Communication Studies - Public Relations Major, Bachelor of Arts (BA)
A degree in Communication Studies-Public Relations guides students to become culturally competent communicators in a multicultural world and has produced graduates that are helping the public in a variety of occupations from public health, to education, to nonprofit communications. With the rise in misinformation and disinformation, courses in communication studies and public relations guides students to become more aware and informed citizens.
With the advent of the digital revolution organizations are interfacing with the public now more than ever. The exciting field of public relations offers students the opportunity to help companies, organizations and celebrities promote their brands and communicate with their customers, employees and fans. As a Public Relations major, students have the opportunity to learn how to develop social media and traditional media campaigns, work with the media, write speeches and manage many forms of an organization, or client’s communications.
Offered both online and in-person, students graduating with a degree in Communication Studies-Public Relations are in high demand and the curriculum in this major prepares students for successful careers in social media, corporate communications, entertainment PR, public affairs, health communications, internal communications, marketing, advertising, law, teaching and more.
There are two options to declare this program:
In-Person: most of the classes will be in person, with some occasional online classes.
Online: all of the classes will be online. Note that the online option operates using a different tuition model.
Major Requirements:
- CMST 200 cannot be taken for credit towards the Communication Studies Majors.
- After successfully completing CMST 461, students should take CMST 462 and CMST 465.
- While internships are not required, they are strongly encouraged. Internships provide valuable applied industry experience, networking opportunities, and knowledge of workplace culture.
World Language Requirement: Two years of a single high school world language or one year of a single college-level world language is required.
Grade Requirements: A minimum cumulative GPA ≥2.0 by graduation.
| A. Required Communication Foundation Credits | ||
| CMST 201 | PUBLIC SPEAKING | 5 |
| CMST 208 | MASS MEDIA AND THE INFORMATION SOCIETY | 5 |
| CMST 309 | COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION | 5 |
| CMST 330 | INTEGRATED METHODS FOR COMMUNICATION RESEARCH | 5 |
| or CSBS 320 | STATISTICS FOR THE SOCIAL SCIENCES | |
| B. Required Upper Division Core Credits—choose three 5-credit 400-level CMST courses. | 15 | |
Note: any course used in Section B cannot count in Section D. | ||
| C. Public Relations Option Requirements | ||
| CMST 461 | INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC RELATIONS THEORY | 5 |
| CMST 462 | ADVANCED PUBLIC RELATIONS THEORY | 5 |
| CMST 465 | PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING | 5 |
| D. Public Relations Specialty–choose 4-6 credits of the following | 4-6 | |
Note: any course used in Section D cannot count in Section B or C. | ||
| TOPICS IN PUBLIC RELATIONS | ||
| EVENT PLANNING AND LOGISTICS | ||
| FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIAL MEDIA | ||
| SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND PLANNING | ||
| TOPICS IN PUBLIC RELATIONS | ||
| ENTERTAINMENT PUBLIC RELATIONS | ||
| PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGNS | ||
| PUBLIC RELATIONS IN BUSINESS AND FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP | ||
| SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING | ||
| E. Experiential–choose between 5-10 credits of the following | 5-10 | |
| FIELD WORK | ||
| PRE-INTERNSHIP WORKSHOP | ||
| INTERNSHIP/PRACTICUM and INTERNSHIP WORKSHOP | ||
| SPECIAL STUDIES | ||
| DRAWING FOR COMMUNICATION (*) | ||
| DIGITAL FOUNDATIONS | ||
| USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN 1 | ||
| DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY (requires advisor consultation*) | ||
| ZINE AND PUBLICATION DESIGN (*) | ||
| WEB DESIGN + CODE 1 | ||
| DIGITAL VIDEO (requires advisor consultation*) | ||
* These courses are face-to-face only. | ||
| F. The STAR Component (STudy/Act/Reflect)–contact the STAR Component Coordinator for any additional information. | ||
Note: A minimum of 15 credits of CMST Coursework at EWU must be taken before beginning the STAR component. Written and oral reports on the STAR experience must be completed successfully. | ||
| Senior Capstone Requirement | ||
| CMST 490 | SENIOR CAPSTONE | 5 |
| Total Credits | 64-71 | |
Plan of Study
The following plan of study is for a student with zero credits. Individual students may have different factors such as: credit through transfer work, Advanced Placement, Running Start, or any other type of college-level coursework that requires an individual plan.
Courses could be offered in different terms, checking the academic schedule is paramount in keeping an individual plan current. Students should connect with an advisor to ensure they are on track to graduate.
All Undergraduate students are required to meet the Undergraduate Degree Requirements.
