MS in Public Relations
Boston University - College of Communication
Key Information
Campus location
Boston, USA
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 semesters
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
USD 30,525 / per semester **
Application deadline
Request info *
Earliest start date
Aug 2024
* priority deadline: February 1; applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until our final deadline: May 1
** tuition fee
Introduction
Our world is awash in information. But what it often lacks is the understanding that should be delivered alongside. Can you deliver it?
No GRE Required.
The Boston University Master of Science in Public Relations program balances academics with practical application. You’ll gain an overview of contemporary public relations, the nature of human communication, and the role of media in society. You’ll learn how to write clearly and concisely in contemporary media formats, tailored to different audiences while developing professional management skills.
Instruction is personal and often individual. Professors become mentors, and mentors become lifelong friends. Over three semesters, students are both challenged and nurtured in a thoughtful, strategic environment.
As the home of the world’s first university-based degree program in public relations, a graduate degree from Boston University’s College of Communication is recognized and respected across the industry and provides access to a global alumni network shaking up the PR landscape around the world. This reputation for excellence means our alumni are highly sought after for top PR jobs with agencies and in-house teams in Boston and worldwide around the world -- from brand promotion, content creation, and social media to crisis communication, media relations, community relations, reputation management, and marketing communications.
Learn from the Best
With BU’S MS in Public Relations, students learn from an award-winning faculty with decades of experience to share.
COM professors have led communications for a Fortune 10 company, helmed PRWeek’s “Agency of the Past 20 Years,” and served as the U.S. CEO for a Top 5 PR firm. They’ve been admitted as members of the prestigious Arthur W. Page Society and have received Outstanding Educator Awards from the Public Relations Society of America. Notably, Boston University is the only university in the nation with two endowed professorships in public relations.
Purpose Driven
COM stands out from our peers. Our faculty offers a mix of researchers and practitioners who endorse a cross-discipline, hands-on approach to learning. Our location lies at the heart of an electric, media-savvy city.
But it may be COM’s shared values that matter most. We believe that communication requires diversity, critical thinking, and creative expression. We believe that communication must be grounded in truth, authenticity, effectiveness, and purpose. We believe that communication builds understanding among people and across society.
Admissions
Curriculum
The MS in Public Relations program consists of a minimum of 12 courses/48 credits. Students must also pass a formal faculty review of their online Presentation of Final Work.
Section Requirements (7 total courses, 28 credits):*, **
- COM CM 580 PRLab
- COM CM 700 Financial and Strategic Public Relations Management
- COM CM 701 Contemporary Public Relations
- COM CM 703 Basic Media Writing
- COM CM 707 Writing for Media Professionals
- COM CM 722 Communication Research Methods
- COM CM 742 Media Relations
- COM CM 809 Graduate Internship
*All students will take COM CM 703 in the fall semester and COM CM 707 in the spring semester. There is one exception: students who are waived out of COM CM 703 will take COM CM 707 in the fall semester. These students who are waived from COM CM 703 will be required to take an additional four credits of electives to meet the overall requirement of 48 credits.
**COM CM 580 PRLab or COM CM 809 Internship (adding up to at least four credits).
Electives (students select 20 credits of electives):***
- COM CM 513 Investor Relations
- COM CM 522 Crisis Communication
- COM CM 524 Public Relations Career Development
- COM CM 525 Public Relations Ethics
- COM CM 526 Int Mrktg Strat
- COM CM 535 Political Campaigns
- COM CM 539 Health Campaigns
- COM CM 709 Corporate Public Affairs
- COM CM 714 Professional Presentation
- COM CM 715 Public Relations in Nonprofit Settings
- COM CM 730 Marketing Communication
- COM CM 738 Global Marketing Communication
- COM CM 743 New Media and Public Relations
- COM CM 750 Advanced Writing for Media Professionals
- COM CM 5XX Governmental Public Affairs [proposed new course]
- COM CM 5XX International Public Relations [proposed new course]
- COM CM 7XX Social Media Management [proposed new course]
***At least 16 of these 20 credits must be from this elective list. The other four credits can be from this list or can be other 500-level or higher courses at Boston University.
Program Outcome
- Develop advanced skills and competencies based upon the science beneath the art of public relations.
- Develop a detailed understanding of various business and financial strategies necessary for success in the public relations industry.
- Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the role played by theory, research, strategic planning, action, and evaluation in the public relations process, including practical application via internship and PRLab experiences.
- Demonstrate a refined understanding of media relations for both traditional print/broadcast media as well as for emerging social/digital media.
- Develop a scholarly and advanced professional sense of communication effectiveness in terms of both written and oral communication.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
MS in Public Relations graduates regularly land positions with firms like Ketchum, Hubspot, Burson-Marsteller, and more. They’ve gone on to serve as chief public relations officers of major corporations, as CEOs of leading PR firms, and in a variety of other impressive assignments throughout the exciting world of communication.
Hands-On Experiences
COM graduate students get ready for public relations careers by rolling up their sleeves for hands-on experiences.
In PRLab, the world’s oldest student-run public relations agency, students work collaboratively on account teams creating real campaigns for real clients including corporations, entrepreneurial start-ups, and nonprofits. Through the Edward L. Bernays Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) at Boston University, students build their professional networks and compete for national competitions.
Beyond campus, COM helps place students as interns with some of the most coveted agencies in the country, as well as many media companies and marketing organizations. Some graduate students choose to spend their third semester abroad with the Boston University London Graduate Mass Communication Summer Program, taking courses such as British Media in the Digital Age and Global Marketing Communications and, of course, interning. Others, with help from COM, found intern placements in Boston and other cities with employers as varied as Amnesty International, Bank of America, Boston Red Sox, Fidelity Investments, Ketchum, and the United Nations.
Benefit from Boston
One of BU’s greatest resources is its location. Consistently ranked among the most livable cities in the world, Boston is “America’s college town,” a city rich in history while remaining on the cutting edge. Boston is a Top 10 U.S. media market, and home to some of the world’s best agencies, media companies, and leading employers -- offering boundless opportunities for internships and careers.