Public Relations - B.S. Download to print

Public Relations majors study the strategic management of communication and the relationships between organizations and their key publics. Students develop skills in written, online, verbal and visual communications, as well as research and strategic thinking. The public relations program offers numerous hand-on learning opportunities. The upper division PR skills courses require students to develop plans, strategies and tactics that would be produced in the public relations field. Often, projects relate to actual client communication challenges. In PR Campaigns, students complete research and create a public relations plan for a real client. Public relations majors also are required to complete 300 hours of an internship. Students also have the opportunity to apply for positions at two student-run agencies and to get involved in the Kent State Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. 
 

Graduates typically secure positions in public relations firms or public relations departments at corporations, nonprofit organizations and government agencies.

From 2008-2018, public relations is expected to “grow 24 percent, much faster than the average of all occupations,” according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A highly competitive and global business environment and shifts in economic conditions have created a greater demand for communications professionals. The growth of social media has created new opportunities for public relations professionals.

Public relations professionals are involved in different areas of practice including research counseling, crisis communications, internal communications, event planning, media relations, public affairs and social media.

Students first entering the university, whether from high school or transferring from another institution, are admitted directly into one of the ten JMC majors/concentrations. A Kent State GPA of 2.750 must be maintained to continue taking JMC courses.

Current Kent State students wishing to pursue a major in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication must have a GPA of 2.750 or higher to be admitted directly into one of the ten majors/concentrations.

Current Kent State students with a GPA lower than 2.750 (but 2.000 or higher) may be admitted as pre-journalism and mass communication majors.
 

Minimum 124 credit hours and minimum 2.750 GPA cumulative and in major. Minimum 80 credit hours taken outside the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Only general elective courses may be taken as pass/fail, of which maximum 12 credit hours may be taken as pass/fail. Students must meet the requirements stated in this catalog to declare a journalism and mass communication major.
A 2.750 overall GPA is also required to enroll in JMC courses.

Students who fall below a 2.750 overall will be allowed to remain in JMC courses for which they are already registered for one more semester. They will be given one semester to bring their overall GPA up to the school minimum. Failure to do so will result in not being permitted to enroll in JMC courses until their overall GPA reaches the school minimum. In addition, no grade lower than a C- (1.700) in a JMC course will be counted toward graduation or as a prerequisite for a subsequent class.

Students must pass the school’s grammar usage and punctuation test before enrolling in any of the following JMC courses: 26001 Newswriting, 30004 Writing for Electronic Media, 30034 Programming for Electronic Media, 31002 Advertising Copywriting, 31003 Advertising Media Planning, 32001 Photojournalism I, 40006 Law of Mass Communication, 40010 Ethics and Issues in Mass Communication, 44040 Concept Psychographics and 46001 Information Graphics.

The Liberal Studies Requirement (LSR) is mandated by the ACEJMC  to make sure JMC degrees are well-rounded degrees with a strong grounding in the humanities, arts and sciences. Sixty-five credit hours (out of the total of 124 for the degree) must be taken in the humanities, arts and sciences. All Kent Core courses, except JMC 20001, count toward the LSR, so that covers 37 of the 65 hours. The remaining 28 hours of LSRs are covered in Additional Degree Requirements and electives. There are specific course designations and some specific courses that count toward the 65-hour Liberal Studies Requirement. See your advisor for details. Students electing minors that are not liberal studies in nature may need to complete more than 124 hours.

Journalism and mass communication majors supplement their coursework with an internship in their field of specialization. Other opportunities for practical experience include news, production, management, sales, performance and advertising positions on the campus newspaper, the Daily Kent Stater, and its online edition; the campus television station, TV-2; the campus radio station, Black Squirrel Radio; and the campus magazine, the Burr, and its online edition.
 

There are many study abroad/away opportunities. For more information contact the Office of Global Education or CCI's Coordinator of International Study Programs.
 

$60/semester

Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
 

National Association of Black Journalists, Public Relations Student Society of America, National Press Photographers Association, American Advertising Federation Student Chapter, Kappa Tau Alpha. Student Media: Artemis, The Daily Kent Stater, The Burr and Cyburr, UHURU, Luna Negra, Fusion, TV2, Black Squirrel Radio, Kentwired.com
 

Journalism and Mass Communication (M.A.)