4. DEPARTMENT OF ADVERTISING, PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MEDIA DESIGN (APRD)

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1 4. DEPARTMENT OF ADVERTISING, PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MEDIA DESIGN (APRD) Mission Statement The strategic communication problems that organizations and society face today are more complex than ever before. Finding solutions for such complicated problems involves more than just a mastery of technical skills and tools. It also takes a greater breadth of knowledge, a more conscious and disciplined creative problem-solving process, and an eagerness to step into uncharted waters where risk-taking is as much in demand as hard work only a tolerance for failure makes success possible. The Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design (APRD) strives to produce leaders in the area of strategic communication who have mastered a designthinking process grounded in analytical and creative thought. We believe in amplifying our students curiosity, increasing their tolerance for risk and adventurous thinking, and encouraging them to look at life and a career with an entrepreneur s eye for opportunity. APRD is committed to providing students the necessary tools and techniques to think critically, adapt, create and above all lead in a rapidly changing media world. Educational Goals APRD faculty are dedicated to discovering and transmitting knowledge associated with advertising, public relations and media design through individual research effort and by fostering collaborative research projects with other units. In particular, our department encourages partnerships that facilitate the exploration of topics such as the persuasive effects of new media, the role of technology in the creative process, the ways in which big data and analytics impact strategy development, and the best means to measure effectiveness. Our goal is to help students acquire the kind of in-depth expertise in at least one area of strategic communication and design that will enable them to generate ideas and solve problems for a variety of organizations, including but not limited to ad agencies, PR firms, publishing and design firms, nonprofits, start-ups and personal ventures. We produce graduates who are forward-looking and have a deep interest in and knowledge of diverse cultures both within the United States and throughout the world. The Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design actively encourages students to enroll in courses offered both within and outside CMCI. Similarly, many of our courses (as well as the APRD certificates in strategic communication and design) are open to students in other units on the grounds that the design-thinking process can be used to solve problems in a wide variety of disciplines. Degree Programs

2 The advertising program at CU Boulder has existed for many decades and has earned an international reputation. Our ad program is indeed considered one of the best in the nation. We have also offered many courses in public relations both in the former School of Journalism and Mass Communication and in the program that replaced it in This means that, building on the resources already in place, the only additions to our proposed degree are a track and related courses in media design. However, APRD will also offer two new degrees at the graduate level: a master of arts and a doctorate in Strategic Communication. Bachelor of Science in Strategic Communication Strategic communication is an umbrella term covering all three undergraduate tracks offered by the department. The tracks from which students are free to choose are (1) Media Design, (2) Advertising and (3) Public Relations. Each track requires 40 credit hours, comprised of the 15-hour departmental Core Curriculum and 25 hours of specialized course work. The courses of specialized studies include Strategic Communication Campaigns, a 4-hour capstone course completed in the student s final year. Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours APRD Core Curriculum To complete the department core requirement, students take: 1 st semester: APRD 1010: Idea Industries (3 hours) APRD 1020: Introduction to Design Thinking (3 hours, not required but strongly recommended) 2 nd semester: APRD 2010: Introduction to Creative Concepts (3 hours) APRD 2020: Introduction to Branding and Strategy (3 hours) Any time after 2 nd semester: APRD 3000: Strategic Communication Law and Professional Ethics (3 hours) APRD 3900: Internship (any time after 3 rd semester: at least 3 hours) Media Design Media Design consists of 2 required courses (6 hours), 5 electives taken from the general APRD course list (15 hours) and the capstone campaign course taken in the final year (3 hours + 1 hour of lab/workshop = 4 hours). 3rd semester: APRD 3110: Fundamentals of Design (3 hours)

3 APRD 3120: Intermediate Creative Concepts for Digital and Print Media (3 hours) 3 rd through 8 th semesters: EITHER 5 electives offered by APRD under the Media Design track, OR one of two suggested pathways: 1. Creative Advertising: Design for Digital Media OR Writing for Digital Media (3 hours); Portfolio 1 (3 hours); Portfolio 2 (3 hours); and 2 electives under Media Design track. 2. General Design: Design for Digital Media (3 hours); Human Factors and Design Psychology (3 hours); Design Portfolio (3 hours); and 2 electives under Media Design track. General Electives: Design History; Design Research; Information Visualization; The Entrepreneurial Mindset; Leadership: Styles and Situations; Imagining Futures. Media Design Electives: Design for Digital Media; Writing for Digital Media; Web Design and Information Architecture; Designing Mobile Apps; Game Design; Motion Design; Package Design; Designing Brand Experiences; Interaction Design; Human Factors and Design Psychology; Designing User Experience (prerequisite: Interaction Design OR Human Factors and Design Psychology); Advanced Graphic Design (Grad/Undergrad) (prerequisite: Design for Digital Media). 7 th and 8 th semesters: APRD 4900: Capstone in Strategic Communication Campaigns (3 hours + 1 hour of lab/workshop = 4 hours) Advertising Advertising consists of 3 required courses (9 hours), 4 electives taken from the general APRD course list (12 hours) and the capstone campaign course taken in the final year (4 hours). All advertising students are also required to maintain a portfolio of their work, preferably online. A portfolio review is required for graduation. 3 rd and 4 th semesters: APRD 3210: Strategic Communication Research Methods (3 hours; this course is a prerequisite for Strategy Design) APRD 3220: Communication Platforms (3 hours) APRD 3230: Strategy Design (3 hours)

