About the Public Relations Bachelor’s Program
Widely recognized as one of the fastest-growing career fields worldwide, public relations has become the largest program in the College of Media and Communication. The curriculum develops students’ critical thinking, written communication skills, and oral communication skills.
Coursework for the B.A. in Public Relations emphasizes relationship management and strategic campaign planning, the role of traditional and new media in public relations practice, principles of persuasive communication, globalization and diversity, the history of the field, and legal and ethical challenges that practitioners may face.
Graduates will be prepared for technical and managerial roles in public relations firms, as well as corporate and nonprofit organizations. Special topic courses enhance students’ understanding of the public relations function as it relates to media relations, crisis communication, social media, community relations, sports communication, government relations, international communication, and other practice areas.
Students Majoring in Public Relations
Students are required to complete 61 hours within the college, including the following core courses (43 hours):
Group A
Public Relations Electives (9 hours):
Additional Electives
These courses may also be taken as Group A electives if not used to satisfy major core requirements.
Group B
Media and Communication (9 hours):
Students are encouraged to develop a specialization within another media and communication major area. Students not desiring to specialize may take any media and communication courses in any combination to satisfy the Group B requirement, including additional public relations courses beyond those needed to satisfy the public relations core and elective requirements.
Group C
Cognate (15 Hours):
Students majoring in public relations are encouraged to take 15 hours outside the college to develop a cognate, ideally focusing on a topic that will prepare them for a particular public relations role or practice area. Alternately, public relations majors also have the option of selecting additional Group B courses to satisfy the Group C requirement.