This major requires the completion of the World Language requirement. Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree must complete two years of a single language in high school or one year of a single language in college.
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Quarter | Credits | Winter Quarter | Credits | Spring Quarter | Credits |
| CMST 201 | 5 | CMST 208 (Social Science BACR 1) | 5 | MATH 107 | 5 |
| ENGL 101 | 5 | ENGL 201 | 5 | Humanities & Arts BACR 21 | 5 |
| Humanities & Arts BACR 11 | 5 | Natural Science BACR 11 | 5 | Social Science BACR 21 | 5 |
| 15 | 15 | 15 | |||
| Second Year | |||||
| Fall Quarter | Credits | Winter Quarter | Credits | Spring Quarter | Credits |
| CMST 309 | 5 | CMST 330 or CSBS 320 | 5 | Communication in PR Section B Elective2 | 5 |
| Diversity - graduation requirement1 | 5 | Communication in PR Section B Elective2 | 5 | Elective - minor or general elective | 5 |
| Natural Science BACR 21 | 5 | Global Studies - graduation requirement1 | 5 | Communication in PR Section B Elective2 | 5 |
| 15 | 15 | 15 | |||
| Third Year | |||||
| Fall Quarter | Credits | Winter Quarter | Credits | Spring Quarter | Credits |
| CMST 461 | 5 | CMST 462 | 5 | CMST 465 | 5 |
| Communication in PR Section D Elective3 | 5 | Communication in PR Section E Elective4 | 5 | Elective - minor or general elective | 5 |
| Elective - minor or general elective | 5 | Elective - minor or general elective | 5 | Elective - minor or general elective | 5 |
| 15 | 15 | 15 | |||
| Fourth Year | |||||
| Fall Quarter | Credits | Winter Quarter | Credits | Spring Quarter | Credits |
| Elective - minor or general elective | 5 | Elective - minor or general elective | 5 | CMST 490 (Senior Capstone - graduation requirement) | 5 |
| Elective - minor or general elective | 5 | Elective - minor or general elective | 5 | CMST 495 (Communication in PR Section E Elective)4 | 5 |
| Elective - minor or general elective | 5 | Elective - minor or general elective | 5 | Elective - minor or general elective | 5 |
| 15 | 15 | 15 | |||
| Total Credits 180 | |||||
- 1
University Graduation Requirements (UGR) and Breadth Area Course Requirements (BACR) courses may be less than 5 credits and additional credits may be required to reach the required 180 total credits needed to graduate. Students should connect with an advisor to ensure they are on track to graduate.
- 2
Section B–Required Upper Division Core Credits–choose three 5-credit 400-level CMST courses. The following courses cannot count in this section (B): CMST 480, CMST 481 or CMST 495, CMST 499. Any course used in Section B cannot count in Section D.
- 3
Section D–Public Relations Specialty–choose 4-6 credits from the approved list. Any course used in Section D cannot count in Section B or C. Students should consult with their advisor to discuss additional course options.
- 4
Section E–Experiential–choose 5-10 credits from the approved list.
General Education Requirements (GER)
- Minimum Quarter Credits—180 cumulative credit hours
- 60 upper-division credits (300 level or above)
- 45 credits in residence (attendance) at EWU, with at least 15 upper-division credits in major in residence at EWU
- Minimum Semester Credits—120 cumulative credit hours
- 40 upper-division credits (300 level or above)
- 30 credits in residence (attendance) at EWU, with at least 10 upper-division credits in major in residence at EWU
- Minimum Cumulative GPA ≥2.0
University Competencies and Proficiencies
Writing
Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning
Placement and Clearance
Prior Learning/Sources of Credit AP, CLEP, IB
Breadth Area Core Requirements (BACR)
Humanities and Arts
Natural Sciences
Social Sciences
University Graduation Requirements (UGR)
Diversity Course List
Global Studies Course List
Minor or Certificate
Senior Capstone Course List
World Language (for Bachelor of Arts)
Application for Graduation (use EagleNET) must be made at least two terms in advance of the term expected to graduate (undergraduate and post-baccalaureate).
Use the Catalog Archives to determine two important catalog years.
- The catalog in effect at the student's first term of current matriculation is used to determine BACR (Breadth Area Core Requirements) and UGR (Undergraduate Graduation Requirements).
- The catalog in effect at the time the student declares a major or minor is used to determine the program requirements.
Students who earn a BA in Communications Studies - Public Relations at EWU should be able to:
- craft compelling written messages;
- deliver an effective public speech;
- apply ethical communication principles to message composition or analysis;
- demonstrate the ability to design or conduct sound communication research;
- use communication theories to critically analyze the characteristics of mediated messages;
- develop a campaign plan that effectively applies public relations strategies.