Public Relations (PURE) - Ferris Course Catalog

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Public Relations PURE

Career Path: Business, Management, Marketing, and Technology

Required Courses		Credit Hours
BUSINESS CORE
ACCT 201	Principles of Accounting 1	3
ACCT 202	Principles of Accounting 2	3
BLAW 301	Legal Environment of Business	3
BUSN 499	Integrating Experience	3
FINC 322	Financial Management 1	3
ISYS 321	Business Information Systems	3
MGMT 301	Applied Management	3
MGMT 370	Quality-Operations Mgmt	3
MKTG 321	Principles of Marketing	3
STQM 260	Introduction to Statistics	3
Major
JRNL 121	Writing for Mass Media	3
JRNL 122	Reporting	3
MKTG 425	Marketing Research	3
PREL 101	Contemporary Public Relations	1
PREL 240	Public Relations Principle	3
PREL 341	Public Relations Tools	3
PREL 342	Public Relations Tactics	3
PREL 401	Public Relations Seminar 1	1
PREL 402	Public Relations Seminar 2	1
PREL 440	Public Relations Cases	3
PREL 455	Public Relations Campaigns	3
PREL 491	Public Relations Internship	3
Related Courses
ADVG 222	Principles of Advertising	3
GRDE 118	Desktop Publishing	3
MGMT 447	Business Ethics-Social Resp	3
*Electives:	(see advisor)	6
GENERAL EDUCATION
Communication Competence
COMM 121	Fundamentals-Public Speaking	3
ENGL 150	English 1	3
ENGL 250	English 2	3
ENGL 325	Advanced Business Writing	3
Scientific Understanding
*	Lab Science Elective	4
*	Science Elective	3-4
Quantitative Skills
MATH 115	Intermediate Algebra	3
*	(If MATH ACT is 24 or higher, substitute a general education elective)
*Cultural Enrichment	(one of the three must be 200-level or above)	9
Social Awareness
ECON 221	Principles of Macroeconomics	3
ECON 222	Principles of Microeconomics	3
GEOG 112	Cultural Geography	3
PSYC 150	Introduction to Psychology	3
SOCY 121	Introductory Sociology	3
Minimum credit hours required for B.S. degree:		124-125

Why Choose Public Relations?

Ferris State’s public relations program is unique among U.S. universities because you will graduate with a bachelor of science in business and a major in Public Relations. You will take nine public relations courses designed to prepare you to work in public relations agencies, businesses, non-profit organizations, social service agencies, medical facilities, educational institutions, government, sports and entertainment operations.

U.S. News & World Report has cited public relations as one of its 20 “hot track professions,” and the U.S. Department of Labor predicts that the need for public relations people will increase much faster than the average for all occupations.

Ferris’s one-of-a-kind major also includes courses in advertising and journalism combined with 14 business courses in marketing, management, economics, computer systems, accounting and finance. This arms you with a great deal of versatility as you enter the job market. The public relations internship provides on-the-job training in addition to the extensive hands-on academic studies. This combination is a strong asset in the job market.

Get a Great Job

Public relations professionals write, create, counsel and persuade as they work in a variety of tasks including employee communication, news media relations, community affairs, political campaigning, fundraising and membership recruitment. They write and edit articles for news media, write speeches for senior executives, develop internet and intranet websites, produce videos and DVDs, and publish newsletters, corporate annual reports and sales brochures. They study people’s opinions, develop strategic plans, participate in decision making and build positive relationships for their organization.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must present evidence of graduation from high school or the GED. To enter a Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.) Program in Business, applicants are expected to meet two of the following: a minimum high school grade point average of 2.50 (on a 4.00 scale); ACT MATH score of 19 or higher; an ACT READING score of 19 or higher.

Graduation Requirements

The Public Relations program at Ferris leads to a bachelor of science degree in business with a major in Public Relations. Graduation requires a minimum 2.0 GPA in core courses, in the major and overall.

More Information

Marketing Department
119 South Street/BUS 212
Big Rapids, MI 49307-2284
Phone: 231-591-2426
Email: MKTG@ferris.edu