Public Relations at Adrian College
In a social media-driven era, companies are increasingly conscientious of their public image and brand voice. Major brands must take a stance on social and political causes, increasing the need for professionals who can craft messages to a wide audience.
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Highlights of PR
The Public Relations industry is expected to grow to $129 Billion by 2025. It's a role that often sits in the marketing department and gives workers an executive-eye view even in more entry-level positions.
This program focuses on ensuring that students understand how to appropriately address “hot-button” topics in a way that is responsive and inclusive by leaning into Ethics and Inclusion throughout the curriculum.
Don't know if you'd be interested? If you are strong communicator (speaker or writer), are interested in social media, and make friends easily you could turn that into a career.
Developed For A Career
This program was developed with input from Tech CEOs and hiring managers to ensure it aligns with the growing need for strategic communications experts.
Great Salary Growth
Hybrid Learning Options
Some courses in this program are taken online & powered by Rize. The core curriculum will be taken on-campus, giving students the best of student life with the flexibility of some online learning.
Program Details
Information on what you'll learn, how the degree is built, and the careers that are possible after graduation.
Public Relations Overview
This program was created by Dr. Matt Charles, APR, of the University of Virginia with input from various technology CEOs and hiring managers. This program is primarily driven by project-based learning, with every class featuring multiple project and simulation activities. It emphasizes strategic communications, ethics, and inclusion as those are the skillsets most in demand from hiring managers today.
Rather than breaking those topics into their own courses, ethics and inclusion are woven into the entirety of the Public Relations Core.
The program culminates in a capstone course that will ask students to perform a semester-long communications research project. This project will ask students to perform research and formulate a strategic communications plan for either a private or public sector entity. This capstone will allow students to hone their skills and provide them with a portfolio project to show prospective employers.
Faculty Contributors
By offering some of these courses online, we give students access to world-leading faculty and a curriculum vetted by real Fortune 500 companies.
Dr. Matt Charles, APR - Dr. Charles is a professor at the University of Virginia and works as a PR and Strategic Communications consultant to a variety of organizations, including The American Heart Association, The Commonwealth of Virginia, Boys & Girls Club of America, and the YMCA.
The Curriculum Committee includes:
- Rennay Marshall - Family & Children's Place
- Meredith Bligh - Brunello Cucinelli
- Devon Jaffier - Reed Smith LLP
- Burton St. John - University of Colorado Boulder
Career Outlook
Entry-level jobs like a Public Relations Specialist will earn a median salary of over $62,000 while PR Managers earn a median of $118,430.
Other job titles related to this degree include:
- Corporate Communications
- Communications Coordinator
- Marketing Communications
- Content Writer & Strategists
- Marketing Manager
There is also a growing trend to include PR as one of the pathways toward Chief Marketing Officer roles.
Curriculum Highlights
The Public Relations Core includes courses like:
- Strategic Public Relations
- Public Relations Tactics
- Crisis Communications
- Strategic Communications Capstone
Math Required: Statistics
Hardest Class: Strategic Communications Capstone. As befitting a capstone class, this course asks students to leverage their skills from not only previous Strategic Communication & PR courses but also other business, writing, communications and quantitative courses
What can I do with this degree?
There are exciting career paths within Public Relations across companies of nearly every size.
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