Public Relations
Program Option
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication (B.A.J.M.C.) with a major in Public Relations
Overview
Public relations professionals work to establish and maintain mutually beneficial relationships between an organization/client and its constituents. They work in a variety of settings: corporate, small business, government, and political campaigns, nonprofit organizations, agencies and PR counseling firms. Drake PR students exercise the research, planning and communication skills they are developing as they work with “real world” clients in each of their PR classes.
The public relations major enrolls about 130 students. Average class size is 20 students.
Accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Drake is among 115 accredited programs worldwide. To earn accreditation, schools meet 9 standards, which address such issues as class size, diversity, student services and curriculum. Accreditation reviews occur every 6 years. Drake’s program has been continuously accredited, most recently in 2011.
Degree Requirements
- Meet all requirements of the Drake Curriculum
- Complete a minimum of 124 total credit hours
- Complete 80 credit hours outside of the SJMC course list; 48 of those hours must be Arts and Science credits
- 40 upper level credits
- Declare an Area of Concentration with SJMC adviser
- Maintain a 2.0 grade point average during the first 30 hours
- Maintain a 2.25 grade point average at Drake after the 30th hour
Students should work with their advisers to ensure selection of courses best-suited to their educational and career objectives. Please see Graduation Requirements and Regulations sections of the catalog for additional information.
Major Requirements
- All Public Relations courses are sequential and must be completed prior to moving along in the curriculum. Some allowances have been made on a case-by-case basis for transfer students and others changing majors.
- Graduating early is a possibility, but students must plan for a year-long capstone beginning in the fall semester.
- Internship experiences may be available for 1-3 credit hours, and they must be pre-approved by a Public Relations faculty member.
- It is possible to study abroad as a Public Relations major, but students may not do so while they are completing their capstone.
Required courses for the major:
| Course | Credits |
| ECON 002 - Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| JMC 030 - Mass Media in a Global Society | 3 |
| JMC 031 - Multimedia Lab | 1 |
| JMC 040 - Pre-Professional Workshop | 1 |
| JMC 041 - Fin Fundamentals for Com. Prof. | 1 |
| JMC 054 - Reporting & Writing Principles | 3 |
| JMC 055 - Digital Strategies | 3 |
| JMC 059 - Introduction to Visual Communication | 3 |
| JMC 085 - Public Relations Principles | 3 |
| JMC 104 - Communication Law and Ethics | 3 |
| JMC 123 - Public Relations Writing | 3 |
| JMC 136 - Public Relations Research | 3 |
| JMC 143 - Public Relations Planning & Management | 3 |
| JMC 144 - Case Studies Analysis | 3 |
| JMC 146 - Public Relations Campaign Strategy | 3 |
| JMC Elective | 3 |
| MKTG 101 - Marketing Principles | 3 |
| MGMT 110 - Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| POLS 001 - American Political System | 3 |
| PSY 001 - Introduction to Psychology (with lab) | 4 |
| SCSS Elective | 3 |
2017-2018 Drake University Undergraduate Catalog
