2024-2025 Academic Catalog

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Bachelor of Arts in Communication

Public Relations Major

Program Curriculum

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Degree Core Requirements
COMM 1004	First-Semester Experience in Communication	1
COMM 1014	Introduction to Communication	3
COMM 2024	Media Writing	3
COMM 2084	Media and Society	3
COMM 2094	Communication and Issues of Diversity	3
COMM 2124	Introduction to Communication Research	3
COMM 4024	Communication Law	3
Subtotal		19
Major Requirements
PR 2044	Principles of Public Relations	3
ADV 2034	Visual Communication Strategies	3
PR 3014	Public Relations Cases	3
PR 3144	Writing and Editing for Public Relations	3
PR 4304	Public Relations Campaigns	3
PR 4414	Public Relations Standards and Practices	3
Major Restricted Electives
Select three of the following:		9
JMC 4044	International Communication
JMC 4064	Social Media Analytics
JMC 4264	Social Media Theory and Practice
PR 3034	Topics in Public Relations and Advertising
PR 3084	Advanced Public Relations Research Methods
PR 3324	Corporate Communication
PR 3334	Public Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility
PR 3344	Public Relations and Sports
PR 4074	Organizational Communication
PR 4164	Public Relations Administration
PR 4364	Crisis Communication and Issue Management
COMM 4204	Communication Internship
COMM 4994	Undergraduate Research
Subtotal		27
Minor and Electives
Complete 29 credits of minor, cognate, or double major and electives ¹		29
Subtotal		29
Pathways to General Education
Pathways Concept 1 - Discourse
COMM 1015 & COMM 1016	Communication Skills and Communication Skills ²	6
Select three credits in Pathway 1a		3
Pathways Concept 2 - Critical Thinking in the Humanities
Select six credits in Pathway 2		6
Pathways Concept 3 - Reasoning in the Social Sciences
Select six credits in Pathway 3		6
Pathways Concept 4 - Reasoning in the Natural Sciences
Select six credits in Pathway 4		6
Pathways Concept 5 - Quantitative and Computational Thinking
Select six credits in Pathway 5f		6
Select three credits in Pathway 5a		3
Pathways Concept 6 - Critique and Practice in Design and the Arts
Select three credits in Pathway 6a		3
Select three credits in Pathway 6d		3
Pathways Concept 7 - Critical Analysis of Identity and Equity in the United States
Select three credits in Pathway 7		3
Subtotal		45
Total Credits		120

¹

In addition to degree core, major, and Pathways requirements, students must complete at least 29 credit hours in the following categories to reach 120 credit hours for graduation:

Minor, cognate, or double major—Beyond studies in Advertising and other mass communication disciplines, students must build content knowledge in another area of focus by completing a minor or cognate (minimum 18 credits) or double major (credits vary by major).
Electives—Once students complete a minor or cognate, they may still need hours for graduation. Students might consider education abroad, an internship, a field study, undergraduate research, independent study, or other non-required Pathways or foreign language courses. Students should not include ADV, COMM, JMC, or PR courses among these electives.

²

Students who transfer into the major after their freshman year may substitute ENGL 1105 First-Year Writing and ENGL 1106 First-Year Writing for COMM 1015 Communication Skills and COMM 1016 Communication Skills. Those transfer students should take COMM 2004 Public Speaking for Pathways Concept 1A and COMM 2014 Speech Communication for 3 of the required credits hours toward Pathways Concept 3.

Progress Toward Degree

A student will be certified as making satisfactory progress toward a degree by meeting these requirements:

Completion of COMM 1004 First-Semester Experience in Communication within the first three classes (9 credits) in the major.
Completion of COMM 1014 Introduction to Communication within the first six classes (18 credits) in the major. Minimum grade of C- required.
Completion of COMM 2124 Introduction to Communication Research within the first eight classes (24 credits) in the major.
Overall GPA—Students who fall below 2.0 will follow university policies for probation and subsequent suspension if the GPA is not raised during the probation period.
Major GPA—Students who fall below 2.0 in their major coursework will have one semester to regain the required GPA standards. All ADV, COMM, JMC, and PR courses are included in this calculation. A student who fails to make satisfactory progress toward degree after that semester will be blocked from continuing in PR or another School of Communication major.

Graduation Requirements

Minimum of 120 semester credit hours from the following categories: degree core requirements, major requirements, major restricted electives, Pathways General Education, minor, and electives.
Minimum of 46 credits in ADV, COMM, JMC, or PR; minimum of 70 credits outside ADV, COMM, JMC, or PR.
Overall GPA of 2.0; major GPA 2.0, based on all ADV, COMM, JMC, or PR courses the student has completed.
Courses taken in major to fulfill graduation requirements must be graded A-F (not pass/fail).
ADV, COMM, JMC, or PR courses taken for a minor may NOT be counted toward major requirements.

Foreign Language Requirement

2 years of single foreign or classical language or American Sign Language in middle or high school, OR
Credit by examination for a foreign or classical language or American Sign Language (This option is available only to students who learned a foreign language without the benefit of formal training.), OR
6 college-level semester credits in a single foreign or classical language or American Sign Language. These credits are in addition to the 120 required for graduation.

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
Fall Semester		Credits
COMM 1004	First-Semester Experience in Communication	1
COMM 1015	Communication Skills	3
Pathway 2		3
Pathway 3		3
Pathway 4		3
Pathway 5f		3
	Credits	16
Spring Semester
COMM 1014	Introduction to Communication	3
COMM 1016	Communication Skills	3
Pathway 4		3
Pathway 5f		3
Pathway 6a		3
	Credits	15
Second Year
Fall Semester
COMM 2024	Media Writing	3
COMM 2084	Media and Society	3
PR 2044	Principles of Public Relations	3
Pathway 5a		3
Pathway 7		3
	Credits	15
Spring Semester
COMM 2094	Communication and Issues of Diversity	3
COMM 2124	Introduction to Communication Research	3
ADV 2034	Visual Communication Strategies	3
Pathway 1a		3
Pathway 3		3
	Credits	15
Third Year
Fall Semester
PR 3014	Public Relations Cases	3
Restricted Electives		3
Pathway 2		3
Pathway 6d		3
Free Electives		3
	Credits	15
Spring Semester
PR 3144	Writing and Editing for Public Relations	3
Restricted Electives		3
Free Electives		3
Free Electives		3
Free Electives		3
	Credits	15
Fourth Year
Fall Semester
COMM 4024	Communication Law	3
PR 4304	Public Relations Campaigns	3
Restricted Electives		3
Free Electives		3
Free Electives		3
	Credits	15
Spring Semester
PR 4414	Public Relations Standards and Practices	3
Free Electives		3
Free Electives		3
Free Electives		3
Free Electives		2
	Credits	14
	Total Credits	120

Major Restricted Electives

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
JMC 4044	International Communication	3
JMC 4064	Social Media Analytics	3
JMC 4264	Social Media Theory and Practice	3
PR 3034	Topics in Public Relations and Advertising	3
PR 3084	Advanced Public Relations Research Methods	3
PR 3324	Corporate Communication	3
PR 3334	Public Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility	3
PR 3344	Public Relations and Sports	3
PR 4074	Organizational Communication	3
PR 4164	Public Relations Administration	3
PR 4364	Crisis Communication and Issue Management	3
COMM 4204	Communication Internship	1-6
COMM 4994	Undergraduate Research	1-19