Public Relations and Strategic Communication, B.S.

Visit the Communication Department page for more information on the program and access to advising.

Program Description

The BA/BS/Minor will give students the opportunity to earn a full major/minor in the field of public relations and strategic communication. This degree prepares students with the necessary skills to communicate (a) visually, (b) orally, and through the (c) written word in traditional and digital mediums, as demanded by the ever-changing nature of strategic communication and public relations.

Program Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Total Credit Hours		120
General Education Requirements		30 Credits
ENGL 1010	Introduction to Academic Writing	3
or ENGH 1005	Literacies and Composition Across Contexts
ENGL 2010	Intermediate Academic Writing	3
Complete one of the following:		3
STAT 1040	Introduction to Statistics (3)
STAT 1045	Introduction to Statistics with Algebra (5)
Choose one of the following:		3
HIST 1700	American History (3)
HIST 2700 & HIST 2710	US History to 1877 and US History since 1877 (6)
HIST 1740	US Economic History (3)
POLS 1000	American Heritage (3)
POLS 1100	American National Government (3)
Complete the following:
Distribution Courses:
Biology		3
Physical Science		3
Personal, Professional, and Civic Growth		3
Humanities		3
Fine Arts		3
Behavioral/Social Science		3
Discipline Core Requirements		21 Credits
COMM 2300	Introduction to Public Relations and Strategic Communication	3
COMM 2270	Argumentation	3
COMM 3020	Communication Research Methods	3
COMM 3520	Public Relations and Strategic Communication Case Studies	3
COMM 3530	Public Relations and Strategic Communication Writing	3
COMM 3050	Theories of Communication	3
COMM 4850	Public Relations and Strategic Communication Campaigns	3
Discipline Elective Requirements		20 Credits
Complete 20 credits within the Communication Major; 9 must be at the 3000-4000 level		20
COMM 1020	Public Speaking (3)
COMM 1050	Introduction to Communication (3)
COMM 1130	Writing for the Mass Media (3)
COMM 1500	Introduction to Mass Communication (3)
COMM 1610	Reporting for the Mass Media (3)
COMM 2020R	Communication Field Experience (1-3)
COMM 2070G	Introduction to Gender and Communication (3)
COMM 2100	The News Editing Process (3)
COMM 2110	Interpersonal Communication (3)
COMM 2115	Introduction to Health Communication (3)
COMM 2120	Small Group Communication and Decision Making (3)
COMM 2140	Media Literacy (undefined)
COMM 2170G	Race Class and Gender in U S Cinema (3)
COMM 2250	Principles of Advertising (3)
COMM 2270	Argumentation (3)
COMM 2400	Organizational Communication (3)
COMM 2510	Visual Strategies for Communication Majors (3)
COMM 2790	Magazine Writing (3)
COMM 2900R	Independent Study (1-3)
COMM 3025	Introduction to Qualitative Communication Research (3)
COMM 3040	Media Ethics (3)
COMM 3100	Propaganda and Persuasion (3)
COMM 3110	Non Fiction Cinema History (3)
COMM 3115	Communicating in Environments (3)
COMM 3120	Fundamentals of New and Social Media (3)
COMM 3130	The Culture of Nature and Technology (3)
COMM 3140	Social Media Content Creation Strategy (3)
COMM 3160	Social Media Analytics (3)
COMM 3170G	Ethnographic Methods for Communication Research (3)
COMM 3190G	Intercultural Communication Encounters (3)
COMM 3290	Photojournalism (3)
COMM 3320G	International Business Communication (3)
COMM 3410	Fundamentals of Mediation and Negotiation (3)
COMM 3420	Communication and Conflict (3)
COMM 3500	Media Representation (3)
COMM 3500R	Special Topics in Communication (3)
COMM 3510	Visual Communication Theory (3)
COMM 3540	Sports Public Relations (3)
COMM 3560	Public Relations Event and Media Coordination (3)
COMM 3570	Crisis Communication (3)
COMM 3580	Fashion Public Relations and Strategic Communication (3)
COMM 3610	Health Communication and Culture (3)
COMM 3660	Investigative Reporting (3)
COMM 3680	Advertising Media Planning (3)
COMM 3690	Creative Strategy in Communication Campaigns (3)
COMM 3700	Free Expression in a Democratic Society (3)
COMM 3780	Mormons Media and Culture (3)
COMM 3790	Case Studies in Journalism (3)
COMM 4010G	Communication Education (3)
COMM 4110	Interpersonal Communication Theory and Research (3)
COMM 4115	Advanced Health Communication (3)
COMM 4120	Group Communication (3)
COMM 4125	Applied Survey Research (3)
COMM 4170	Contemporary Issues in Organizational Communication (3)
COMM 4180	Communication and Social Behavior (3)
COMM 4190	Family Communication (3)
COMM 4250	Communication and Leadership (3)
COMM 4310R	Communication Executive Lecture Series (1)
COMM 4500	Media and Politics (3)
COMM 4630	Wolverine Student Public Relations and Strategic Communication Firm (3)
COMM 4790R	Journalism Workshop (3)
COMM 4810R	Internship (3,6)
COMM 4830	Competitive Case Studies (3)
COMM 4930	Communication Capstone (3)
COMM 4970R	Independent Study (1-3)
Electives		49 Credits
Students may complete any courses - a total of 40 upper-division credits will be required for graduation (see academic advisor), completion of one G/I course is required.		49

