UTexas

Bachelor of Science in Public Relations

This is an archived copy of the 2023-24 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.utexas.edu/.

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To be awarded the degree of Bachelor of Science in Public Relations, the candidate must complete 120 semester hours of coursework and must fulfill the University's General Requirements for graduation and the Core Curriculum requirements, the college graduation requirements, the requirements and policies listed in Academic Policies and Procedures, and the requirements given in Prescribed Work, Major Requirements, and Special Requirements of the Major, below.

A candidate for a degree must have an officially declared major in the Moody College of Communication at the time the degree is awarded.

Core Curriculum

All students must complete the University’s Core Curriculum. In some cases, a course required for the Bachelor of Science in Public Relations may also be counted toward the core curriculum.

Prescribed Work

  1. Six semester hours of coursework focusing on communication foundations: Communication 301E and 302E.
  2. Three courses with a writing flag; one course with a quantitative reasoning flag; one course with a global cultures flag; one course with a cultural diversity in the United States flag; one course with an ethics flag; and one course with an independent inquiry flag. The same course cannot be used to satisfy the global cultures and cultural diversity flags even if the course carries both flags. Courses that fulfill flag requirements are identified in the Course Schedule. They may also be used to fulfill other degree requirements.
  3. Students must satisfy a language and culture requirement in one of the following ways: (a) Demonstrating intermediate proficiency in a single language other than English; (b) Demonstrating beginning-level proficiency in a language other than English and taking one approved culture course in a culture that is relevant to the language. A list of approved culture and language courses and combinations is posted on the Student Advising website. An extensive language testing program is available at the University. Students with knowledge of a language other than English are encouraged to take appropriate tests both to earn as much credit as possible and to be placed at the proper level for further study. Students should consult with an academic advisor for information on testing.
  4. Twelve hours of coursework in business, including Marketing 320F (337 for students pursuing an additional major in business). At least six of the 12 hours must be upper-division. 
  5. Journalism 317.
  6. At least 36, but no more than 42, semester hours of advertising and public relations, as described in Major Requirements, below.
  7. Enough additional coursework to make a total of 120 semester hours.

Major Requirements

At least 36, but no more than 42, semester hours of coursework, of which at least 24 hours must be upper-division. The following courses are required: Advertising 318J, 344K, 345J, Public Relations 305, 309, 348, 350 or 650, 352, 353, 367, 377K, and three additional hours of non-internship advertising and/or public relations coursework.

Special Requirements of the Major

The student must complete Advertising 318J, Public Relations 309, 367, and 377K in residence.

To enroll in most upper-division courses in the Stan Richards School, a student must have completed Advertising 318J with a grade of at least B. Students may enroll in Advertising 318J no more than twice.

A student may not earn both the Bachelor of Science in Advertising and the Bachelor of Science in Public Relations.

The Consent Procedure

Some courses in the Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations require consent of the instructor prior to registering. To be able to register for such a course, a student must first ask for and receive the instructor’s consent. The student may be invited to an interview with the instructor or may be asked to provide supporting materials, such as an application or an essay. The student is responsible for knowing the deadline to apply. Consent forms are available from the student’s advisor and in the Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations.

Some students may wish to apply to a competitive elective sequence; these sequences require consent to enroll.

Courses

Because prerequisites are subject to change, students should consult the Course Schedule before registering.

Order and Choice of Work

First Year Fall

  1. Communication 301E
  2. Science and Technology, Part 1 Core
  3. Rhetoric and Writing 306
  4. Public Relations 305
  5. Undergraduate Studies 302 or 303

First Year Spring

  1. Advertising 318J
  2. US History Core
  3. Public Relations 309 (This course may also be used to satisfy the Core Curriculum math requirement)
  4. Visual and Performing Arts Core
  5. Science and Technology, Part 1 Core

Second Year Fall

  1. Communication 302E
  2. Journalism 317
  3. US/TX Government Core
  4. 6 hours of language other than English

Second Year Spring

  1. Public Relations 353
  2. Business course
  3. US/TX Government Core
  4. 6 hours of language other than English

Third Year Fall

  1. Advertising 344K
  2. Public Relations 348
  3. Business course
  4. Language/Culture
  5. Elective

Third Year Spring

  1. Marketing 320F
  2. Advertising 345J
  3. Advertising or Public Relations course
  4. Social and Behavioral Science Core
  5. US History Core

Fourth Year Fall

  1. Public Relations 352
  2. Public Relations 367
  3. Public Relations 350
  4. English 316L, 316M, 316N, or 316P
  5. Upper-division elective

Fourth Year Spring

  1. Public Relations 377K
  2. Upper-division Business course
  3. Science and Technology, Part 1 or Part 2 Core
  4. Non-Advertising/Public Relations elective
  5. Upper-division non-Advertising/Public Relations elective