4 4 th through 8 th semesters: EITHER 4 electives offered under the Advertising track OR one of two suggested pathways: 1. Media Planning: Media Planning (3 hours); Brand Analytics and Metrics (3 hours), and 2 electives under Advertising track. 2. Account Planning and Management: Account Management (3 hours); Consumer Insights (3 hours); and 2 electives under Advertising track. General Electives: Branding and Popular Culture; History of Advertising and PR; Branding for a Multicultural World; Global Brands; Sustainable Branding Practices; Sports and Entertainment Branding; Branding for Nonprofits. Advertising Electives: Brand Management Principles; Brand Relationships and Psychology; The Art of Negotiation; Brand Experiences; Creative Process for Strategists; Curiosity for Strategists; Consumer Psychology and Emerging Media; Cultural Engineering; Brand Development and Gaming; Quantitative Methods for Creative Strategists. 7 th and 8 th semesters: APRD 4990: Capstone Strategic Communication Campaign (3 hours + 1 hour lab/workshop = 4 hours) NB: It is strongly recommended that students pursuing the Advertising track take the 1- credit workshops APRD offers to present special skills to add to their skill sets and portfolios. Examples of such workshops include: Effective Presentation Techniques, Excel Ninja Training, Portfolio for Strategists and Social Media Bootcamp. Public Relations Students pursuing the Public Relations track take 3 required courses (9 hours), 4 electives (12 hours) and a capstone strategic communication campaign (4 hours). All PR students are required to maintain a portfolio of their work, preferably online. A portfolio review is required for graduation. 3 rd semester: APRD 3210: Strategic Communication Research Methods (3 hours, required) 4 th through 7 th semesters: APRD 3310: Introduction to Public Relations (3 hours, required) APRD 3320: Strategic Writing for Public Relations (3 hours, required) 4 th through 8 th semesters: 4 electives offered under the Public Relations track:

5 General Electives: Persuasion (COMM 3320); Organizational Communication (COMM 2600); Public Speaking (COMM 1300); Argumentation and Advocacy (COMM 3310); PR and Society; History of Advertising and Public Relations; Social Media Strategies; PR Law and Ethics. Public Relations Electives: Strategic Relationship Building; Strategic Planning and Case Studies; Public Diplomacy; Nonprofit PR; Crisis Communication; Healthcare and Behavior Change; Governmental PR; Corporate Finance and Investor Relations; PR Metrics and Analytics; Sports PR; Special Topics in PR. 7 th and 8 th semesters: APDR 4990: Capstone Strategic Communication Campaign (3 hours + 1 hour lab/workshop = 4 hours) NB: It is strongly recommended that students pursuing the Public Relations track take the 1-credit workshops ADPR offers to present special skills to add to their skill sets and portfolios. Examples include: Social Media Bootcamp, Event Planning Workshop, and Presentation Skills and Public Speaking (or How to Do a Killer Presentation). Certificate in Design for Social Change The department also offers a 4-course (12-hour) undergraduate Certificate in Design for Social Change. The courses are: Introduction to Design Thinking Design Research Introduction to Design for Social Change Advanced Design for Social Change (prerequisite: Intro to Design for Social Change Master of Arts in Strategic Communication Design Our MA in Strategic Communication Design adopts a design-thinking approach to solving strategic communication problems, with a particular emphasis on creative and analytical thinking as well as the innovative multi-platform use of emergent digital media. The master s program is positioned to draw heavily from units both within and outside the College of Media, Communication and Information. Many of the courses students will be interested in come from other units such as information science and communication (in CMCI) and marketing (in the Leeds School of Business). In other words, the proposed graduate degree in strategic communication design is an ideal

