THE PUBLIC RELATIONS PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA

The public relations program at UA is located in the Advertising & Public Relations Department (APR), which is one of five units in the College of Communication & Information Sciences. Other units include communication studies, journalism, telecommunication and film, and library and information sciences.

APR is the largest department in the College, and one of the largest in the nation. The 1,000 undergraduate majors in public relations (600) and advertising (400) represent more than half of the students in the College, and the number of majors nearly doubled from 1996-2006.

The program is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. The PR program is one of only about 20 university programs in the nation to be Certified in Education for Public Relations (CERP) by the Public Relations Society of America, the leading professional association. The PRSA Certification Report in 2003 described UA’s PR program as “one of the most successful in the country.”

Undergraduate Studies and Opportunities

The core curriculum for undergraduate majors includes courses in mass communication, communication research, news reporting and editing, strategic writing, visual design, management, and media and campaign planning, among others. The campaigns course requires students to work in project teams with local and regional organizations to help solve real communication issues.

Many students complete practical internships during their studies. All students may join relevant communication associations and groups, including the Public Relations Student Society of America, Public Relations Council of Alabama, and Minorities in Communication, among others.

Graduate Studies

The APR Department offers one- and two-year M.A. programs in integrated communication, in which 20-25 students are enrolled annually. The traditional two-year program focuses more on theory and research and requires completion of a thesis. The intensive one-year program, the first of its kind in the country, is heavily oriented to preparing communication professionals for the work place.

Nearly 100 students have completed the two-year program since its inception in 1974, and about 200 students have completed the one-year program, which began in 1991.

Doctoral students in the College also may focus on public relations, and each year several students complete their doctoral studies in this area. 

Graduates and the Work World

Public relations graduates work as copywriters, account executives, researchers, production specialists, media consultants, management advisors, government affairs specialists, public opinion surveyors, political consultants and lobbyists, speechwriters, and special events and campaign planners, among other diverse communication positions. They work in public relations agencies; with newspapers, magazines, and radio and TV stations; and in the communication and marketing departments of businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations.

Recent graduates have gone to work in a variety of organizations across the country, including: Alabama Power, American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, Charlotte Observer, Children’s Dance Foundation, Country Music Hall of Fame, Department of Defense, Edelman Public Relations, Iowa Grain Company, Ketchum Public Relations, Manning Selvage & Lee Public Relations, Randall Publishing, Salvation Army, Southern Corp., State Farm Insurance, and Time Warner.

Faculty

APR faculty combine the highest academic credentials with teaching excellence and professional experience gained in news media, agency, business, government and non-profit settings. Current faculty have collectively published more than 10 scholarly books and authored hundreds of academic journal articles, book chapters, and professional articles. Faculty members also teach in the doctoral program and direct theses and dissertations.