Earn Your Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations
On Campus
Campus/Online Combo
The Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations degree from Tulane School of Professional Advancement will prepare students to work in a range of industries, from hospitality and communications departments to government sectors and thriving startups. A public relations bachelor's degree is often the first step toward a career in this fast-paced field.
At Tulane, the Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations degree program covers traditional and digital methods of creating a brand and public image for products, services, and people. Public relations (PR) professionals influence, engage, and build relationships between an organization and the public, shaping their attitudes and perception of that organization. Within this degree, students may choose to complete a concentration in Digital Media and Marketing Communication (DMMC). This concentration is ideal for the students looking to advance their knowledge, skill set, and applied understanding of Digital Media strategies, tactics, and best practices.
Pursue Your Career On Your Time
Balancing your personal life, career, and a bachelor’s degree may be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be impossible. With a flexible course schedule that includes evening and online options, you can take the next step in your education on your time. Be in control of your education without putting any areas of your life on hold.
Develop Job-ready Skills for Rewarding Careers
Whether you’re currently working in the public relations field and wish to increase your industry knowledge and expertise or are pursuing the field for the first time, a BA in Public Relations from Tulane School of Professional Advancement can help you take that next step in your career. You’ll develop crucial skills for working in a thriving job market.
Graduates of the Tulane SoPA Public Relations program work in a wide array of industries. Pursue your career as a:
- Public Relations Specialist or Manager
- Marketing Manager
- Advertising Specialist or Manager
- Fundraising and Development Coordinator
- Media Relations Specialist or Manager
After earning the Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations from Tulane School of Professional Advancement, graduates can further their careers by seeking industry certification and other specializations.
Learn From Industry Experts
Our instructors bring extensive experience in working in public relations roles for both private and public sector fields. You’ll have the opportunity to study aspects of strategic communications planning, brand and image reputation management, and more. With small class sizes and collaborative learning opportunities, students can build close relationships with both professors and peers that can lead to success in the classroom and beyond.
Admission Requirements
To apply for the BA in Public Relations program, students must have earned a high school diploma or General Equivalency Diploma prior to the semester in which they would like to enroll. Students are not required to take standardized tests and SoPA has an open admissions policy for all undergraduate study. Transfer students must be in good standing with the most recent prior college attended or have completed any dismissal terms set forth by the previous academic institution.
Degree Requirements
The School of Professional Advancement awards the Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations degree following the successful completion of 120 credits, including 30 credits in the major. Upon successful completion of required prerequisite courses, students will complete an internship in the Public Relations or Media Arts field.
BA Academic Progress Requirements
Undergraduate students are required to maintain the following minimum grade-point average throughout their enrollment dependant on the total number of credit hours completed:
- 1-30 cumulative attempted credit hours completed: 1.75 minimum cumulative GPA
- 31-61 cumulative attempted credit hours completed: 1.85 minimum cumulative GPA
- 62-93 cumulative attempted credit hours completed: 1.95 minimum cumulative GPA
- 94-124 cumulative attempted credit hours completed: 2.00 minimum cumulative GPA
Students will be placed on academic probation upon failure to meet these requirements. The cumulative grade-point average of a student is calculated by dividing the number of quality points a student has earned by the total number of quality hours (including credits with failures). Only the grades of S, U, NR, W, and grades in courses affected by SoPA's Repeated Course policy are excluded from this calculation.
Eligibility for Transfer Credits
If you're interested in transferring to Tulane SoPA, our advisors can work with you to determine which courses will be accepted and help you navigate the process. We accept credits for transfer from all fully accredited institutions. In order to transfer course credit from another school, Tulane SoPA must offer a comparable course, and the student must have achieved a C- or higher. Courses transferred from other institutions are never figured into the grade point average. Your advisor can also help you in the case that your previous school operated on a quarter system instead of semesters. Tulane SoPA accepts a maximum of 60 hours of transfer credits for bachelor’s degrees.
Visit our Student Transfers page to learn more about this process.
