Public Relations

Students with an interest in public relations are effective communicators who remain image conscious and well-tuned into current events. It will be their responsibility to shape the public’s perception of their clients. PR students are first trained to be excellent written and verbal communicators. They must be able to give detailed and clearly understandable presentations to audiences; both large and small. They will learn how to write press releases, newsletters and advertisements. Many will learn elements of broadcasting as well. Courses in the major often include PR research, PR writing, PR strategy, visual communication, ethics and international PR. Additional classes from other disciplines like business, sociology and psychology supplement the major.

Public relations specialists can find work after graduation from a wide variety if employers. The entertainment industry, large corporations, nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies all need these skilled communicators to craft effective messages to their respective publics. For example, perhaps our nation’s most important PR practitioner is the White House Press Secretary – it’s his or her job to appropriately convey the policies of the administration to the press. PR people fill an important role in our society, and resultantly, their services are in high demand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 24 percent growth in employment is expected through 2018.