Public Relations - Online Degree Completion Program

Degree: B.S.

The Public Relations program at Millersville University allows students to gain professional skills in writing, research and campaign planning for work in agencies, corporations and nonprofit environments. Students collaborate on projects as they learn ethical communication principles and practices to build their expertise.

Why Study This Program

Millersville University’s Public Relations program balances study of the discipline in coursework and applied settings. Students learn effective communication and public relations strategies and practices, social science and qualitative research, media studies, digital communication, cultural studies and more.

  • Our curriculum: Millersville’s curriculum follows standards set by Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA)
  • Our award winning PRSSA chapter partners with the Central PA Chapter of PRSA. Membership in PRSSA provides students opportunities to attend conferences and learn from professionals and gain access to PRSSA internships and PRSA resources.
  • Our internship opportunities offer students hands-on experiences to apply the knowledge they have learned in the classroom to real-world work situations.

What You Will Learn

Our graduates build and maintain positive relationships between organizations and their key publics to develop strong reputations for corporations, small businesses, government and community benefit organizations. Whether in agency or corporate environments, our graduates contribute to ethical communication in professional settings, and in face-to-face and online relationships with media practitioners, legislators, customers and others.

Students gain confidence in their abilities to pitch story ideas and create legacy and social media content as they work in teams and develop strategic messages and campaign plans with a series of courses that culminate in a capstone experience.

Within the Public Relations program, students take four core communication courses, four core public relations courses and six to nine additional courses regarding communication law, theory, ethics, history, persuasion, crisis communication, social media and message creation in a variety of settings. Within the four core public relations courses, students will gain hands-on experience in the Public Relations II writing course, the Public Relations III research issues and cases course, and the Public Relations IV campaigns course. These advanced classes allow students to work in simulated agencies for area nonprofit organizations, leading to a wholesome understanding of the industry.