Listing of Required Courses
|
Core Competencies |
||
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 1010 | Writing | 4 |
| Select one course: | 3 | |
| Math | ||
| PHIL 1060 | Critical Thinking | |
| PHIL 1210 | Elementary Symbolic Logic | |
| BSMT 3250 | Business Statistics (recommended) | |
| CPST 1070 | Math for Information Technology | |
| Foreign Language or non-Western Culture | 6-8 | |
|
Supporting Requirement |
||
| Oral Communications—Select one course: | 3 | |
| SPEC 1400 | Intro to Public Speaking | |
| SPEC 3110 | Small Group Communications | |
| THEA 2100 | Fundamentals of Acting | |
| BSMT 2250 | Business Communications | |
|
Distribution Requirements (at least two disciplines per category) |
||
| Humanities | 12 | |
| Sciences | 12 | |
| Social Sciences | 12 | |
|
Writing Requirement |
||
| Designated writing course | 3-4 | |
Major Requirements
|
Major Core Courses |
||
|---|---|---|
| PRPA 2050 | Media and the Law | 3 |
| PRPA 2610 | Principles of Public Relations | 3 |
| PRPA 2650 | Public Relations Writing (Pre-requisite: PRPA 2610) | 3 |
| PRPA 3610 | Public Relations Campaigns (Pre-requisite: PRPA 2610) | 3 |
| BSMK 3200 | Intro to Marketing Principles | 3 |
| Select one course: | 3 | |
| PRPA 2010 | Ethical Issues in the Media | |
| BSMT 3380 | Business Ethics | |
|
Traditional Public Relations Concentration |
||
| Select one course: | 3 | |
| PRPA 2100 | Visual Communication | |
| DDSN 1100 | Digital Design Foundations | |
| JOUR 2010 | Journalism and Public Relations | 3 |
| PRPA 3650 | Internet Public Relations (Pre-requisite: PRPA 2610) | 3 |
| Select two courses: | 6 | |
| Any PRPA 2000 level or above | ||
| Any BSBL, BSMK, or BSMT 2000 level or above | ||
| BSLS 4100 | Internship and Professional Development (taken in final semester) | 3 |
|
Digital Media & Marketing Communications Concentration |
||
| PRDM 2900 | Digital Media Strategy & Theory | 3 |
| Select one course: | 3 | |
| PRDM 3010 | Creating Digital Content | |
| CPST 2400 | Web Design & Development | |
| PRDM 3410 | SEO & SEM Strategies | 3 |
| Select two courses: | 6 | |
| Any PRDM 2000 level or above | ||
| Any PRPA 2000 level or above | ||
| Any BSBL, BSMK, or BSMT 2000 level or above | ||
| BSLS 4100 Internship and Professional Development | ||
| PRDM 4100 | Digital Marketing Campaigns (capstone course to be taken during final semester) | 3 |
|
Minor (optional) |
||
| Varies according to minor chosen | ||
|
General Electives |
||
| As needed to total 120 credits | ||
| Total | 120 | |
Tuition & Fees
Summer 2019
Summer 2019 Tuition
- All SoPA Undergraduate: $433/credit
- All SoPA Graduate: $1,000/credit
- Non-SoPA summer courses that are not cross-listed: $1,107/credit
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificates & Professional Certificates: $433/credit
Summer 2019 Fees
- Undergraduate Application Fee: $40
- Graduate Application Fee: $50
- Graduate Credit for Prior Learning Portfolio Fee: $1,000
Fall 2019 & Spring 2020
Fall 2019 & Spring 2020 Tuition
- All SoPA Undergraduate: $474/credit
- All SoPA Graduate: $1,039/credit
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificates & Professional Certificates: $474/credit
Fall 2019 & Spring 2020 Fees
- Undergraduate Application Fee: $40
- Graduate Application Fee: $50
- Academic Support Fee: $60
- Student Activity Fee: $12 per three-credit course ($48 maximum)
- Graduate Credit for Prior Learning Portfolio Fee: $1,000
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