Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations

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Majoring in communication means studying the creation, dissemination, and reception of messages that matter. The field of communication is constantly transforming, and our concentrations allow you to graduate with the knowledge, skills, and connections to land you an immediate job or a spot in a top graduate program.

Your online bachelor's degree in communication involves taking at least 124 credit hours total, including 42 in the Communication department and 19 elective hours.

Public Relations Concentration:

The Public Relations concentration broadly explores the strategic process of communication through various channels to establish and maintain relationships with an organization’s many audiences. The program incorporates scholarship with practical application that aids your development of skills in critical thinking, research, strategic planning, goal making, problem-solving and effective written and oral communication. Students interested in media planning, crisis and reputation management, social media coordination, sports communication, entertainment, government relations and leadership would be well-suited to this degree.

Our students have interned with MSU Athletics, Walt Disney World, Coca Cola, the U.S. Congress, local news stations and community-based organizations.

Your online bachelor's degree in communication involves taking at least 124 credit hours total, including 42 in the Communication department and 19 elective hours.

Program Structure

To graduate with the Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations ::
- Complete a minimum of 124 hours
  - 63 hours of university and college core courses
  - +6 hours required Communication core courses
  - +36 hours of required Public Relations or Communication & Media Studies courses (courses taken in prerequisite order)
  - +19 hours General Electives
- Up to 62 hours may be transferred from an accredited community college
Students must have a GPA of 2.00 on all college work prior to entering the major
A grade of C or better is required for all Communication courses to count toward the degree

Core Curriculum

All students who enter MSU must meet the common core curriculum requirements as set by the Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning of the State of Mississippi to qualify for any bachelor's degree.

English Composition (6 hours)
Mathematics (6 hours)
Foreign Language (3 hours) (up to the third semester of a language, unless you test out of this requirement)
Fine Arts (3 hours)
Oral Communication (3 hours)
Natural Sciences (9 hours)

Humanities (18 hours)
Social and Behavioral Sciences (15 hours): No more than 6 hours from one discipline (CO & EC only 3 hours allowed)

New Admissions

If you have never attended Mississippi State University, please complete the online Undergraduate Admissions Application.

You will choose Communication (BA) as your major and Online Education as your campus.
Request that official ACT or SAT scores be sent to MSU.
Request that your high school send your official transcript. Faxed transcripts will not be accepted.
Submit a separate official final transcript from each college or university attended; faxed transcripts will not be accepted. An applicant may not ignore previous college attendance and must list all colleges attended on the application for admission. You must be in good standing at the last college or university attended. A 2.0 GPA is required for admission to the program.
If you are able to submit official transcripts and other documentation electronically, you may send them to admit@msstate.edu.
If you are unable to submit official transcripts and other documentation electronically, you may send them via U.S. Postal Service to:
Office of Admissions & Scholarships
P.O. Box 6334
Mississippi State, MS 39762
All new admits will pay a non-refundable application fee online.

Readmission

If you have previously attended MSU, you will need to apply for Readmission.

Once you are readmitted, if you are not a former Communication BA student, please contact your advisor so he or she may change your major and campus as well as advise you for the upcoming semester.
Submit a separate official final transcript from each college or university attended; faxed transcripts will not be accepted. An applicant may not ignore previous college attendance and must list all colleges attended on the application for admission. You must be in good standing at the last college or university attended. A 2.0 GPA is required for admission to the program.
If you are unable to submit official transcripts and other documentation electronically, you may send them via U.S. Postal Service to:
Office of Admissions & Scholarships
P.O. Box 6334
Mississippi State, MS 39762

There is no fee for readmission applications.

Transfer Credit

Students may transfer to Mississippi State University from regionally accredited community, junior, or senior colleges for any period of enrollment, provided they have earned a 2.0 GPA (as computed by Mississippi State University) on all college courses attempted as well as earned a 2.0 GPA on the 30-hours of core courses. Applicants must list all colleges attended on the application for admission, must be in good standing with the last college or university attended, and must meet one of the following:

Complete the 30-hours of core courses listed below with a 2.0 GPA on those courses and earn an overall 2.0 GPA (as computed by Mississippi State University) on all hours attempted.
- English Composition – 6 semester hours
- College Algebra, Quantitative Reasoning, or a higher level math – 3 semester hours
- Natural Science – 6 semester hours
- Humanities and Fine Arts – 9 semester hours
- Social or Behavioral Sciences – 6 semester hours
Earn an A.A. degree (associate in art) or a higher degree from a regionally accredited community, junior, or senior college with a 2.0 GPA (as computed by Mississippi State University).
Meet the requirements for entering freshmen and earn an overall 2.0 GPA (as computed by Mississippi State University) on all hours attempted.

