Welcome to PR

WELCOME TO PR AT UNC CHARLOTTE

Welcome to the Public Relations concentration within the Department of Communication Studies.

PR practitioners are storytellers, boundary-spanners, listeners, speakers, and thinkers. We create, manage, and maintain relationships with various publics relevant to an organization. We work at nonprofits, corporations large and small, agencies, and government entities. Especially important to the practice of PR are writing, research, critical thinking, discretion, and an appetite for lifelong learning.

The Public Relations concentration at UNC Charlotte is Certified in Education for Public Relations (CEPR) from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

As you move through the PR concentration, the general advice is to take the three-semester PR sequence as follows:

  1. COMM 2145 Principles of Public Relations as soon as possible. Most student take this introductory course the semester they declare the major. If students haven’t already taken JOUR 2160 Introduction to Journalism, it should be taken at the same time, as it’s a prerequisite to COMM 3245 Public Relations Writing.

  2. COMM 3246 Public Relations Strategy the semester after COMM 2145 Principles of PR. PR Strategy deepens the foundation of the Principles course, allowing students to understand the “how” and the “why” behind many PR decisions.

  3. COMM 4145 Communication Campaigns the semester after completion of both COMM 3245 (see below) and COMM 3246. This capstone course brings together the two previous semesters of study by allowing students to work in teams to design a research-based campaign plan for a real-world client.

COMM 3245 Public Relations Writing can be taken as soon as PR students complete JOUR 2100 Writing Foundations in Communication Studies and JOUR 2160 Introduction to Journalism. PR Writing allows students to learn a variety of PR tactics, such as news releases and media alerts, as well as basic graphic design. Most students take COMM 3245 with COMM 2145 or with COMM 3246.

Note: The required COMM 4410 Professional Internship can be taken as soon as students complete COMM 2145 and JOUR 2160, but can be taken anytime prior to graduation.

There are other courses that make up the PR concentration and more general major requirements, such as electives, micro and macro requirements, and more. Follow your track worksheet and make choices in concert with your Academic Advisor. To find your new Advisor within the Department of Communication Studies, go to Banner and click to load your advising transcript. Then, get to know the new name under “Advisor(s).”

Again, welcome to the Public Relations concentration.