Program: Mass Communication, Advertising-Public Relations Concentration (Public Relations), B.S. - Middle Tennessee State University

Apr 04, 2025

2012-13 Undergraduate Catalog

Advertising and public relations are distinct fields; these programs help students prepare for positions in advertising agencies and departments, media sales and management, advertising production and design, public relations agencies and departments, and organizational and employee relations.

Students in public relations may choose the general program or a specialty in the recording industry; both programs require 37-39 credits. By the junior year, students should choose one minor in the liberal arts and sciences and another minor in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business. With permission of the advisor or the director of the School of Journalism, a student may replace the 15 hours in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business with a minor in the basic or applied sciences or a second minor in the liberal arts and sciences.

Admission to Candidacy

To be admitted to candidacy, the student must meet the following requirements:

45 hours completed before applying for candidacy
Grade of C (2.00) or better in each of the following:

EMC 1020 /JOUR 1020 /RIM 1020

JOUR 2710

PR 3040

ENGL 1010 and ENGL 1020

Math course satisfying General Education Mathematics requirement

Minimum overall GPA in all school and university coursework of 2.50.

Required Courses

Foundation Requirements (6 hours)

JOUR 1020 - American Media and Social Institutions 3 credit hours
JOUR 3650 - Free Expression, Mass Media, and the American Public 3 credit hours

Writing/Design Requirements (15 hours)

Professional Topics (3-4 hours)

Choose one:

JOUR 3090 - Reporting 4 credit hours AND
JOUR 3091 - Reporting Lab 0 credit hours
PR 3400 - Case Studies in Public Relations 3 credit hours
VCOM 3910 - Basic Visual Design 3 credit hours

Senior Topics (3 hours)

PR 4740 - Public Relations Campaigns 3 credit hours

Internship/Practicum or Upper-Division Elective (1-3 hours)

Choose one:

JOUR 3580 - MC Practicum 1 to 3 credit hours
JOUR 4000 - MC Internship 1 to 3 credit hours
JOUR upper-division elective 3 credit hours

Total hours in the college: 37-39

Public Relations/Recording Industry Specialty Required Courses

Foundation Requirements (6 hours)

JOUR 1020 - American Media and Social Institutions 3 credit hours
JOUR 3650 - Free Expression, Mass Media, and the American Public 3 credit hours

Writing/Design Requirements (15 hours)

Writing

JOUR 2710 - Media Writing 3 credit hours
PR 3360 - Public Relations Communication 3 credit hours
RIM 3770 - Publicity in the Recording Industry 3 credit hours

Design

VCOM 2010 - Introduction to Visual Communication 3 credit hours

Choose one:

PR 3380 - Public Relations Publications 3 credit hours
VCOM 2950 - Visual Communication Applications 3 credit hours

Conceptual Requirements (9 hours)

PR 3040 - Public Relations Principles 3 credit hours
RIM 3600 - Survey of the Recording Industry 3 credit hours

Choose one:

ADV 3020 - Survey of Advertising 3 credit hours
JOUR 3510 - Media History and American Culture 3 credit hours
JOUR 4210 - Mass Communication and Society 3 credit hours
JOUR 4250 - Mass Media Law 3 credit hours
JOUR 4660 - Mass Media Research 3 credit hours
JOUR 4780 - Media and Markets 3 credit hours
JOUR 4790 - Global News and World Media Cultures 3 credit hours
JOUR 4800 - Seminar in Media Issues 3 credit hours
JOUR 4850 - Ethics and Mass Communication 3 credit hours

Professional Topics (3 hours)

Choose one:

JOUR 3530 - Feature Writing 3 credit hours
JOUR 3450 - Editing 3 credit hours
PR 3400 - Case Studies in Public Relations 3 credit hours
RIM 3720 - Artist Management 3 credit hours
RIM 3890 - International Recording Industry 3 credit hours
RIM 4320 - Concert Promotion and Touring 3 credit hours
RIM 4620 - Marketing of Recordings 3 credit hours
VCOM 3910 - Basic Visual Design 3 credit hours

Senior Topics (3 hours)

PR 4740 - Public Relations Campaigns 3 credit hours

Internship/Practicum or Upper-Division Elective (1-3 hours)

Choose one:

Journalism upper-division elective 3 credit hours
JOUR 3580 - MC Practicum 1 to 3 credit hours
JOUR 4000 - MC Internship 1 to 3 credit hours OR
RIM 4000 - Recording Industry Internship: Business 1 to 6 credit hours

Total hours in the college: 37-39

Recommended Curriculum

Curricular listings include General Education requirements in Communication, History, Humanities and/or Fine Arts, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social/Behavioral Sciences categories.

Freshmen/sophomores should follow this general outline of courses; selection of junior and senior courses should be made in consultation with the advisor. Majors must have a C (2.00) or better in all mass communication courses.

Freshman

ENGL 1010 - Expository Writing 3 credit hours (Comm)
ENGL 1020 - Research and Argumentative Writing 3 credit hours (Comm)
COMM 2200 - Fundamentals of Communication 3 credit hours (Comm)
Natural Sciences (2 prefixes) 8 credit hours
JOUR 1020 - American Media and Social Institutions 3 credit hours
JOUR 2710 - Media Writing 3 credit hours
Humanities and/or Fine Arts (2 prefixes) 6 credit hours

Subtotal: 29 Hours

Sophomore

ENGL 2020 - Themes in Literature and Culture 3 credit hours (Hum/FA) OR
ENGL 2030 - The Experience of Literature 3 credit hours (Hum/FA) OR
HUM 2610 - Foreign Literature in Translation 3 credit hours (Hum/FA)
Social/Behavioral Sciences (2 prefixes) 6 credit hours
Consult advisor for course(s) in major 3 to 6 credit hours
Mathematics 3 credit hours
Minor electives 6 credit hours *
Choose 6 hours from:
HIST 2010 - Survey of United States History I 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2020 - Survey of United States History II 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2030 - Tennessee History 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 27-30 Hours

NOTE:

* All students in the School of Journalism are required to complete two 15-18 hour minors, at least one of which must be in the liberal arts and sciences. Students in any School of Journalism concentration may not minor in any area of the College of Mass Communication. A computer literacy course is required. Students may choose from CSCI 1150, INFS 2200, or INFS 3100. CSCI 1000 will not meet this requirement.

Admission to Candidacy

Required Courses

Foundation Requirements (6 hours)

Writing/Design Requirements (15 hours)

Writing

Choose one:

Design

Choose one:

Conceptual Requirements (9 hours)

Choose two:

Professional Topics (3-4 hours)

Senior Topics (3 hours)

Internship/Practicum or Upper-Division Elective (1-3 hours)

Total hours in the college: 37-39

Public Relations/Recording Industry Specialty Required Courses

Foundation Requirements (6 hours)

Writing/Design Requirements (15 hours)

Writing

Design

Choose one:

Conceptual Requirements (9 hours)

Choose one:

Professional Topics (3 hours)

Senior Topics (3 hours)

Internship/Practicum or Upper-Division Elective (1-3 hours)

Total hours in the college: 37-39

Recommended Curriculum

Freshman

Subtotal: 29 Hours

Sophomore

Subtotal: 27-30 Hours

NOTE:

Junior

Subtotal: 31 Hours

Senior

Subtotal: 30 Hours

Total hours in program: 120