COURSE CURRICULUM

The Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communication–Public Relations is designed to prepare students to strategically manage communication between organizations and their publics in order to build, maintain, and enhance reputation, trust, and engagement. The program focuses on how organizations use communication to shape public perception, manage relationships, and respond effectively to both opportunities and crises. Students are trained to develop, implement, and evaluate communication strategies across paid, earned, shared, and owned media channels, with a strong emphasis on public relations theory and practice. The curriculum combines foundational communication studies with applied skills in media writing, digital communication, research methods, and strategic messaging. Core coursework includes media literacy, strategic communication principles, media writing and design, media law and ethics, and digital and social media strategies, ensuring students develop both conceptual understanding and practical competencies. A key focus of the program is research and data-driven decision-making, with courses in public relations and advertising research and media analytics helping students measure communication effectiveness and audience impact. Students also gain specialized knowledge through courses in public relations seminar work, crisis communication, advertising strategy, media planning, and multimedia content creation, allowing them to build versatile professional skills. Elective options further support skill development in areas such as journalism, graphic design, video production, and internship-based experiential learning. The program also includes a values-based elective that explores media ethics, diversity, history, and management, encouraging critical thinking about the role of communication in society. A foreign language requirement enhances global awareness and intercultural communication abilities. Writing-intensive and capstone courses ensure students can synthesize their learning in advanced, real-world contexts, culminating in a senior strategic communication capstone project. Overall, the degree prepares graduates for careers in public relations agencies, corporate communications, media relations, crisis communication, nonprofit organizations, and government communication roles where managing reputation and strategic messaging is essential.