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

Apr 04, 2025

2020-21 Undergraduate Catalog

Journalism and Strategic Media
615-898-2814
Hanna Park, program coordinator
Hanna.Park@mtsu.edu

The public relations program helps students prepare for positions in public relations agencies, public relations and corporate communications departments, governmental public affairs departments, employee relations departments, and non -profit agencies.

Areas covered include strategic communications, media relations, corporate communications, crisis communications, entertainment public relations, healthcare public relations, international public relations, and research methods.

Students in public relations may choose the general program or a specialty in the recording industry.

Academic Map

Following is a printable, suggested four-year schedule of courses:

Journalism, Advertising-Public Relations (PR-General), B.S., Academic Map

Degree Requirements

General Education	41 hours
Major Requirements	47 hours*
Minor	15-18 hours
Electives	14-20 hours
TOTAL	120 hours

*This program requires courses that can also fulfill requirements of the General Education curriculum. If program requirements are also used to fulfill General Education requirements, the number of elective hours will increase.

General Education (41 hours)

General Education requirements (shown in curricular listings below) include courses in Communication, History, Humanities and/or Fine Arts, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social/Behavioral Sciences.

The following course required by the program meets General Education requirements:

EMC 1020 /JOUR 1020 /RIM 1020 (Soc/Beh Sci)

Major Requirements (47 hours)

Choose two:

ADV 4250 - Interactive Advertising and Social Media 3 credit hours
PR 4720 - Crisis Communication in Public Relations 3 credit hours
Approved upper-division professional or conceptual elective 3 credit hours

Senior Capstone (3 hours)

PR 4740 - Public Relations Campaigns 3 credit hours

Minor (15-18 hours)

Selected from outside the School of Journalism and Strategic Media and the Department of Media Arts with advisor approval; students may wish to consider a minor in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business.

Electives (14-20 hours)

Students in the School of Journalism and Strategic Media (SOJSM) must complete 72 hours of approved coursework from outside SOJSM or Department of Media Arts courses. Students must select at least nine hours of liberal arts/social sciences (beyond General Education); at least six hours of liberal arts/social science electives must come from courses at the 3000-level or higher.

Curriculum: Journalism, Advertising-Public Relations (Public Relations-General)

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

Majors must have a C (2.00) or better in all Media and Entertainment 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)
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
JOUR 1020 - American Media and Social Institutions 3 credit hours (Soc/Beh Sci) OR
EMC 1020 - American Media and Social Institutions 3 credit hours (Soc/Beh Sci) OR
RIM 1020 - American Media and Social Institutions 3 credit hours (Soc/Beh Sci)
Mathematics 3 credit hours
Humanities and/or Fine Arts 3 credit hours
Natural Sciences 4 credit hours
Electives 6 credit hours

Subtotal: 31 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)
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
JOUR 2710 - Media Writing 3 credit hours
JOUR 2720 - Digital Media Skills 3 credit hours
JOUR 3090 - Reporting 3 credit hours
PR 2040 - Public Relations Principles 3 credit hours
Natural Sciences 4 credit hours
Minor course 3 credit hours
Social/Behavioral Sciences 3 credit hours
Humanities and/or Fine Arts 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 31 Hours

Junior

JOUR 3660 - Strategic Communication Research 3 credit hours
PR 3360 - Strategic Communication Writing for Public Relations 3 credit hours
PR 3380 - Public Relations Publications 3 credit hours
VCOM 2950 - Visual Communication Applications 3 credit hours
Elective 3 credit hours
Minor courses 12 credit hours
JOUR conceptual requirement 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 30 Hours

Senior

PR 3400 - Case Studies in Public Relations 3 credit hours
PR 4740 - Public Relations Campaigns 3 credit hours
JOUR 4250 - Mass Media Law 3 credit hours
JOUR 4880 - Professional Development 1 credit hour
JOUR 3580 - MC Practicum 1 to 3 credit hours (1 credit hour required) OR
JOUR 4000 - MC Internship 1 to 3 credit hours (1 credit hour required)
Professional Topics requirement 6 credit hours
Electives 8 credit hours
Minor or elective course 3 credit hours

Journalism, Advertising-Public Relations Concentration (Public Relations), B.S.

Academic Map

Degree Requirements

General Education (41 hours)

Major Requirements (47 hours)

School of Journalism and Strategic Media Core (14 hours)

Writing/Design Requirements (9 hours)

Conceptual Requirements (9 hours)

Choose one:

Professional Topics (12 hours)

Choose two:

Senior Capstone (3 hours)

Minor (15-18 hours)

Electives (14-20 hours)

Curriculum: Journalism, Advertising-Public Relations (Public Relations-General)

Freshman

Subtotal: 31 Hours

Sophomore

Subtotal: 31 Hours

Junior

Subtotal: 30 Hours

Senior

Subtotal: 28-31 Hours