Undergraduate Program

Unlike any other public relations program in the country, we are uniquely situated within the Department of English Language and Literature, and our public relations curriculum is interdisciplinary with the Department of Communication and Theatre Arts. This interdisciplinary strength helps our students develop a solid foundation in writing and a full complement of communication skills. EMU's Public Relations Program has established a reputation for preparing students with a breadth of knowledge of the field and considerable practical experience when they graduate. The overall goals of our program are to help students:

Gain knowledge of public relations and communication theory and concepts, including models of public relations practice, relationship building, societal trends, multicultural and global issues, research, ethical issues, various forms of media and research methods used in electronic media analysis, and public relations planning and management;
Develop skills in research, problem solving, issue and crisis management, writing strategies and message production, public speaking and presentation making, technology and visual literacy (e.g., desktop publishing and online communications), small group and organizational communication;
Use communication scholarship to understand public, organizational, and private communication situations and events; understand the ethical considerations and consequences associated with communication; comprehend and apply various techniques of production, performance, and writing in the realization of effective media texts; and
Increase students' pre-professional experiences through internships, academic service-learning projects, on-campus student groups, and mentoring opportunities.

Students with a 2.8 grade point average are eligible for the public relations program and can apply to EMU online. Public relations students are required to complete a minor that complements their public relations major. Students are encouraged to increase their knowledge of business by minoring in marketing. Other popular minors are psychology and journalism. Our students are also required to complete internships in the field before they graduate, and our major classes require students to work with outside clients on academic-service learning projects. Students should consult the EMU catalogs and an academic advisor for the official word on program requirements. A convenient requirements checklist is also available from the public relations program.

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