Public Relations & Strategic Communication

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Public Relations and Strategic Communication Major

Builds your knowledge and practice in public relations, advertising, persuasion, brand strategy, how to be a spokesperson or storyteller, and more.

Department of Communication, Media, & Culture

Majors and Minors

Banner for Public Relations and Strategic Communication major featuring multiple students

Public Relations and Strategic Communication, BA

Build your knowledge and practice in public relations, advertising, persuasion, and brand strategy.

Understand people's relationships with organizations, how to be a spokesperson or storyteller, and/or how we can all be influenced by strategic media. Apply now!

DID YOU KNOW?

With summer courses, you can finish our BA in 3 years and the MA in just 1 more!

Where Public Relations and Strategic Communication Can Take You

Public Relations prepares you for many different careers by training you in audience analysis and creating clear messages for different audiences. Our alumni include business owners, media producers and influencers, and professors.

Image of alumna Carissa Del Bene in front of sign for Bowlero Corp.

“I am responsible for marketing, communication strategy, and the production of the PBA Tour on FOX. I also lead all media projects and brand integrations for Bowlero Corp. My biggest piece of advice for current CCU students is networking. During my time at CCU, I met someone while I was waitressing who got me an interview for an internship at Def Jam Records. This internship then opened up doors for me, including roles with the Joan Rivers company, network upfronts, Tribeca Film Festival, and even New York Fashion Week shows. In 2017, the CEO of Bowlero Corp asked me to come back to the company. This was a full-circle moment of all the hard work I put in and keeping my relationships strong."

- Carissa Del Bene, B.A. Communication, 2012
Vice President of Media, Bowlero

Image of alumna Michelle Russo in front of a window on Coastal Carolina University's campus

“The classes were great. I really learned a lot about communication and theater and production. Everything I learned translated into my career later on. Just put one foot in front of the other. That's advice a mentor once gave to me, and it helped me in times when I really needed a lift. Take one step, look for an opening, measure your progress. Don't give up on your goals and work hard to get there."

- Michelle Russo, B.A. Communication, 2008
Director of Production (Consumer Products, Experiences & Video Games), Paramount

Communication at Coastal

With opportunities to study across multiple focus areas, students apply the knowledge they learned from their courses in many ways—across campus and in real-world settings.

Image of student Libby Pippin hitting a softball

Meet a Major:
Libby Pippin
Public Relations, Outstanding Sophomore Winner

Image of Dr. James Ndone in front of greenery

Meet a Faculty Member:
Dr. James Ndone
Assistant Professor

Popular Courses in Public Relations and Strategic Communication

PRSC 433: Student-Run Public Relations Agency

Dr. Jeffrey Ranta

The anchor for a student-run, full-service agency providing strategic communications solutions for real clients. Students take on actual leadership and service roles in account teams attending to communication needs of real, for-profit or not-for-profit clients. Students participate in real-world account and budget management, creative development, campaign implementation, and evaluation. Offers potential networking opportunities in students' career industries. May be repeated for up to 6 credit hours.

PRSC 314: Social Media Analytics

Dr. Elizabeth Muckensturm

A project-based approach to increase understanding of social media data collection and analysis. Topics may include social media listening and social media strategies, research, implementation, and measurement. Students create social media posts and track success through analytics.

Student-Run Public Relations Firm

Logo for Teal Strategic Student-Run Public Relations firm and course These organizations are clients of Teal Strategic, the student-run public relations firm housed in the Department of Communication, Media, & Culture. Teal Strategic is also a course (PRSC 433) allowing students to learn the theory and knowledge of public relations and apply it to work with real-world clients.