Graduation Requirements

1. Completion of a minimum of 120 or more semester credits.
2. Overall grade point average of 2.0 (C) or above (departments may require a higher GPA).
3. Residency hours: minimum of 30 credit hours through course attendance at UVU, with at least 10 hours earned in the last 45 hours.
4. Completion of GE and specified departmental requirements.
5. Completion of COMM courses with a C- or higher.
6. Successful completion of at least one Global/Intercultural course.
7. Successful completion of at least two Writing Enriched courses.

Graduation Plan

This graduation plan is a sample plan and is intended to be a guide. Your specific plan may differ based on your Math and English placement and/or transfer credits applied. You are encouraged to meet with an advisor and set up an individualized graduation plan in Wolverine Track.

Plan of Study Grid

First Year
Semester 1		Credit Hours
ENGL 1010	Introduction to Academic Writing	3
Elective		3
Fine Arts Distribution		3
Elective		3
COMM Elective		3
	Credit Hours	15
Semester 2
Social/Behavioral Science Distribution		3
ENGL 2010	Intermediate Academic Writing	3
STAT 1040	Introduction to Statistics	3
Biology GE		3
Elective		3
	Credit Hours	15
Second Year
Semester 3
COMM 2300	Introduction to Public Relations and Strategic Communication	3
Personal, Professional, and Civic Growth		3
COMM 2270	Argumentation	3
Elective		3
Elective		3
	Credit Hours	15
Semester 4
COMM Elective		3
Physical Science GE		3
Humanities		3
American Institutions GE		3
Elective		2
	Credit Hours	14
Third Year
Semester 5
COMM Elective		3
COMM 3050	Theories of Communication	3
COMM Elective		3
Elective		3
Elective		3
	Credit Hours	15
Semester 6
COMM 3530	Public Relations and Strategic Communication Writing	3
COMM 3020	Communication Research Methods	3
Elective		3
COMM Upper Division Elective		4
Elective		3
	Credit Hours	16
Fourth Year
Semester 7
COMM 3520	Public Relations and Strategic Communication Case Studies	3
COMM Upper Division Elective		3
Elective		3
Elective		3
Elective		3
	Credit Hours	15
Semester 8
COMM 4850	Public Relations and Strategic Communication Campaigns	3
COMM Upper Division Elective		3
Elective		3
Elective		3
Elective		3
	Credit Hours	15
	Total Credit Hours	120

Online Graduation Plan

An online graduation plan offers students a flexible yet structured approach to their academic journey. While this sample serves as a general guideline, individual plans may differ based on Math and English placement scores. Meeting with an academic advisor is strongly recommended to customize plans and ensure all graduation requirements are met.

