Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies: Public Relations Option

About

The Public Relations option exposes you to foundational courses in Public Speaking, Mass Media, and Research Methods. You’ll then take courses in Public Relations Theory, Media Writing, and Public Relations Writing.

Offered both online and in-person, this degree prepares you to go into fields such as web publishing, journalism, and public relations.

Curriculum & Requirements

Academic Planning Form (PDF)

STAR Exercise Curriculum Map

What You'll Learn

The following information comes from the official EWU catalog, which outlines all degree requirements and serves as the guide to earning a degree. Courses are designed to provide a well-rounded and versatile degree, covering a wide range of subject areas.

Communication in Public Relations Option 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.

Note:

  • CMST 200 cannot be taken for credit towards the Communication Studies Majors;
  • students are required to take an introductory PR writing course before starting the core PR sequence. Students should take JRNM 209, JRNM 332, or CMST 319 before enrolling in CMST 461. After successfully completing CMST 461, students should take CMST 462 and CMST 465.
  • 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 201PUBLIC SPEAKING5
CMST 208MASS MEDIA AND THE INFORMATION SOCIETY5
CMST 309COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION5
CMST 330INTEGRATED METHODS FOR COMMUNICATION RESEARCH5
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.
Note: the following courses cannot count in this section: CMST 480, CMST 481 or CMST 495, CMST 499.
C. Public Relations Option Requirements
CMST 461INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC RELATIONS THEORY5
CMST 462ADVANCED PUBLIC RELATIONS THEORY5
CMST 465PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING5
JRNM 209MEDIA WRITING5
or JRNM 332 NEWS WRITING
or CMST 319 INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING
D. Public Relations Specialty–choose 4-6 credits of the following4-6
Note: any course used in Section D cannot count in Section B or C.
TOPICS IN PUBLIC RELATIONS
EVENT PLANNING AND LOGISTICS
CONFERENCE MANAGEMENT
FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND PLANNING
TOPICS IN PUBLIC RELATIONS
ENTERTAINMENT PUBLIC RELATIONS
PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGNS
PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING
PUBLIC RELATIONS IN BUSINESS AND FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP
SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING
E. Design/Technology–choose one of the following4-5
* These courses are face-to-face only.
DRAWING FOR COMMUNICATION (*)
DIGITAL FOUNDATIONS
USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN 1
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY (requires advisor consultation*)
ZINE AND PUBLICATION DESIGN (*)
WEB DESIGN 1
DIGITAL VIDEO (requires advisor consultation*)
F. The STAR Component (STudy/Act/Reflect)–please see STAR Component Coordinator, Dr. Shields 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.
This requirement can be satisfied by: • A CMST or required JRNM class that has a built-in engagement component; • An internship; • Employment or volunteer activities.
Senior Capstone Requirement
CMST 490SENIOR CAPSTONE5
Total Credits68-71

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 may be offered in different terms and not all courses are offered every term, checking the academic schedule is paramount in keeping an individual plan current. There may be some courses that have required prerequisites not listed in the plan, review the course descriptions for information. 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 QuarterCreditsWinter QuarterCreditsSpring QuarterCredits
CMST 2015CMST 208 (Social Science BACR 1)5MATH 1075
ENGL 1015ENGL 2015Humanities & Arts BACR 215
Humanities & Arts BACR 115Natural Science BACR 115Social Science BACR 215
 15 15 15
Second Year
Fall QuarterCreditsWinter QuarterCreditsSpring QuarterCredits
CMST 3095CMST 330 or CSBS 3205JRNM 209, 332, or CMST 3195
Diversity - graduation requirement15Communication in PR Section B Elective25Communication in PR Section B Elective25
Natural Science BACR 215Global Studies - graduation requirement15Communication in PR Section B Elective25
 15 15 15
Third Year
Fall QuarterCreditsWinter QuarterCreditsSpring QuarterCredits
CMST 4615CMST 4625CMST 4655
Communication in PR Section D Elective35Communication in PR Section E Elective45Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5
Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5
 15 15 15
Fourth Year
Fall QuarterCreditsWinter QuarterCreditsSpring QuarterCredits
Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5CMST 490 (Senior Capstone - graduation requirement)5
Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5
Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5
 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 classes 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.

4

Section E–Design/Technology–choose one from the approved list. 

University Competencies and Proficiencies

English 
Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning
Placement and Clearance 
Prior Learning/Sources of Credit AP, CLEP, IB


General Education Requirements (GER)

  • Minimum Credits—180 cumulative credit hours 
    • 60 upper-division credits (300 level or above)
    • 45 credits in residence (attendance) at Eastern, with at least 15 upper-division credits in major in residence at Eastern
  • Minimum Cumulative GPA ≥2.0

Breadth Area Core Requirements (BACR)

Humanities and Arts 
Natural Sciences 
Social Sciences


University Graduation Requirements (UGR)

Diversity Course List
World Language (for Bachelor of Arts)
Global Studies Course List
Minor or Certificate
Senior Capstone Course List


Application for Graduation (use EagleNET) must be made at least two terms in advance of the term you expect to graduate (undergraduate and post-baccalaureate).

Use the Catalog Archives to determine two important catalog years.
Requirements in Degree Works are based on these two catalog years:

  1. The catalog in effect at the student's first term of current matriculation is used to determine BACR (Breadth Area Credit Requirements) and UGR (Undergraduate Graduation Requirements).
  2. 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 in Public Relations at EWU should be able to:

  • craft compelling written messages;
  • deliver an effective public speech;
  • demonstrate the ability to design or conduct sound communication research;
  • develop a campaign plan that effectively applies public relations strategies;
  • use communication theories to critically analyze the characteristics of mediated messages.

Sample Courses

JRNM 209. MEDIA WRITING. 5 Credits.

Notes: students must complete this course with a grade ≥B to enroll in JRNM 332.
Pre-requisites: ENGL 201.
This course provides an introduction to the writing skills needed in journalism and public relations for print and digital platforms.

Catalog Listing

CMST 241. EVENT PLANNING AND LOGISTICS. 3 Credits.

Students learn about the varying aspects of professional event planners, what it takes to be a successful event planner, as well as the processes used to design, plan and execute a variety of different events. This class provides instruction on the basic structure of event planning, design, marketing, execution and evaluation, as well as basic business and employment skills necessary to be successful in the event industry.

Catalog Listing

DESN 360. ZINE AND PUBLICATION DESIGN. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: ENGL 201.
This course facilitates development of personal style and voice, as students design, edit, and create their own “zines” (reproducible hand-made booklets). Students practice graphic layout, typography, and professional book assembly. Analog production methods and desktop publishing software will be used. Student-made zines will be sold at “Spokane Zine Fest” and other in-person and digital outlets.

Catalog Listing

CMST 482. GENDER, COMMUNICATION AND POLITICS. 5 Credits.

Cross-listed: GWSS 482.
Notes: may be stacked with CMST 582.
Pre-requisites: junior standing.
This seminar examines communication, sexuality, and gender dynamics at work in several domains of the American political system, including the mass public, electoral politics, the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, parties and social movements and the policy-making process. We also examine global trends for political participation. We analyze differences in conceptualizing politics and engaging in public discourse.

Catalog Listing