Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Major in Public Relations

Minimum required: 120 semester credit hours

Admission Requirements

  1. Any student admitted to Texas State University with an overall GPA of at least a 2.25 and a “C” or higher in MC 1301 will automatically be admitted to their selected major in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.   If a student does not meet these requirements upon admission, they will be temporarily classified as a pre-major in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. As soon as the student meets any missing requirements, they will be admitted to their selected major in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

General Requirements

  1. The general education core curriculum courses are listed in the degree plan below along with the statewide component code number. See the General Education Core Curriculum section of this catalog for the Texas State requirements and options in the core curriculum, including Honors courses.

  2. All students seeking B.S. or B.A. degrees within the School of Journalism and Mass Communication must complete ENG 1310, ENG 1320 and COMM 1310 or their equivalent courses to meet degree requirements. Most students will meet these requirements through their general education core curriculum.
  3. In addition to the general education core curriculum, this major requires three hours of English literature, three hours of math/science/computer science courses and a minor.
  4. Students must select a minor from the approved list of Undergraduate Minors.
  5. For transfer students, 12 semester credit hours (7 additional hour may also be acceptable at Texas State) may be transferred from a Texas public institution of higher education for the Communication Field of Study Sub-Area Advertising/Public Relations and be applied to the Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Public Relations at Texas State University. More information about the Field of Study is available in the Academic Policies section of this catalog. The transferable Texas Common Course Number (TCCN) is listed below the Texas State University course number in the following course list.

    Competency Area 1 choose 9 hours from the following:9
    Introduction to Mass Communication
    TCCN: COMM 1307
    Introduction to Public Relations
    Advertising
    TCCN: COMM 2327
    MC ELNA
    TCCN: COMM 2300
    MC ELNA
    TCCN: COMM 2301
    Competency Area 2 choose 3 hours from the following:3
    Media Writing
    TCCN: COMM 2311
    Writing for the Electronic Media
    TCCN: COMM 2339
    Video Production
    TCCN: COMM 1336
    News Writing and Reporting I
    Editing and Managing Content
    TCCN: COMM 2305
    Photojournalism
    TCCN: COMM 1318
    MC ELNA
    TCCN: COMM 1319
    MC ELNA
    TCCN: COMM 1337
    MC ELNA
    TCCN: COMM 2328
    MC ELNA
    TCCN: COMM 2329
    MC ELNA
    TCCN: COMM 2332
    Total Hours12
  6. All students in this degree program must earn a "C" or higher in each of three core courses in Mass Communication, which include:
    MC 1301Introduction to Mass Communication3
    MC 4301Media Law and Ethics3
    MC 4381Fundamentals of Digital and Online Media3
  7. All students in this degree program must earn a "C" or higher in all prerequisite courses and in the following major courses:
    MC 3343Introduction to Public Relations3
    MC 3313Foundations of Public Relations Writing3
    MC 3314Social Media for Strategic Communication3
    MC 3360Public Relations Research3
    MC 4313Advanced Writing for Public Relations3
    MC 4320Public Relations Campaigns3

Course Requirements

Freshman
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
ENG 1310 (Communication Component Code 010 [TCCN ENGL 1301])3ENG 1320 (Communication Component Code 010 [TCCN ENGL 1302])3
POSI 2310 (Government/Political Science Component Code 070 [TCCN GOVT 2306])3POSI 2320 (Government/Political Science Component Code 070 [TCCN GOVT 2305])3
MC 1301 (TCCN COMM 1307)3MC 43813
Mathematics Component Code 02013COMM 1310 (Component Area Option Code 090/091 [TCCN SPCH 1311])3
Social and Behavioral Sciences Component Code 0803ART 2313, DAN 2313, MU 2313, or TH 2313 (Creative Arts Component Code 050 [TCCN HUMA 1315])3
US 11001 
 16 15
Sophomore
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
MC 33433MC 33133
ENG Literature (Component Area Option Code 090/094) [ENGL 2322, 2323, 2332, 2333, 2327 or 2328]3Life and Physical Sciences Component Code 0303
Life and Physical Sciences Component Code 0303American History Component Code 0603
American History Component Code 0603PHIL 1305 or 1320 (Language, Philosophy, and Culture Component Code 040 [TCCN PHIL 1301 or 2306])3
MC Elective3SOCI 33073
 15 15
Junior
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
ENG literature [TCCN ENGL 2322, 2323, 2332, 2333, 2327 or 2328]3Computer Science, Logic, Mathematics or Science13
MC 33603MC 43133
MC 33143Minor3
Minor6MC Elective3
 Elective3
 15 15
Senior
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
MC 43013MC 43203
MC Advanced Elective3MC Advanced Elective3
Minor6Minor3
Media Performance1Electives7
 13 16
Total Hours: 120
Media Performance
Select 1 of the following:
Media Practicum
Grammar for Media Professionals
Drone Bootcamp
Social Media Analytics Platforms
3D Drone Modeling
Career Exploration: Destination America
Digital Media Tools and Skills
Digital Media Innovation Concepts
Freelancing for Media Professionals
Careers in Media
Fundamentals of Layout and Design
Editing and Enhancing Digital Imagery
TV News Production
Search Engine Optimization Fundamentals
Internship
1

Any mathematics course from the general education core curriculum Mathematics Component may be chosen except MATH 1316 .