6 candidate for cross-disciplinary teaching, concurrent or cross-listed courses and collaborative research both within the new college and across the university. The MA program offers two tracks of specialization: a Professional Media Design track and an Academic Research track. Professional Media Design is aimed at candidates with some work experience (either in or outside the area of strategic communication) who are interested in furthering their careers. The track prepares students for leadership roles in advertising, public relations and media design, with a focus on areas such as graphic design, app design, game design, product and package design, and Web design. The Academic Research track is aimed at students interested in conducting basic research in the area of strategic communication with a view to pursuing a PhD. Professional Track in Media Design The rise of digital media has dramatically changed the professional design landscape. As a result, graduate programs need both greater breadth and greater depth than ever in order to prepare students for design careers. This is why many of the graduate programs we reviewed require students to complete 48 hours. However, by creating a carefully focused program, we can give our students the preparation they need in 39 hours over two years. The Professional Media Design track requires 33 hours of coursework and 4 hours devoted to a capstone professional project. In addition, one 2-hour course taken in the 4 th semester, on client relations, contributes to the project in that many students may in fact be working for actual clients, and all of them will have at least notional ones. Given the importance of client relations in professional life, this means that the professional project consumes 6 of the total of 39 hours. In addition to the 2-hour course in client relations, student course work consists of 7 foundation courses (21 hours) taught by the department, 2 electives (6 hours) chosen from the department list and 2 electives (6 hours) chosen from other units inside or outside CMCI. 1 st semester: Transmedia Design (3 hours) Visual Systems (3 hours) Typography 1 (3 hours) Design for Digital Media 1 (3 hours) 2 nd semester: Design for Digital Media 2 (3 hours) Identity Systems (3 hours) Time- and Motion-Based Narrative (3 hours) Outside

7 3 rd semester: Professional Project 1 (1 hour) Outside 4 th semester: Professional Project 2 (3 hours) Client Relations (2 hours) Academic Research Track The Academic Research track is a 36-hour program and typically takes two years. Students may choose between a thesis option (6 hours) or a comprehensive examination option involving 2 electives (6 hours), plus a written exam. In addition to completing a 3- course Academic Research core (9 hours) covering strategic communication (Theory and Practice, Qualitative Research Methods and Quantitative Research Methods), students pursue two emphases: a 4-course emphasis (12 hours) drawing on APDR and a 3-course emphasis (9 hours) drawn from any area of study either within or outside CMCI, including but not limited to marketing (Leeds School of Business), information science or communication (CMCI) and economics, anthropology or sociology (College of Arts and Sciences). The recommended course-flow for the thesis option is as follows: 1 st semester: Strategic Communication: Theory and Practice (3 hours) Qualitative Methods (3 hours) 2nd semester: Quantitative Methods (3 hours) Outside 3 rd semester: Outside 4 th semester: Thesis (6 hours) Outside PhD in Strategic Communication

8 The Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design offers a researchbased PhD in strategic communication as a track in the general doctoral program in media research and practice (see Section 2 above). The PhD in strategic communication is an interdisciplinary program dedicated to producing graduates who wish to seek teaching and research positions at Research I universities or research positions in industry in the area of strategic communication (advertising and/or PR). The PhD program is purposely designed to be broad, flexible and interdisciplinary in order to encourage students to collaborate and take advantage of the full range of courses and faculty research interests available both within and outside CMCI. Graduate students in APRD are highly encouraged to pursue research interests and find connections with other units in CMCI and across the campus. Graduates of the doctoral program are expected to be thought leaders in the field of strategic communication and actively engage in expanding the frontiers of knowledge in our discipline by producing scholarship and research at the highest level. The doctoral degree is designed to be a full-time program, with reviews conducted each year to evaluate each student s performance and progress. While we expect degree completion times to vary, the recommended time is four years, with three years dedicated to course work and the final year spent writing the dissertation. Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours There are three aspects to the doctoral degree in strategic communication: course work, comprehensive exams and research that leads to a dissertation. The PhD degree requires a total of at least 76 credit hours of graduate study (46 hours of course work plus 30 dissertation hours). In addition to taking 10 hours of core courses, students choose three courses (9 hours) in advanced research methods and two emphases, one inside APRD and the other outside. The inside emphasis must include a course in the theory and practice of strategic communication. The following is the recommended breakdown of credit hours for a PhD in Strategic Communication: Required Core Courses (10 hours): Proseminar 1: Introduction to Research Faculty (1 hour) Proseminar 2: Theories of Mass Communication (3 hours) Qualitative Research Methods (3 hours) Quantitative Research Methods (3 hours) Elective Courses (36 hours) Advanced Research Methods (9 hours) Inside emphasis: 5 electives (15 hours)

9 Outside emphasis: 4 electives (12 hours) Courses from which students choose electives for the inside emphasis are: Interactive Media: Theory and Practice Media Effects International and Multicultural Branding Brand Management and Strategy Social and Mobile Branding Creativity and Design Theory History of Design Health Communication Strategic Communication Law and Ethics Current Issues in Research in Strategic Communication Given the interdisciplinary nature of our PhD, we expect course work for the outside emphasis to come from other units both inside and outside the College of Media, Communication and Information. Possible areas of concentration outside APRD include: journalism, media studies, information studies, communication, marketing, sociology, women s studies, anthropology, film studies, media production, art and art history, computer science, psychology, economics and ethnic studies. In other words, the proposed doctoral degree in strategic communication is an ideal candidate for crossdisciplinary teaching, cross-listed courses and collaborative research both within the new college and across the university. The doctoral comprehensive examinations are normally taken at the end of students third year in the program. Updated 3/27/14