2021-2022

Public Relations, Minor

Strategic Communication

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Students will produce communication material, and develop critical thinking skills essential for planning and implementing communication strategies appropriate for a variety of situations.

  • A minor is earned in conjunction with a bachelor's degree.

    To receive a minor (18 - 24 units) at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses from one or more subject matter areas with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0. At least 12 units of the minor must be unique to that minor and not applied to any other minor.

In addition to University Requirements:

  • Complete individual plan requirements.

Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.

No more than fifty percent of the units used to satisfy minor requirements may be used to satisfy major requirements.

Minimum Units for Completion 18
Major GPA 2.5
Fieldwork Experience/Internship Optional

Purpose Statement

Public Relations focuses on the use of earned and owned media for the development and maintenance of ongoing relationships with important publics. Recognizing the importance of communicating the values of an organization to important publics, students completing this minor will apply important concepts and skills in public relations to their major field of interest. Students will produce communication material, and develop critical thinking skills such as web analytics and market analysis that are essential for developing and implementing communication strategies.   These strategies could be applied in political campaigns, crisis communication, community relations, marketing communication. Students learn techniques for digital media communication, news-media relations, and community relations demanded by industry while also recognizing the social and cultural implications their work has on broader society.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Students pursuing a minor in Public Relations will focus on the use of earned and owned media for the development and maintenance of relationships between organizations and the publics that can affect their success. They will develop conceptual, practical and analytical skills relevant to public relations.
  • In the conceptual sphere, students will identify strategies for developing and maintaining productive relationships with target publics through the use of owned and earned media.
  • In the practical sphere, students will apply writing skills that apply to industry standards to various media channels. Students will master software used to create and deliver messages over various media channels.
  • In the analytical sphere students will implement quantitative and qualitative research methods in the formulation and evaluation of ongoing communication efforts. 

Minor Requirements

  • Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.