Public Relations
Public Relations is a dynamic degree that allows you space to explore all your passions. The major provides versatile skills and the ability to build an impressive resume from day one. From your first PR class to your last, you will learn strategic communication principles and complete projects that create, promote, and maintain the reputation of brands, people & organizations. You will craft materials, amplify your skills, and learn how to develop, present, and manage communication efforts that actively contribute to profits and reputation, all to make the world a better society.
The first floor of Global Heritage Hall features a new Public Relations Lab. The Sandbox is hard not to spot – as whimsical blue-dotted wallpaper is seen through the glass door. Step inside, and you’ll find a seating area for students to conduct meetings, monitors to work on projects, and shelves displaying past PR projects to inspire. The new lab promotes community and collaboration – a space where Public Relations students can unite, play, and build things from client-based projects to The Bateman Case Study Competition, PRSSA’s premier national case study competition. The lab also offers students a dedicated phone line, coffee bar, snacks, and multiple monitors equipped with Adobe Suite and PR-specific software.
Read The News @ Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±×ÊÁÏCombine Your Passions
The PR Program is designed to encourage you to combine with another major. Over 80% of Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±×ÊÁÏ students graduate with more than a single major. Public Relations students take advantage of our breadth of programs, choosing from 50 majors and 70 minors, including Marketing, Dance, Public Health, Graphic Design, Psychology, and more. One more class beyond the required courses for the major earns you the Certificate in Corporate Communication, giving you an extra advantage in your job search.
Non-PR majors can minor in Corporate Communications. This career-focused minor and certificate emphasizes public relations as a business function through a liberal arts lens. Students who have completed the minor earn the Certificate of Corporate Communications, further enhancing their resume before graduation.
Jobs in PR
Every field requires public relations professionals—from healthcare and education to sports, entertainment, tech companies, law firms, accounting firms, the arts, nonprofits, and government agencies (like NASA). PR graduates can work in-house, directly within organizations, or at agencies, a popular choice among many. Career paths within these fields are diverse and include \ digital marketing, event planning and publicity, copywriting, social media, media buying, fundraising, and much more. PR provides a solid foundation for a dynamic, evolving career.
Areas of focus
- Sports: Teams, Arenas, Leagues
- Lifestyle: Fashion, Food, Travel
- Investor Relations/Financial PR
- Entertainment: Athletes, Actors, TV shows, Film, Sporting Events
- Media Relations
- Crisis Communication
- Internal PR: Members, Employees
- Community Relations: Cities, Towns, Corporations, Non-profit
- Government Relations: Corporations, Government Officials
- Public Affairs: Political Campaigns & Outreach, Military
- Integrated Marketing Communication
Alumni Spotlight: Sports PR
Gabby Dougherty '18 is living a sports fan’s dream. Her job as an account coordinator for a public relations agency takes her behind the scenes with world-famous sports teams, including the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, and Liverpool Football Club. She also worked with the Liverpool Football Club when they came to the United States for their stateside tour. One component of her job is interviews and media relations during game day operations. A memory she notes was the Entertainment PR class, where she went to California over winter break.
"It was so much fun to get to know everyone in my program really well and also get a glimpse into all the different aspects of the PR world."
Degree Requirements
Additional Program Information
PR Program Student Learning Outcomes
- Design and perform research to aid in addressing an organization’s communication needs.
- Demonstrate ability to identify communication problems and issues/opportunities and implement strategic management plans.
- Evaluate situations and determine appropriate professional ethical principles, communication law, and work ethics.
- Apply various communication theories and communication models used in PR efforts.
- Understand business literacy and the role of PR in meeting business goals and advocating for the expansion of the discipline in business ventures.
A Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
In the Public Relations major, we seek to connect citizens to the world around them through ethical, just communication. We recognize that diversity and inclusion are more than a box to check or a target to hit. Our program was created as a center for excellence in training and preparation of future communicators. This means our community of students and faculty embraces diversity, promotes tolerance, expands access, and creates systemic change in communication practices.
Travel & Learn
PR students travel multiple times a year to national and regional conferences. Students also travel for site visits, to explore special topics, or to visit media firms or companies. Recently, seven members of PRSSA traveled with Dr. Amiee Shelton, PR Program Lead, to PRSSA's annual national conference ICON!
Hosted in Anaheim, California, Dr. Shelton worked closely with students to curate an expanded trip in Los Angeles that exposed young PR professionals to various PR career paths, industries, companies, and positions. These experiences expanded skills learned on our Bristol campus.
From connecting with alumni and visiting iconic landmarks to exploring topics like Tourism, Lifestyle PR, and Entertainment PR, the students made connections to the curriculum and challenged the new ideas they explored! While networking, taking notes during keynote speeches, investigating internships, and attending breakout sessions during ICON, students actively applied what they learned in real-time, such as thinking about generating social media content, promoting their experiences, and crafting compelling stories. The seven students got creative sharing updates with peers back on the East Coast to further inform their fellow hawks of the unique impact that experiential learning has on Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±×ÊÁÏ's PR students!
PRSSA
is the foremost organization for students interested in public relations and communications. The organization advocates rigorous academic standards for public relations education, the highest ethical principles, and diversity in the profession. Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±×ÊÁÏ earned its national charter in 2004 and maintains the coursework recommended by the national organization.
earned the prestigious Star Chapter Award for the 2023-24 academic year. This esteemed award recognizes chapters that demonstrate excellence in programming, leadership, and relationship-building opportunities for students, setting a high standard for other chapters nationwide.
The Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±×ÊÁÏ Chapter's mission is 1) to serve our members by enhancing their knowledge of public relations and providing access to professional development opportunities, 2) to serve the public relations profession by helping to develop highly qualified, well-prepared professionals, and 3) to encourage Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±×ÊÁÏ students to make the world a better place through social change. Because PRSSA is a recognized club on campus, our members receive extraordinary funding opportunities. Therefore, our student members attend conferences, travel for tours, and present papers nationally.
A Champion Networker
Daymar Rosser, Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±×ÊÁÏ Class of 2018At Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±×ÊÁÏ, we actively seek students who are willing challenge themselves, try new things and develop real-world experience. Daymar Rosser, a West Philadelphia native who was captain when Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±×ÊÁÏ's National Polo Team went on a championship run, is a prime example.
Read full storyInternship Opportunities
- Providence Tourism Bureau
- Arnold Advertising
- RDW Group Advertising
- WPRI Channel 12
- Newport Tennis Hall of Fame
- East Bay Newspapers
- Hasbro, RI
- Tango Pix
- R.I. International Film Festival
Employers
- WCVB-TV
- ESPN
- Associated Press
- East Bay Newspapers
- Newport Tennis Hall of Fame
- Stop & Shop
- Hasbro, RI
- Olender Media
- Fama PR
- Mequoda Daily and Library
- Houghton Mifflin
- Citizens Bank
To read more about our academic offerings or to view full course descriptions, please refer to our University Catalog.