What changes when you finish.
You can read an organisation
Culture, the psychology of communication and the pressures of working across borders become things you can assess and act on.
Your advice carries evidence
You will know how to define a research problem, choose a method and investigate it properly, and you finish with a piece of research built for your own organisation.
You influence at the most senior level
The programme goes deep on influencing, business partnering and coaching, and on how decisions actually get made at the top of an organisation.
You build a network that lasts
You finish with a long-term network of senior practitioners, built through shared study, collaborative work and peer support.
BY THE END YOU WILL BE EQUIPPED TO
- Understand workplace culture, the psychology of communication and what both mean for your practice
- Develop, implement and evaluate internal communication strategies that meet fast changing organisational needs and deliver outcomes
- Create leading edge approaches that respond to new technology and the breakdown of organisational boundaries
- Influence and coach senior managers, and support effective leadership communication at every level
- Carry out in-depth organisational research so that communication decisions rest on evidence
How it works.
Workshops. Four two-day workshops across the year in Central London, plus an induction day at Solent University. Between them, virtual follow-up sessions, guest speakers and online discussion with the course team and your cohort.
Study from anywhere. A virtual attendance option means you can complete the whole programme remotely. Students joining from overseas work to the same schedule as everyone else, with the same support.
Assessment is coursework, not exams. Assignments, assessed online discussion and a final management report, each of them pointed at a live issue in your own workplace.
Plan for the reading. This is a master's degree. It asks for real time on reading, critical analysis, research and writing, and the students who plan for that get the most from it.
Three routes in. No degree required.
Applications are considered on whether you can do the work at this level, not on the letters after your name. We recognise the experience you already have, which means you start the programme part-qualified.
01.
A postgraduate qualification in management or business studies.
02.
A degree or equivalent professional qualification, plus significant experience in internal communication and other evidence of what you have achieved.
03.
Substantial experience of managing internal communication, plus evidence of achievement. You will also complete a sample assignment, with a member of the teaching team coaching you through it.
If English is not your first language. The programme is taught and assessed in English. You can show your proficiency with a certificate from an undergraduate degree taught in English, an IELTS score of 6.5 or above, or a similar alternative such as Duolingo.
Fees and funding.
£7,350 + VAT
The full programme. Interest-free payment plans available.
If your employer is sponsoring you, payment can be made in full or spread over two financial years. If you are funding it yourself or in part, we will work out a plan of instalments with you.
Need to make the case internally? We will help you build it.
What the fee covers
- All workshops and follow-up sessions
- Solent University's online library, virtual learning environment and student services
- Support from the course team and supervision of your management report
- IOIC membership for the duration of your studies
- Graduation at Solent University. Some additional costs for gowns and extra tickets
Who teaches it.
The course team combines senior practitioners, consultants and academics, and several of them are graduates of the programme themselves.
Liz Cochrane FIIC
Liz is Chair of the IoIC's Standards and Skills Board.
Liz is the Course Director for the Masters in Internal Communication Management and previously served on the IoIC's Board of Directors with Board level responsibility for the IoIC's Professional Development actitivies.
Liz is also a director of Facta Consult, a small employee research consultancy focused on helping organisations understand the perspective of their people. Liz's background includes managing communication in-house, consultancy and training. She is passionate about the difference internal communication can make, and privileged to be playing her part in that through IoIC.
Chris Coburn
With more than 17 years of experience in Internal Communications, Chris has built a career on transforming how businesses engage with their teams. He spent the first decade of his journey at the John Lewis Partnership, where he honed his expertise in strategic communication, employee experience, and change management.
In 2019, Chris earned a Master’s in Internal Communication Management from the IoIC and Solent University, graduating with Distinction. Passionate about the success of the IoIC, he became a mentor for future Master's students, served as a Director on the IoIC Board, and contributed to pivotal projects like developing the IoIC’s strategy guide.
Today, Chris runs his own successful communications consultancy, where he helps small and medium-sized businesses elevate their employee experience and communication strategies.
Oli Howard
Oli’s main work is with the CIPD, the body for HR and the wider people profession, where he is Head of Membership. He has previously worked in senior communication roles for public and charity sector organisations, with a strong focus on internal communication. He is the lead author of the IoIC's guide to IC strategy and an alumni of the programme with Kingston University, having graduated with Distinction in 2012. Oli is a Module Leader for the IoIC's Masters in Internal Communication.
Domna Lazidou
Domna has a background as a practitioner and academic and is an expert in culture, communication and leadership in complex, multicultural organisations. Domna combines consultancy with leading a unit for the Masters and teaching intercultural communication for business and the professions at Warwick University.
Domna has designed and runs several executive training programmes on global leadership and diverse teams for Oxford Business School as well as a popular training course on Communicating Culture Change for the IoIC. She is the co-author of “Global Fitness for Global People: How to manage and leverage cultural diversity at work”.
