PUBLIC RELATIONS & STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION, BA (120 credit hours) Updated on 02/20/2015
Name
AU ID
Second major
or minor
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE WRITING AND MATH - Grade of C or better required; Must be taken A-F and NOT P/F
Requirements must be completed within 60 credit hours of course work.
College Writing: 6 credit hours
Math: 3 credit hours
Course
Semester
Grade
Credit hours
Course
Semester
Grade
Credit hours
WRTG-
3
3 or 4
WRTG3
*Transfer students who present 6 credit hours of acceptable composition credit satisfy the College Writing requirement by
passing the Writing Proficiency Exam before completing 30 credits at AU.
UNIVERSITY GENERAL EDUCATION - Grade of C or better required; Must be taken A-F and NOT P/F (check important notes for grade requirements)
Two courses must be taken from each foundational area; a maximum of 2 courses per academic discipline may be taken.
Only four courses may be fulfilled by AP or IB credit; Must be completed during first 60 credit hours of course work.
Course
FA1 Creative Arts
Semester
Grade
Credit hours
Course
Semester
Grade
Credit hours
1.
FA2 Traditions that Shape the Western World
3
2.
3
1.
FA3 Cross Cultural Perspectives
3
2.
3
1.
FA4 Social Institutions and Behavior
3
2.
3
1.
FA5 Natural Sciences (one course must include a lab)
3
2.
3
1.
4
2.
RELATED COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Grade of C or better required; Must be taken A-F and NOT P/F
U.S. History: 3 credit hours
Economics or Marketing: 3 credit hours
Course
Semester
Grade
Credit hours
Course
Semester
Grade
3
Credit hours
HIST3
Choose one from the following:
Choose one from the following:
HIST-130 History of American Popular Culture
ECON-100 Macroeconomics (FA4)
HIST-205 American Encounters: 1492-1865 (FA2)
ECON-110 The Global Majority (FA3)
HIST-206 U.S. History since 1865
ECON-200 Microeconomics (FA4)
HIST-208 African-American History: to 1877
MKTG-250 Marketing and Business for Communications
HIST-209 African-American History: 1877 to Present
HIST-210 Ethnicity in America (FA4)
HIST-215 Social Forces That Shaped America (FA2)
HIST-219 Women in America to 1850
HIST-220 Women in America since 1850 (FA4)
HIST-235 West in Crisis, 1900-1945 (FA2)
HIST-288 Oliver Stone's America
IMPORTANT NOTES
*12 credit hours of communication courses may be transferred in prior to matriculation at AU with advisor approval.
*A cumulative GPA of 2.5 is required to declare a major in SOC and to take all 300 level or above communication courses.
*Only 2 communication courses may be taken abroad with prior approval from your SOC academic advisor.
*A second major or minor outside the School of Communication is required.
3
*A minimum of 72 credit hours of course work outside of COMM is required; 56 credit hours in the liberal arts and sciences are required
*Liberal arts do NOT include: ACCT, EDU, FIN, HFIT, IBUS, ITEC, KSB, MGMT, and MKTG.
*This requirement worksheet should not be considered an official explanation of degree requirements. It should only be used as a guide
to assist in your academic planning. For an official explanation of degree requirements, please review the American University catalog
for your catalog year.
*The courses that appear on the requirement worksheet may not be offered every semester. For a list of courses offered in a particular
semester, please see the Schedule of Classes website.
*For students with catalog year 2014-2015 or later, a C or better is required in general education courses. For students with catalog years
prior to 2014-2015, a D or better is required in general education courses.
PUBLIC RELATIONS & STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION COURSE REQUIREMENTS
48 credit hours in Public Relations and Strategic Communication required.
Grade of C or better required; Must be taken A-F and NOT P/F
CORE COURSES All of the following (9 credit hours)
Course
Title
Prerequisite
Semester Grade Credit hours
COMM-100 (FA4) Understanding Media
3
COMM-200
3
Writing for Communication
COMM-209 (FA4) Communication and Society
PROFESSIONAL COURSES All of the following (12 credit hours)
COMM-209
Public
Relations
(with
grade
B
or
better)
COMM-301
May be taken concurrently
3
COMM-337
Public Relations Writing
COMM-200, COMM-301
3
COMM-346
Public Relations Case Studies
COMM-301
3
COMM-380
Public Communication Research
SENIOR CAPSTONE COURSE (3 credit hours)
Course
Title
COMM-301
3
COMM-437
COMM-337, COMM-346, COMM-380
Public Relations Portfolio
Prerequisite
3
Semester Grade Credit hours
3
ADVANCED SKILLS AND STRATEGIES (9 credit hours)
COMM-
3
COMM-
3
COMM3
Complete 9 credit hours, with no more than 6 credit hours combined from COMM-391 and COMM-491, from the following:
COMM-105 Visual Literacy (FA1)
COMM-300 Interpersonal Communication
COMM-310 Public Speaking
COMM-330 Principles of Photography
COMM-369 Personal Branding and Online Identity
COMM-391 Internship
COMM-408 Social Media Strategies and Tactics
COMM-490 Independent Study Project in Communication
COMM-491 Senior Professional Internship
COMM-521 Opinion Writing
COMM-533 Ethics in Strategic Communication
COMM-542 Media Relations
COMM-543 Speechwriting
COMM-551 Grassroots Digital Advocacy
COMM-573 Visual Strategies in Public Relations
ADVANCED TOPICS AND SPECIALTIES (9 credit hours)
COMM-
3
COMM-
3
COMMComplete 9 credit hours from the following:
3
COMM-327 The PR Presidency
COMM-490 Independent Study Project in Communication
COMM-365 Digital Media and Culture
COMM-509 Politics and the Media
COMM-401 Communication Law
COMM-412 Social Documentary
COMM-415 Children, Youth, and Digital Culture
COMM-537 Sports Communication
COMM-539 International Public Communication
COMM-540 Social Marketing
COMM-439 Political Communication
COMM-564 Documentary Storytelling for Social Change
COMM-441 Crisis Communication
COMM-579 Political Advertising
COMM-481 Entertainment Communication
COMM-580 Strategic Health Communication
COMM-489 Communication, Culture, and the Environment
COMMUNICATION ELECTIVES (6 credit hours)
COMM-
3
COMM-
3
Complete 6 additional credit hours from Advanced Skills and Strategies and Advanced Topics and Specialties course lists above, or from
other approved courses. Student may take no more than 6 credit hours combined of COMM-391 and COMM-491 toward degree requirement.