Notes on Transfer Credit:

Students may transfer up to 62 hours from an accredited community college
You may not transfer any credits from a community college after you have a total of 62 credits accepted by and/or earned at MSU
Last 32 hours must be from MSU
Upon admission to the university, the Registrar's Office will evaluate transfer credit to determine how it transfers to MSU

Courses

All Communication students must take:

CO 1003 Fundamentals of Public Speaking OR 1013 Intro to Communication
CO 1223 Introduction to Communication Theory
CO 1403 Introduction to Mass Media
CO 1503 Introduction to Theatre *See your advisor if another Fine Art was taken before becoming a CO major

CO 1013 Intro to Communication: 3 hours.
Three hours lecture. To sharpen the student's awareness and to facilitate growth in the human interaction process across a variety of communication situations. Students may not receive credit for both CO 1003 and CO 1013.

CO 1223 Introduction to Communication Theory: 3 hours.
Three hours lecture. A comprehensive introduction to the bases of contemporary communication theory

CO 1403 Introduction to the Mass Media: 3 hours.
Three hours lecture. How American media are organized to collect and distribute news, editorial, entertainment material, and other forms of public information

Public Relations Concentration Courses:

CO 2413 Introduction to News Writing and Reporting: 3 hours.
(Prerequisites: EN 1113 or EN 1173 with a C or better; Passage of the departmental GSP exam). Two hours lecture and two hours lab. Practice in writing and reporting news stories

CO 3803 Principles of Public Relations: 3 hours.
Three hours lecture. The role and origin of public relations in society, the identification and influence of publics, and applications of public relations principles to campaigns and organizations

CO 3813 Public Relations Case Problems: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in CO 3803). Three hours lecture. The written analysis, presentation, and group discussion of specific and hypothetical cases using public relations theory as a base

CO 3853 Public Relations Writing: 3 hours.
(Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in CO 2413 and CO 3803). Three hours lecture. Practice of written communication for public relations. Emphasis on research, establishing communication goals, and writing for internal and external audiences via multiple channels

CO 3863 Public Relations Production: 3 hours.
(Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in CO 2413 and grade of C or better in CO 3853). Two hours lecture. Two hours laboratory. Detailed exercise in design and production of public relations materials for print, broadcast, and computer-based media

CO 3873 Public Relations Multimedia: 3 hours.
(Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in CO 2413 AND grade of C or better in CO 3803). Two hours lecture. Two hours laboratory. Detailed exercise in the use and influence of multimedia platforms and the expanded ability to hone skills in new media practices in public relations.

CO 4253 Elements of Persuasion: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: CO 1223). Three hours lecture. A study of the motivation of audiences and techniques of persuasive campaigns and communications

CO 4313 Mass Media Law: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Junior standing). Three hours lecture. Study and analysis of laws and regulations significantly affecting newspapers, magazines, motion pictures, broadcasting and digital media in America

CO 4323 Mass Media and Society: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Junior standing). Three hours lecture. The effects of mass communication on social and cultural institutions

CO 4803 Research in Public Relations and Advertising: 3 hours.
(Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in CO 3853, or Grade of C or better in MKT 4413, or consent of the instructor, or graduate standing). Three hours lecture. Theory and practice of research methods in public relations

CO 4813 Public Relations in Organizations: 3 hours.
(Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in CO 3813 and CO 3863). Three hours lecture. Studies in using various communication techniques for image building and campaign development for profit and non-profit organizations

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Academic Advising

After gaining admission to the university, you must contact one of your advisors to determine the courses that are most appropriate for you to take. Approximately two months prior to the upcoming semester, your advisor will send an email to your MSU email account, making course recommendations based on your program of study.

Mississippi State University uses email as its official means of communication with all MSU students. Please check your MSU email account (NetID@msstate.edu) daily. Information on setting up your MSU email can be found at the link for student services.

Kelli Anthony

Department of Communication

Public Relations Online Academic Advisor

kanthony@comm.msstate.edu 662-325-3329

Program Reminders

Students must have a GPA of 2.00 on all college work prior to entering the major
You must take the required Communication/Public Relations courses in the required order. Some courses have prerequisites, and these prerequisites must be completed before you can take certain courses.
If you take courses, not on your recommended program of study, it is likely the classes will not count toward your BA degree.
You must earn a grade of C or better in all Communication classes.
In order to graduate from MSU, you must have an MSU and Overall GPA of 2.0.

All programs of study are subject to review by the Registrar's Office for graduation, even from a signed program of study. Courses that do not equal MSU courses exactly may or may not apply to your program as core courses. You can see these course translations through the CAPP report found at my.msstate.edu. To access the report, log into your myState account and click on the "hamburger" icon in the top left corner in order to access the Banner tab; click or hover over the myBanner for Students tab in order to view the Academic Records column where you can click on the CAPP Compliances link.