UMUC

Graduate School of Management & Technology - Programs

Master of Science in Management: Public Relations

Public Relations (PRPA) Specialization Description

The Public Relations specialization is designed to meet the needs of both the entry-level employee and the working professional who seek a more formal grounding in the profession. The program provides students with a solid grounding in public relations theory, legal, and ethical issues confronted by practitioners, and the analytic and creative skills necessary to excel in the profession. The capstone experience provides the student with an opportunity to observe and participate in the production and assessment of a public relations campaign, providing the student with the opportunity to analyze the effects of various strategies and practices in the workplace.

Career Path

The MSM program prepares graduates for a number of entry-, mid-, and high- level positions, as determined by a student’s work experience.

Depending on a student’s background and an employer’s criteria, graduates of the Public Relations specialization may qualify for these positions:

  • Director of Public Relations
  • Corporate Communications Manager
  • Director of Media Relations
  • Account Manager
  • Communications Writer
  • Director of Public Affairs
  • Promotion Director
  • Internal Communications Manager

Requirements

Recommendations

Students who wish to improve their graduate writing skills may take COMM 600, Academic Writing for Graduate Students (3).

Core Required Courses

UCSP 611 Introduction to Graduate Library Research Skills (0), to be taken within the first 6 credits of study

  • MGMT 610 The Manager in a Technological Society (3)
  • MGMT 615 Intercultural Communication and Leadership (3)
  • MGMT 640 Financial Decision Making for Managers (3)
  • MGMT 650 Research Methods for Managers (3)

Capstone Course: MGMT 670 Strategic Management Capstone (3)

Clustered Course Option

MGMT 630 Organizational Theory and Behavior in a Global Environment (6) is a six-credit course. Students who receive credit for MGMT 630 may not receive credit for MGMT 610 or MGMT 615.

Core Rules

  1. MGMT 610 must be taken within the first 6 credits of the MS in Management program.
  2. Students must complete 24 credits, including other core requirements, before enrolling in MGMT 670.
  3. MGMT 640 and MGMT 650 should not be completed simultaneously.
  4. MGMT 640 is prerequisite to FIN 610 in the Financial Management specialization.

Public Relations (PRPA) Specialization Required Courses

  • MRKT 600 Marketing Management (3)
  • MRKT 601 Legal and Ethical Issues in Global Communications (3)
  • PRPA 601 Public Relations Theory and Practice (3)
  • PRPA 602 Public Relations Techniques (3)
  • PRPA 610 Crisis Management Seminar (3)
  • PRPA 620 Global Public Relations (3)
  • PRPA 650 Public Relations Campaigns (3)

Clustered Course Option

MRKT 620 Marketing Principles, Regulation, and Ethical Issues (6) is a six-credit course. Students who receive credit for MRKT 620 may not receive credit for MRKT 600 or MRKT 601.

Specialization Rules

  1. Students must complete MRKT 600 and MRKT 601 (or MRKT 620) as their first public relations specialization courses.
  2. PRPA 601 must be completed as the next course.
  3. All required core (except MGMT 670) and specialization courses are prerequisite to PRPA 650.
Note: Some course names and numbers were updated beginning with the fall 2007 semester. If you began the program prior to fall 2007 and have chosen to follow your original, pre-fall 2007 requirements, you should use the pre-fall 2007 Study Plan for this degree.