Public Relations
 Public relations impacts most areas of our lives. Professionals in this area provide many invaluable functions, including communicating effectively, writing well, presenting oral material in a straightforward, interesting fashion, and preparing campaigns and programs. This cross-disciplinary program provides graduates with the background in communication, business, and mass communications. The graduate can work productively with co-workers, the media, the public and can effectively manage the communication between an organization and its publics. This degree program prepares students to work in three broad settings: non-profit organizations, for-profit corporations, and advertising or public relations agencies.
Majors and Minors
The comprehensive Bachelor of Arts Major in Public Relations (54 hours) and Bachelor of Science Major in Public Relations (60 hours) are cross-disciplinary programs combining communication courses with appropriate course work in management, marketing, and mass communications to provide a broad preparation for various careers within the public relations field.
A Minor in Public Relations (24 hours) is provided for students majoring in other areas but who wish to expand their preparation in the public relations area.
Internships
All public relations majors are required to complete a three-hour internship. Northwest is somewhat unique in this respect as many university programs in public relations do not require students to complete professional internships. Northwest students are highly competitive in the job market upon graduation because an internship can be critical to meeting people and making protentially important contacts who can help a student find that first job after graduation. Of critical importance, the internship requirement assures students that when they graduate from Northwest they will have a portfolio of materials to present to a potential employer. This is very important in seeking a job in public relations. Some interesting internships that Northwest public relations majors have done are:
- Mix 93.3 (Kansas City)
- Worlds of Fun
- MacDonnell Douglas
- Defenbaugh Industries
- Bernstein Rein Advertising
- Marriott Hotels
- St. Lukes Hospital
- Kansas City Sports Commission
- Kansas City Chiefs
Career Opportunities
A public relations major at Northwest has many career paths open to them upon graduation. Some career fields a PR major can enter include:
- Corporate public relations
- Political strategist and lobbyist
- Non-profit fundraising
- Military spokesperson
- Event planner
- Speech writer
- Press agent
- Internal communications
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Public Relations Skills
- Writing and editing
- Speaking and presentation
- Strategic planning and campaign development
- Research and evaluation
- Media and client relations
- Event planning and issues management
- Development and production of publicity
- Computer skills and webpage design
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