Public Relations
Public relations is a core management function that adds value to organizations by building mutually beneficial relationships with stakeholders through two-way communication. These relationships, built on trust and responsiveness, generate goodwill and safeguard reputation. Communications majors who choose the public relations emphasis will become data-driven, strategic thinkers who can identify creative solutions and solve communication problems for a wide variety of organizations.
Students will take classes in research and measurement, social and digital media, public relations writing and earned media techniques, video storytelling, strategic planning, and communications ethics. The public relations emphasis prepares students with critical skills in analytical thinking, writing, research campaign planning and management, creative problem solving, digital storytelling, and relationship building. Students will also learn to communicate with a wide variety of stakeholders and publics including journalists, social media influencers, consumers, employees, social media communities, community residents, activists, and government.
Along the way, students will have multiple opportunities to apply what they are learning in the classroom to solve public relations problems for real-world clients. The PR Intelligence Lab is a mentored learning environment where students work on projects for local, regional, national, and international clients that strive to make a social impact. All students in the emphasis will take a capstone class where they will work as a team in the lab, using everything they have learned, to solve a complex and ambiguous communication problem for a real-world client.
The mission of the PR program is to develop students who use light and truth (Doctrine and Covenants 93:36) to build trust, strengthen communities, and create stronger relationships between organizations and their publics that strive to make a social impact. Students who pursue a PR degree from BYU will be inspired to both seek and use intelligence in their personal and professional lives for doing good.
