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For more information on minors in the School of Communication, please visit the School of Communication website.
Public Relations, Minor
Students looking to improve their resume by demonstrating strong professional communication skills should consider a public relations minor. A public relations minor partners nicely with virtually any field of study. Students completing this minor will learn strategies and tactics used in building productive relationships with stakeholders in a wide variety of situations.
Students completing the public relations minor will develop strong written and oral language skills. They will produce a variety of communication material and summarize the variety of communication strategies used in professional situations today. This will include digital as well as traditional communication tools.
Students will produce communication material, and develop critical thinking skills essential for planning and implementing communication strategies appropriate for a variety of situations.
Requirements Accordion Open
University Requirements
A minor is earned in conjunction with a bachelor's degree.
To receive a minor (18 to 24 units) at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses from one or more subject matter areas with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0. At least 12 units of the minor must be unique to that minor and not applied to any other minor.
Overview Accordion Closed
Overview
In addition to University Requirements:
- Complete individual plan requirements.
Please note that students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.
No more than 50% of the units used to satisfy minor requirements may be used to satisfy major requirements.
| Minimum Units for Completion | 18 |
| Major GPA | 2.5 |
| Fieldwork Experience/Internship | Optional |
Purpose Statement
Public Relations focuses on the use of earned and owned media for the development and maintenance of ongoing relationships with important publics. Recognizing the importance of communicating the values of an organization to important publics, students completing this minor will apply important concepts and skills in public relations to their major field of interest. Students will produce communication material, and develop critical thinking skills such as web analytics and market analysis that are essential for developing and implementing communication strategies. These strategies could be applied in political campaigns, crisis communication, community relations, marketing communication. Students learn techniques for digital media communication, news-media relations, and community relations demanded by industry while also recognizing the social and cultural implications their work has on broader society.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Students pursuing a minor in Public Relations will focus on the use of earned and owned media for the development and maintenance of relationships between organizations and the publics that can affect their success. They will develop conceptual, practical and analytical skills relevant to public relations.
- In the conceptual sphere, students will identify strategies for developing and maintaining productive relationships with target publics through the use of owned and earned media.
- In the practical sphere, students will apply writing skills that apply to industry standards to various media channels. Students will master software used to create and deliver messages over various media channels.
- In the analytical sphere students will implement quantitative and qualitative research methods in the formulation and evaluation of ongoing communication efforts.
Details Accordion Closed
Details
Minor Requirements
Take the following 18 units, with a Grade of "C" or better in each course and a minimum GPA of 2.5:
This minor is not available to students pursuing a Strategic Communication BS; Public Relations Emphasis.
Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also take. For prerequisite information click on the course or see your advisor.
