Public Communication, B.A.
Public Communication
Public Communication course requirements
Public Communication at Buffalo State, which has been listed among the top programs of its kind, is the only such major in SUNY. Unlike other colleges that separate the study of public relations and advertising, Buffalo State blends these disciplines, reflecting the professional trend in which organizations have merged the functions of public relations, advertising, marketing communication, fundraising, recruitment, lobbying, and related endeavors. The discipline keads to many challenging careers.reflecting patterns of the profession.
This major, the largest in the department, prepares students to deal with an organization's reputation, its role as an advocate, and its use of persuasive communication. Public Communication is one of the most challenging academic programs at Buffalo State. It is the only major in the department with a graduate program.
Public Communication is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.
About the Program
This major allows students flexibility to tailor a program based on strategic communication through the disciplines of public relations, advertising, and related fields. It meets the needs of students preparing for a career in which research, strategic planning, implementation of creative tactics, and evaluation are central, whether to advance an organization, promote a product, or advocate a cause. Compare this major with communication studies, journalism, and media production.
This is the only program in public relations and advertising at any SUNY school that is affiliated with the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Only four other undergraduate programs in New York State are accredited.
Career Opportunities: Students in public communication prepare for careers in public relations and advertising, as well as fundraising, organizational communication, research, lobbying, marketing communication, and other fields that require a liberal arts education enhanced with communication expertise.
The profile of a successful public communication graduate is a person with strong writing and speaking proficiency, keen ethical insight, competence in research and planning, and skill in working effectively both independently and in teams.
Admissions Requirements
Incoming freshmen and transfer students can declare the major. A 2.6 GPA in the major is needed to register for required upper-division courses (300- and 400-level).
See www.buffalostate.edu/communication for application forms and additional information, including a list of equivalent core courses at community colleges. Transfer students from two-year schools may apply only core courses toward this major for a maximum of 12 credits. Students generally require four semesters of study after completing communication core courses.
Academic Standards: Only grades of C or higher may be applied toward requirements for any communication degree; courses with lower grades must be repeated. Consistent with standards of the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the number of communication courses that students may take is capped, encouraging a broad-based liberal arts education. The department encourages students to take minors or second majors and requires evidence of an academic concentration or area of expertise outside the Communication Department.
Program Requirements
Intellectual Foundations Requirements 39–66 cr
Total Requirements 42 cr
A. Communication Core (12 cr)
COM 100 Media Literacy
COM 210 Introduction to Media Writing
COM 215 Introduction to Visual Communication
SPC 205 Introduction to Oral Communication
Note: Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.6 in the major to register for cetain upper-division courses (300- and 400-level).
B. Major Requirements (18 cr)
COM 301 Principles of Public Relations and Advertising
COM 307 Group Communication
COM 308 Public Relations Writing
COM 322 Communication Graphics
COM 401 Applied Communication Research
COM 418 Campaigns in Public Relations and Advertising
C. Senior Seminar (3 cr)
COM 450 Communication and Society
D. Communication Electives (9 cr)
300- and 400-level courses in the department (selected by advisement)
All College Electives 12–39 cr
Total Required Credit Hours 120 cr