The curriculum features a strong emphasis on writing and communication skills, principles of public relations, case studies in public relations, publicity techniques, opinion research and general knowledge of the liberal arts. A senior seminar emphasizes program planning and public relations as a management function. A large percentage of public relations majors also take advantage of a specially designed business minor that emphasizes management and marketing. There is also a specialized minor in speech communication. Practical field experience is stressed in a required 240 hour internship, usually taken between the junior and senior year.
Students work off-campus under the supervision of professional public relations personnel.
The San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley offer public relations majors many opportunities for part-time work in the field. A major strength of the program is the close working relationship between the students, faculty and public relations professionals. Professionals regularly appear as guest lecturers and serve as mentors to students aspiring to careers in specific areas of public relations. 070 Visual Communication for Modern Media MCOM 104 may be taken at SJSU as an upper division course should the transfer student be unable to select an equivalent for MCOM 070. Approved elective in Journalism, Advertising, PR or Mass Communications.