Courses marked with an asterisk (*) are Certified Online Courses, meeting UVU’s high standards for quality and accessibility.

Plan of Study Grid

First Year
Semester 1		Credit Hours
ENGL 1010	Introduction to Academic Writing *	3
Elective		3
Fine Arts Distribution		3
Elective		3
Comm Elective		3
	Credit Hours	15
Semester 2
SS GE		3
ENGL 2010	Intermediate Academic Writing *	3
STAT 1040	Introduction to Statistics *	3
Biology GE		3
Elective		3
	Credit Hours	15
Second Year
Semester 3
COMM 2300	Introduction to Public Relations and Strategic Communication *	3
Personal, Professional, and Civic Growth		3
COMM 2270	Argumentation *	3
Elective		3
Elective		3
	Credit Hours	15
Semester 4
Comm Elective		3
Physical Science GE		3
Humanities GE		3
American Institutions GE		3
Elective		2
	Credit Hours	14
Third Year
Semester 5
Comm Elective		3
COMM 3050	Theories of Communication *	3
Comm Elective		3
Elective		3
Elective		3
	Credit Hours	15
Semester 6
COMM 3530	Public Relations and Strategic Communication Writing *	3
COMM 3020	Communication Research Methods *	3
Elective		3
Comm Upper Division Elective		4
Elective		3
	Credit Hours	16
Fourth Year
Semester 7
COMM 3520	Public Relations and Strategic Communication Case Studies *	3
Comm Upper Division Elective		3
Elective		3
Elective		3
Elective		3
	Credit Hours	15
Semester 8
COMM 4850	Public Relations and Strategic Communication Campaigns	3
Comm Upper Division Elective		3
Elective		3
Elective		3
Elective		3
	Credit Hours	15
	Total Credit Hours	120

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Students with Foundational Knowledge will have a 1) theoretical, and up-to-date understanding, of current research findings centered on the concepts, constructs, and principles discussed in the fields of strategic communication and public relations. Researcher findings are often collected through diverse methodologies; therefore, students will (2) demonstrate an understanding of the methodologies and instruments used by both researchers and practitioners. These findings are written by a myriad of authors and disseminated through diverse channels, thus students will (3) become familiar with, and judiciously examine, both authoritative and non-credible sources of information in order to become a more information-literate individual. Finally, as Foundational Knowledge is always changing, students will 4) recognize the impermanent nature of knowledge claims in order to initiate and adapt to new approaches of communication.
2. In order to obtain Professional Skills, students will be able to (1) demonstrate competency in oral, written, visual, and nonverbal communication both individually and (2) in a team setting using the acquired skills gained from strategic communication and public relations courses. From these skills, students will be able to (3) create multimedia content designed to achieve specific objectives for organizations, while simultaneously targeting a diverse set of audiences in addition to (4) planning, managing, and executing strategic communication campaigns.
3. The Application of Foundational Knowledge and Professional Skills Learning Outcome incorporates several different points. First, students, by the time of graduation, should be able to use the critical thinking skills obtained from coursework and classroom instruction to analyze and evaluate strategic communication and public relations messages from a theoretical and applied perspective. Further, students should (2) be able to employ basic research skills to gather data, synthesize the findings into a cogent message, and evaluate their importance in relation to campaign objectives. In addition, students, by applying the foundational knowledge and professional skills gained, (3) will be able to adapt their messages, based on previous case studies and research findings, over the course of a strategic communication and public relations campaign.
4. Students with an understanding in Diversity and Cultural Perspectives will have the ability to (1) apply ethical principled learned via class work by (2) demonstrating their competency in critically analyzing ethical problems from multiple and diverse perspectives both individually and in a team-setting. Further, students should have the (3) ability to understand, examine, and acknowledge the situatedness of cultural experiences, conflicting opinions, and viewpoints on issues and ethical dilemmas when interacting with stakeholders. Finally, by graduation, students will be able to (4) reflect upon the interconnectedness of local, national, and global issues.