Ranjit Sidhu
Ranjit is a change specialist and is responsible for the sessions on change and influencing stakeholders for the Masters programme.
As a trainer and consultant at ChangeQuest, she runs certified change management practitioner training and provides practical support and guidance to organisations, so they can effectively communicate and engage people in delivering successful projects and change initiatives.
Ranjit wrote the Communication and Engagement chapter in the ‘Effective Change Manager Handbook’ and the book ‘Titanic lessons in project leadership – effective communication and team building’. Ranjit is an alumni of the programme with Solent University.
Guest Speakers
The programme also includes expert guest speakers on topics such as influencing at the highest level, collaboration, neuroscience and social media.
Rita Men
Linjuan Rita Men, Ph.D., APR, is a Professor of Public Relations and Director of Internal Communication Research in the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida. She founded and directs the Internal Communication Research Hub, a virtual space dedicated to fostering innovative research, education, and best practices in internal communication. With a background in corporate communication research and consulting, Men’s research interests include internal communication, leadership communication, emerging technologies, and entrepreneurial communications.
Men has published more than 100 articles in refereed journals and as book chapters. She is the (co-) author/editor of four books, Excellence in Internal Communication Management (Business Expert Press, 2017), Strategic Communications for Startups and Entrepreneurs in China (Routledge, 2020), Current Trends and Issues in Internal Communication: Theory and Practice (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021), and Internal Communication and Employee Engagement: A Case Study (Routledge, 2023). Men’s contributions to the field have been widely recognized through numerous top paper/research awards and recognitions from national and international communication associations and conferences, including the 2022 Hillier Krieghbaum Under-40 Award from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Men serves as an associate editor for Journal of Communication Management and is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society. Men has worked internationally with Alibaba Group, Inc., Ketchum, Inc., and provided management communication consulting for various multinational corporations, startups, and non-profit organizations.
Marc Wright
Marc Wright is a serial entrepreneur, building and leading businesses in the internal communications space.
Simply – the community and consultancy for internal communications is the market leader in the IC tech space. The biannual simplyIC and simplyEXP conferences are the biggest events of their kind in the UK. He sold Simply to Gallagher Comms in Feb 2024.
Previously he was Chairman of MCA Live, a live events agency specialising in large scale engagement programmes, which he sold to WPP in 2001.
Back in the 1990s he bought Crown, one of the largest corporate video producers in the UK and turned it into a major producer of live events.
Marc started his career in television making science documentaries and TV drama including the soap 20 Steps to Better Business for the BBC. He wrote Tevolution, The Evolution of TV Satellite and Cable and edited The Gower Handbook of Internal Communication. He is a Past President of the Internal Association of Business Communicators (IABC) for EMENA.
Hilary Scarlett
Hilary is an international speaker, consultant and author. Her work has spanned Europe, North America and Asia, and focuses on helping leaders in the private and public sectors to introduce change efficiently and effectively. In particular, she designs masterclasses and workshops based on the belief that if we can understand our brains better, we can work with that knowledge and help improve both our wellbeing and performance at work.
Hilary holds an MA from Cambridge University, has a post-graduate Certificate in the Psychology of Organisation Development and Change and is an accredited executive coach with the Institute of Leadership and Management.
Hilary works with neuroscientists in the UK and in the USA, bringing their work out of the lab and into the workplace in a very practical and accessible way.
A second edition of her book Neuroscience for Organizational Change - an evidence-based, practical guide to managing change was published in 2019 and has been widely praised. Hilary published Brainpower at Work – tips on building a brain-friendly workplace in 2022.
Hilary is a member of the British Neuroscience Association and the British Psychological Society.
Recent clients include: The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Bloomberg; Office of National Statistics; NHS; Home Office; Crown Prosecution Service.
Dominic Walters FIIC
Dominic has specialised in leadership and direct manager communication and development for over 30 years. He has worked in senior ‘in-house’ roles and as a coach and consultant in the UK, Europe, Asia and the US, supporting leadership teams across a range of sectors.
He has also featured in print, TV and audio promoting effective leadership communication and is the co-host of the Future of Internal Communication podcast. Dominic has worked with line manager groups for a range of clients including recently United Biscuits, H&M, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue and Telia Group.
Dominic is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers and past national Chairman, Governance Adviser and Fellow and President-Elect of the Institute of Internal Communication.
Rachel Miller FIIC
Rachel Miller is an internationally recognised authority on Internal Communication (IC) and author of Internal Communication Strategy (Kogan Page, 2024). A former journalist, she has 20 years’ internal communication experience and advises many of the world’s best-known companies through her consulting business, All Things IC. She’s a Chartered PR Practitioner and Fellow of the Institute of Internal Communication and Chartered Institute of Public Relations. Rachel’s a keynote speaker and Candid Comms podcast host. She's listed in Inspiring Workplaces' top 101 global employee engagement influencers. In 2020, Rachel was awarded the Chartered Institute of Public Relations' President's Medal for distinguished service to PR.
