This is an ARCHIVED version of the Kwantlen University College Calendar for 2000-2001 and is provided for historical reference only. See the current version of the Calendar for updated information.

Public Relations

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Offered at Richmond

Intake: Full-time, Sept.

Graduation

Upon successful completion of this program, student will be awarded a Diploma in Public Relations.

Description

This two-year diploma program prepares students for a career as a public relations practitioner. Graduates work in a variety of communications positions, doing work that includes research and planning, writing, media relations, special events planning, advertising, government relations and public affairs, and multimedia communications.

To keep pace with the rapid changes in the industry, we provide strong practical training through labs and off-campus work experience, as well as seminars, and use the latest in computer and photographic technology. Faculty includes full-time instructors with career experience as well as part-time specialists who are currently working in public relations.

Since public relations practitioners are expected to be able to interpret the world around them and to carry out research in many subject areas, using a variety of sources, the program has responded to these requirements by combining mass communications, theory and skills courses.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of this program will be able to:

• Apply for positions in public relations and related fields with the skills, work habits and attitudes needed to work effectively.
• Freelance effectively.

Student Profile

This program is based on the position that the preparation of public relations personnel requires a combination of general knowledge and technical competency.

Students in this program may come directly from high school or from other fields of endeavor. Many enter the program with post-secondary experience and some have university degrees. Depending on their specific background, advance standing can be granted for work done or skills learned elsewhere. Part-time students, although in the minority, can often be accommodated.

Admission Requirements

Given the stringent written requirements of the program, applicants must obtain a minimum of Level 4 on the Language Proficiency Index or a minimum B average in post-secondary English.

Applicants are also required to provide the following:

• 1. Resume
• 2. 500 - word statement of career goals
• 3. Documentation that shows they have talked to at least three people in the Public Relations field

When the paperwork is complete, you will be invited to attend an information session at the Richmond Campus, where the program is based. At that time you will be asked to take a simple current events test. It will also give you the opportunity to talk to instructors about any questions you might have about the program.

A lack of basic computer skills will hold the student back, so applicants are urged to upgrade this area before starting the course.

Content

The Public Relations program is organized into four semesters and carries 60 college credits. During the first year, students' concentrate on general knowledge and on developing the basic skills, work habits and attitudes they will need to succeed both as students and as professionals.

In the second year, the students will concentrate on developing further what they have learned and on applying it in a variety of practicums.

In more specific terms, the program is organized in accordance with the following principles:

• 1. Development of a broad knowledge base through course work which covers areas such as media and audiences, communications theory, legal and ethical issues, and marketing.
• 2. Introduction of basic concepts common to all forms of mass communications through a series of first- and second-year courses that focus on the place of communications in Canadian society.
• 3. Provision of training in specific skill areas such as the use of computers, editing, interviewing, news and feature writing, photography, and project management.
• 4. Development of sound work habits such as effective time management, working with others and insistences on quality through the structuring of appropriate objectives and standards in the courses.
• 5. Development of appropriate attitudes through exposure to the legal, ethical and societal constraints under which they will be expected to function

Semester 1

JRNL 1100 Explorations in Mass Communications
JRNL 1130 Photography for Print Media
JRNL 1141 Visual Design with Computers
JRNL 1142 Computer Skills
PRLN 1150 Public Relations Practice
PRLN 1162 Writing for Newspapers

Semester 2

PRLN 1221 PR Writing Skills
PRLN 1241 Organizational Communications
PRLN 1243 Computer Skills for Public Relations
JRNL 1265 Feature Writing
PRLN 2336 A/V and Multi-media Production
MRKT 1199 Introduction to Marketing

Semester 3

PRLN 1251 Event Management and Public Speaking
JRNL 2301 Media and Audiences
PRLN 2321 Advanced PR Writing
(under development)
PRLN 2350 Public Relations Advertising
PRLN 2375 Business Publications
PRLN 2380 Electronic Media Strategies

Semester 4

JRNL 2400 Legal and Ethical Issues
PRLN 2450 Public Relations Management
PRLN 2472 Public Relations Practicum
PRLN 2476 Work Experience

Advisory Committee

An advisory committee, comprised of Public Relations professionals, meets regularly with faculty in the department to provide industry input.