Graduate Programs: Public Relations

JMC's Public Relations program is designed to accommodate the needs of students who wish to pursue a management-level career at a public relations firm or at an in-house public relations department.

The Public Relations program offers intense professional training with courses including Values and Ethics management, PR Online Tactics and Media Relations and Publicity. JMC's PR faculty offers a unique blend of scholarly research and real-world experience to give students the best learning environment possible.

Requirements (Download requirements in PDF format)

Required Core Courses (19 hours):

JMC 60000 Introduction to Graduate Studies in JMC - 1 hour

JMC 68000 Public Relations Theory and Process - 3 hours

JMC 50016 Law for Advertising and Public Relations - 3 hours

COMM 65652 Theories of Communication - OR

JMC 60001 Theory of Mass Communication - 3 hours

JMC 60007 Research Methods in Mass Communication - 3 hours

JMC 68001 Public Relations Management - 3 hours

JMC 60396 Master's Professional Project - 3 hours

50 percent of coursework must be at the 60000 level.
50 percent of coursework must have JMC course numbers
A maximum of 4 credit hours from "workshops" is allowed.

Required Professional Courses (9 hours):

JMC 58001 Media Relations and Publicity 3 hours

JMC 58002 Public Relations Tactics - 3 hours

JMC 58003 Public Relations: Online Tactics - 3 hours

JMC 60195 Financial Side of PR

JMC 60195 Values and Ethics Management

Elective Courses (8 hours)*
Choose from courses in JMC, COMM, Business, Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, etc.
See possible PR specializations.

JMC 66092 Internship* - 1 hour

Total Hours Needed 36
*Recommendation from meeting with adviser
**Internship may be waived

Professional Prerequisiste Courses (hours do not count toward degree, but grades do)
JMC 50002 Reporting for Mass Media - 3 hours

Contact Professor Tim Smith, the graduate coordinator, at 330 672-8289 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.