of how media and content companies are run: newspapers and magazines, radio and television groups, production companies, publishers, digital platforms, and advertising and communication agencies. These companies sell content and audiences rather than ordinary goods, so their managers need both business training and an understanding of journalism, entertainment and advertising markets.

Programmes combine general management subjects with sector-specific ones. The Máster Universitario en Gestión de Empresas de Comunicación at the Universidad de Navarra is a clear example. Its study plan includes management skills such as decision-making, negotiation and leadership; content management, including creative and digital content; financial management; marketing and sales management; strategy; the legal framework of communication; and markets and audiences. A master's thesis of 18 ECTS credits closes the programme, and participants also develop a business project. The university states that a third of the content deals with digital products, new business models, social media and e-commerce, and that teaching is based mainly on the case method.

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's degree. There is rarely a bachelor's degree with this exact name. Students usually reach the field from a degree in communication, journalism, advertising, marketing or business administration. In Spain a bachelor's degree (grado) has 240 ECTS credits.
  • Master's degree. This is the usual level for the specialisation. Official master's degrees in Spain have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. The master's at the Universidad de Navarra is an official degree of 60 ECTS credits that lasts 10 months, in an executive format, taught in Spanish and English in Madrid, with 30 places. It is aimed at university graduates from any faculty with relevant professional experience. Related programmes focus on managing the communication of organisations instead of media companies: EAE Business School offers a Máster en Comunicación Corporativa & Digital of 60 ECTS credits in Spanish, centred on the strategic direction and planning of communication, and ESIC lists a Máster Universitario en Dirección de Comunicación y Nuevas Tecnologías.
  • Latin America. The Universidad Austral in Buenos Aires groups its postgraduate programmes in content management and marketing in one area, which it describes as combining communication studies with management studies; the area includes a Maestría en Gestión de Contenidos.

Business schools award both official master's degrees and their own qualifications. Ask each school what recognition its programme has, especially if the qualification must be valid in another country.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 11 active schools for management of communication businesses: 5 in Spain, 2 in the United States and 1 each in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Chile. The Spanish schools are the Universidad de Navarra, which teaches its master's in Madrid, EAE Business School and UIBS / Barcelona Business School, both in Barcelona, the Escuela Internacional de Gerencia - EIG in Granada, and ESIC, Business & Marketing School in Pozuelo de Alarcón. In Latin America the list includes the Universidad Austral in Buenos Aires, the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP) and the Universidad Austral de Chile in Valdivia. The schools in the United States are New York University and City College at MSU Billings.

Most of these schools teach in Spanish. The master's at the Universidad de Navarra uses Spanish and English and offers optional study weeks in New York and Dubai.

When comparing programmes, check whether the focus is on media and content companies or on corporate communication, how much professional experience is required, the format (full time or executive), the language of instruction and whether the master's is an official degree.

Careers

Graduates work in the management of media groups, production companies, publishers and digital media, in areas such as content and product management, audience and market research, advertising sales, finance and strategy. Others manage communication agencies or start their own media projects.

Official statistics do not treat media management as a separate occupation. The closest groups in the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) are management occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations:

  • Advertising, promotions and marketing managers held 454,800 jobs in 2025, and employment is projected to grow 6 percent from 2025 to 2035. They typically need a bachelor's degree and work experience in a related occupation.
  • Public relations and fundraising managers held 129,600 jobs in 2025, with projected growth of 6 percent from 2025 to 2035. They typically need at least a bachelor's degree, and some positions may require a master's degree.

Frequently asked questions

Is management of communication businesses the same as corporate communication?

No. The first is about running media and content companies as businesses; corporate communication is about managing the communication of any organisation. Some schools in the list teach one, some the other.

Do I need work experience to take a master's in this field?

It depends on the programme. The master's at the Universidad de Navarra is aimed at graduates with relevant professional experience and uses an executive format; other master's programmes accept recent graduates.

How long does the master's take in Spain?

Official master's degrees in Spain have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. The Máster Universitario en Gestión de Empresas de Comunicación at the Universidad de Navarra has 60 ECTS credits and lasts 10 months.