Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations
About This Program
The Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations program teaches students the ethical and effective strategies and tactics necessary for building and maintaining relationships between organizations and their stakeholders through a variety of communication channels. The degree is applicable to every industry including healthcare, sports, entertainment, finance, and technology. The program prepares students for public relations work at major corporations, health organizations, digital agencies, as well as government, nonprofit, religious, and educational organizations. Throughout the program, public relations majors develop skills to critically evaluate and research public relations issues and opportunities, plan public relations programs and events, create effective messaging, and evaluate the success of public relations campaigns. Public relations courses offer students numerous hands-on learning experiences and opportunities to work with real-world clients.
Competencies
- Upon completion of this major, students will have competency in executing public relations campaigns.
- Upon completion of this major, students will have competency in conducting primary and secondary research on behalf of a client.
- Upon completion of this major, students will have competency in implementing ethical and effective campaign strategies and tactics.
- Upon completion of this major, students will have competency in utilizing strong written, oral, visual, and digital communication skills.
- Upon completion of this major, students will have competency in evaluating campaign results and effectiveness.
Admissions Criteria
Declaring a Major
All undergraduate students seeking to declare a major in the Department of Communication must meet the following criteria:
- Completion of a minimum of 12 hours in residence at The University of Texas at Arlington with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.25/4.0.
Students who do not meet these minimum requirements can request to be admitted as an intended major. Please see restrictions below.
Intended Major
- Completion of a minimum of 12 hours in residence at The University of Texas at Arlington with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0/4.0.
- Intended majors may enroll in up to a total of 18 hours in the Department of Communication (ADVT, BCMN, COMS, CTEC, JOUR, PCOM, PREL)
- Students who do not achieve a cumulative UT Arlington GPA of 2.25/4.0 by the completion of 18 hours in the Department of Communication will not be cleared to continue in the department.
Dismissal from Intended Status
Students who do not meet the requirements for declaring a Department of Communication major after completing eighteen (18) hours of communication course work will not be allowed to take additional communication courses at UT Arlington. The student will be suspended from the Department of Communication Intended status and must choose a major not offered by the Department of Communication at that time in order to remain enrolled at UT Arlington.
Curriculum
| Foundations | ||
| General Core Requirements | 42 | |
| Students must complete specific courses in certain core areas. | ||
| For Communication select: | ||
| RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION I and RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION II | ||
| College of Liberal Arts Core | ||
| Select two courses (1441, 1442) in any foreign language. | 8 | |
| UNIV 1101 | CAREER PREPARATION AND STUDENT SUCCESS | 1 |
| or UNIV 1131 | STUDENT SUCCESS | |
| Public Relations Foundations | ||
| MATH 1308 | ELEMENTARY STATISTICAL ANALYSIS 1, 2 | 3 |
| or MATH 1309 | STATISTICAL LITERACY | |
| ECON 2305 | PRINCIPLES OF MACROECONOMICS 2 | 3 |
| Public Relations Specialization | ||
| COMS 1301 | FUNDAMENTALS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING 1 | 3 |
| COMM 2311 | WRITING FOR MASS MEDIA 1 | 3 |
| COMM 3300 | COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY | 3 |
| COMM 3303 | COMMUNICATION GRAPHICS | 3 |
| COMM 3310 | COMMUNICATION LAW & ETHICS | 3 |
| COMM 3315 | COMMUNICATION THEORY | 3 |
| ADVT 2337 | INTRODUCTION TO ADVERTISING | 3 |
| PREL 2338 | INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC RELATIONS 1 | 3 |
| PREL 3320 | STRATEGIC SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION 1 | 3 |
| PREL 3330 | PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS AND ADVERTISING 1 | 3 |
| PREL 3339 | PUBLIC RELATIONS TECHNIQUES 1 | 3 |
| PREL 3340 | STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS PRACTICE 1 | 3 |
| PREL 4316 | PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGNS 1 | 3 |
| PREL 4320 | PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGEMENT CASE STUDIES 1 | 3 |
| Select two 3000/4000-level courses in Communication | 3 | |
| Minor, Certificate, or Electives | ||
| Select a minor, certificate, or electives sufficient to bring total hours to 120 with 36 at the 3000/4000 level. A minor, selected in consultation with an advisor, consists of 18 hours, 6 of which must be at the 3000/4000 level. Certificates in Digital Media, Professional Communication, Health Communication, and Fundraising and Nonprofit Management are easily combined with this degree. | 18 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
Suggested Course Sequence
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | Spring Semester | Hours |
| ENGL 1301 | 3 | ENGL 1302 | 3 |
| UNIV 1131 | 1 | U.S. History (part 2) | 3 |
| Mathematics (MATH 1301 suggested) | 3 | 1442 in any foreign language | 4 |
| Creative Arts | 3 | COMS 13011 | 3 |
| U.S. History (part 1) | 3 | MATH 1308 or 13091,2 | 3 |
| 1441 in any foreign language | 4 | ||
| 17 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall Semester | Hours | Spring Semester | Hours |
| Life & Physical Science | 3 | ECON 23052 | 3 |
| Language, Philosophy & Culture | 3 | PREL 33201 | 3 |
| Government/Political Science | 3 | ADVT 2337 | 3 |
| COMM 2311 | 3 | Life & Physical Science | 3 |
| PREL 23381 | 3 | Government/Political Science | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall Semester | Hours | Spring Semester | Hours |
| PREL 33301 | 3 | PREL 33401 | 3 |
| PREL 33391 | 3 | COMM 3310 | 3 |
| COMM 3303 | 3 | COMM 3300 | 3 |
| COMM 3315 (satisfies UNIV 1101) | 3 | Component Area Option | 3 |
| Component Area Option | 3 | Open elective/Minor | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall Semester | Hours | Spring Semester | Hours |
| PREL 43201 | 3 | PREL 43161 | 3 |
| 3000/4000 level Communication | 3 | 3000/4000 level Communication | 3 |
| Open elective/Minor | 3 | Open elective/Minor | 3 |
| Open elective/Minor | 3 | Open elective/Minor | 3 |
| Open elective/Minor | 3 | ||
| 15 | 12 | ||
| Total Hours: 120 | |||
- 1
PREL majors must obtain a minimum grade of C (2.0/4.0 scale) or higher in all of these classes including MATH 1309.
- 2
This course satisfies a general education core requirement. Students taking it to satisfy core requirements will have additional elective hours available for a minor or certificate.
Program Completion
To graduate as a major in the Department of Communication students must:
- Meet the UT Arlington graduation standard of a minimum GPA of 2.0/4.0.
- Meet the department graduation standard of a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0/4.0 in all department courses (ADVT, BCMN, COMM, COMS, CTEC, JOUR, PCOM, PREL).
Advising Resources
Advisors assist with many tasks via email:
- Remove enrollment holds.
- Evaluate progress and make course suggestions.
- Assist choosing majors/minors.
- Help enrolling/dropping courses.
For more assistance students may schedule in-person or virtual appointments in advance, thru the advising resources webpage link, or drop by our office.
Location:
126 Fine Arts Building
Email:
commadvising@uta.edu
Phone:
817-272-5760