Public Relations Program Requirements

Public Relations Program Requirements Public relations majors earn a Bachelor of Science in Journalism, Public Relations (BSJ) degree upon successful completion of the program. To graduate, all School of Journalism (SOJ) majors must complete a minimum of 128 credit hours. In addition to required SOJ core and public relations program courses, students must take a specified number of courses outside the SOJ. They also are required to complete a minor and fulfill WVU s General Education Curriculum (GEC) requirements. Finally, the SOJ s national accreditation guidelines require that students take a minimum of 80 hours outside the SOJ, 65 of which must be liberal arts courses. Typically, students meet those requirements through the GEC and minor courses but should consult with their academic advisor to insure they are on track to graduate. Students must complete: SOJ Core Program Core Minor Requirements Required Outside the SOJ WVU GEC Requirements General Electives Total 12 hours 18 hours 15 hours* 34 hours 39 hours 10 hours* 128 hours * Credit hours may vary. Students should refer to the requirements and sample schedule outlined on the following pages, as well as the following on the SOJ website, when planning their course schedule: Public Relations Curriculum Sheet (downloadable PDF) Minors and Second Concentrations (link to WVU website) Rev. 7-19-2011 1

SOJ Core (12 hours) JRL 101. Introduction to Mass Communication. 3 Hr. JRL 215. Media Writing. 3 Hr. JRL 428. Law of the News Media. 3 Hr. JRL 489. Media Issues and Ethics. 3 Hr. Program Core (18 hours) PR 215. Intro to Public Relations. 3 Hr. JRL 318. Reporting for Print Media. 3 Hr. OR PR 493. Multimedia Storytelling. 3 Hr. PR 319. PR Editing and Design. 3 Hr. OR PR 333. Web Design. 3 Hr. OR JRL 319. Copy Editing. 3 Hr. PR 324. Public Relations Writing. 3 Hr. PR 422. Research and Case Studies. 3 Hr. PR 459. PR Campaigns-Capstone. 3 Hr. OR PR 458. Public Health Relations. 3 Hr. Minor Requirements (15 or more hours) All students are required to complete a minor outside the SOJ. Students may select a minor by referencing the University s minor catalog. If there is not an established minor in a discipline, a student may choose to complete a second concentration. Students with questions about a second concentration should contact the SOJ s Advising Center staff. Required Outside the SOJ (34 hours) Business: BUSA 340. Survey of Finance. 3 Hr. OR ACCT 201. Principles of Accounting. 3 Hr. Foreign Language: At least six hours of the same language (FRCH, SPAN, RUSS, CHIN, GER, ITAL, SPA 274/276, JAPN). Rev. 7-19-2011 2

Library Skills: ULIB 101. Introduction to Library Research. 1 Hr. Political Science: POLS 102. Introduction to American Government. 3 Hr. POLS 220. State and Local Government. 3 Hr. Psychology: PSYC 101. Introduction to Psychology. 3 Hr. History: HIST 153. Growth of the American Nation since 1865. 3 Hr. Economics: ECON 201. Principles of Microeconomics. 3 Hr. ECON 202. Principles of Macroeconomics. 3 Hr. English: Students should consult the list of WVU s GEC courses on the website for qualifying courses. Public Speaking: COMM 103. Presentational Speaking. 3 Hr. OR SPA 270. Effective Public Speaking. 3 Hr. OR THET 102. Acting. 3 Hr. OR ENTR 310. Communication/ Law and Ethics. 3 Hr. WVU GEC Requirements (39 hours) Under the University s General Education Curriculum (GEC), all WVU students are required to complete a certain number of liberal arts courses. Students should confer with their academic advisors to ensure GEC course selections align with their professional goals. GEC coursework is divided into nine objectives. Rev. 7-19-2011 3

OBJ 1: Communication ENGL 101. Composition and Rhetoric. 3 Hr. ENGL 102. Composition and Rhetoric. 3 Hr. OR ENGL 103. Accelerated Academic Writing. 3 Hr.* *This course has admissions requirements. Students using ENGL 103 to satisfy OBJ 1 still need to take 128 hours to graduate. OBJ. 2: Basic Mathematical Skills and Scientific Inquiry LAB SCIENCE. 8 Hr.* *Students must take eight hours of the same lab science. MATH. 3 Hr.* their academic advisor. STAT 111. Understanding Statistics. 3 Hr.* *Students must take the journalism-specific sections of STAT 111 lecture and lab. OBJ. 3: The Past and Its Traditions HIST 152. Growth of the American Nation to 1865. 3 Hr. OBJ. 4: Contemporary Society OBJ. 5: Artistic Expression OBJ. 6: The Individual in Society UNIV 101. University Orientation OR JRL 115. Journalism Orientation. 1 Hr. PHIL 100. Problems of Philosophy. 3 Hr. OR PHIL 130. Current Moral Problems. 3 Hr. Rev. 7-19-2011 4

OBJ. 7: American Culture OBJ. 8: Western Culture JRL 101. Introduction to Mass Communication. 3 Hr. (This course is also an SOJ core requirement). OBJ. 9: Non-Western Culture General Electives (10 or more hours): To earn 128 credits toward graduation, students must complete general elective classes. Working with an SOJ academic advisor, students can choose courses that complement their major program. Rev. 7-19-2011 5

Public Relations Program Sample Schedule Public Relations students must take these courses to graduate. Your actual schedule may differ. 1st Semester: JQE N/A Obj. 1 ENGL 101 3 Obj. 6 PHIL 100 OR 130 3 Obj. 2 Lab Science 4 Obj. 5 course from approved list 3 Obj. 6 JRL 115/UNIV 101 (or equiv.) 1 Obj. 8 JRL 101 3 Total 17 2nd Semester: Obj. 1 ENGL 102 3 Obj. 2 Same Lab Science 4 Obj. 3 HIST 152 3 POLS 102 3 ULIB 101 1 Total 14 3rd Semester: Obj. 2 MATH 121 (or other math) 3 Foreign Language 3 Obj. 4 course from approved GEC list 3 HIST 153 3 ENGL literature from approved GEC list 3 JRL 215 3 Total 18 4th Semester: Obj. 2 STAT 111 (or equiv.) 3 PSYC 101 3 Same Foreign Language 3 PR 215 3 JRL 318 3 Obj. 7 course from approved list 3 Total 18 Rev. 7-19-2011 6

5th Semester: ECON 201 3 PR 319 or approved equiv. 3 POLS 220 3 NE/JRL 428 3 Minor/2nd Concentration 3 ACT 201/BUSA 340 3 Total 18 6th Semester: PR 324 3 JRL 489 3 ECON 202 3 COMM 103, SPA 270, THET 102 or ENTR 310 3 Total 15 7th Semester: Obj. 9 course from approved GEC list 3 PR 422 3 General Elective 1 Total 13 8th Semester: PR 459 3 SOJ Electives 3 General Elective 3 Total 15 Rev. 7-19-2011 7