Russell Grossman ABC, DipPR, FCIPR, FCIM, FRSA, IABC Fellow
Russell’s been a communications practitioner for some 40 years, and a Senior Civil Servant since 2006.
He’s currently Director of Communications at the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), the government department responsible for regulating Britain’s railways and England’s national highways and trunk roads. He’s also head of the Government Communication Service (GCS) internal communications profession and a member of its people board; a non-exec director of the “Engage for Success” movement for the advancement of employee engagement, and senior sponsor for the Government Communications Fast Stream.
Russell was Group Director of Communications at the Department for Business for eight years and Head of Change and Internal Communications at HMRC for the two years prior to that. He was Head of Internal Communications at the BBC for seven years and before that, Director of Communications at Royal Mail.
He’s been a visiting Fellow at CASS Business School and is a Past International Chair of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) of which he is now a Fellow. He currently sits on the IABC Fellow Selection Committee.
He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.
Russell is married to a long-suffering wife of 39 years (and counting) and is blessed with four children (one of whom also works in communications) and five grandchildren.
What students say about it.
Our students write about the Masters while they are doing it, and afterwards. These are their accounts, not ours.
Ready to take the next step?
Applications are open for the cohort starting Tuesday 3 November 2026. Request a form and we will be in touch within 24 hours on weekdays.
Prefer to talk it through first? Email [email protected]
Frequently asked questions.
How long does the course take?
The Masters is a thirteen-month programme, starting each year in November and running until the following December. It is a part-time course.
When is the course next starting?
The next course will be starting in Tuesday 3 November 2026.
How much does the MA cost?
The fee to study for the Masters in Internal Communication Management is £7350 + VAT.
If you're not already a member of the IOIC you will receive free student membership for the duration of your studies, as well as access to the Solent University online library where they can access all required texts and resources.
The cost of the programme includes workshops, follow-up sessions, access to Solent University’s online library, virtual learning environment and all student services, ongoing support from the course team, supervision of management reports, one year of IOIC membership and graduation at Solent University (there will be some additional costs for graduation gowns and additional tickets to the graduation ceremony).
Are there payment plans available to spread the cost?
We are able to offer flexible interest-free payment plans to spread the cost across the duration of your studies.
If your employer is willing to sponsor your place on the programme, payment can be made in full or spread over two financial years.
If you are self or part funding, we are happy to work with you and devise a payment plan (subject to agreement in writing and terms and conditions), allowing students to pay for their place on the course in regular or monthly instalments.
If you have any questions about the programme fees or would like to speak about the most suitable option for you, please contact us on [email protected].
I need to present a business case to my organisation to request financial support, can you help?
Yes, we can help you put together a business case.
How easy is it to combine the Masters with full time employment?
The Masters is a part-time course specifically designed to fit around busy working lives, with an induction day at Solent University, a total of eight days of workshops in Central London, and virtual follow-up sessions and sessions delivered by guest speakers. Where circumstances prevent in-person attendance, hybrid options will be made available.
You will need to devote a considerable amount of time to reading, critical analysis of issues, research, preparation of assignments and participation in on-line discussion boards. The theory into practice approach and focus on your current workplace in assessments means that that you can achieve a level of integration between work and study.
You will need to devote a considerable amount of time to reading, critical analysis of issues, research, preparation of assignments and participation in on-line discussion boards. The theory into practice approach and focus on your current workplace in assessments means that that you can achieve a level of integration between work and study.
What is the entry criteria?
You will need either a postgraduate qualification in management and business, OR a degree or professional qualification plus significant internal communication experience, OR substantial relevant experience plus evidence of achievement. If you'd like to discuss your eligibility for the course please contact us below.
Can I apply if I haven't completed an Undergraduate Degree or Equivalent Professional Qualification?
Yes, if you have significant professional experience you are still eligible to apply for the Masters. As part of the application process you will be required to complete a sample assignment to a pass standard. A member of the teaching team will provide the details of the assignment and coach you through the writing process.
How is the course delivered?
The course includes four highly interactive two-day workshops, virtual follow-up sessions, guest speakers, online discussion with the course team and fellow students, and ongoing engagement and collaborative learning opportunities.
The course will be hosted on Solent's online learning system where you will find materials, reading and reference lists, assessment briefs and learning support. The course strongly encourages the development of a learning community with your fellow students, including peer-review and discussion boards.
How will I be assessed?
Assessment is via coursework rather than exams, and includes assignments, a management report, and assessment of on-line discussion of key topics. All assessments focus on current workplace issues and are designed to support you in your role.
I'm an international student, can I study remotely?
No, the course is part time, designed for working professionals and can be studied remotely therefore the students are not eligible for student visas.
How do I apply?
The application process includes an application form, an interview with the Course Director or a member of the course team, the submission of work examples as indicators of achievement, and an online application with Solent University.