Department of Advertising Announces Undergraduate Public Relations Minor

The Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising will begin offering an undergraduate minor in public relations starting in the fall 2016 semester. The minor will require a minimum of 18 credits and will consist of three foundational courses about media and public relations and three additional courses on advanced topics in PR.

“Having a public relations minor represents an important next step as we increase what we offer to students who have an interest in PR,” said Dr. Jacqueline Hitchon, professor and advertising department head. “The advantage of having a PR minor is that it will appear on a student’s official university transcript, and employers everywhere understand what a minor is.”

While the minor will be located within the Department of Advertising, it is a cooperative effort between the Departments of Advertising, Communication and Journalism.

“Because PR spans the field of communication, students will benefit from the perspective they will receive in each of the departments,” Hitchon said. “We believe this will broaden their practical and theoretical understanding of public relations.”

The public relations minor will replace the PR certificate, which will be phased out over the 2016-17 academic year. Students who have already been accepted into the PR certificate will have the option of finishing the certificate or transferring into the minor provided they can complete the minimum-credit requirement prior to graduation.

A meeting about the public relations minor and how to transition from the PR certificate to the minor will be held early in the fall semester for current undergraduate students. The time and place of the meeting will be announced shortly.

In the meantime, interested students can visit the webpage for the public relations minor.