Programs by Campus
Indianapolis
Journalism and Public Relations
Curriculum
Degrees Offered
Master of Arts in Public Relations, Master of Arts in Sports Journalism.
The M.A. program in Public Relations has three tracks: general management, sports management, and health. Both the Public Relations and the Sport Journalism programs are intended to prepare students for work in the field, across a variety of media, corporations, organizations and institutions.
Master of Arts Degree
Special Departmental Admission Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, with an overall undergraduate point average of at least 3.0; an undergraduate major in journalism is not required, but applicants without such a background are required to take additional course work in journalism and public relations as part of their master’s program;
- Appropriate level of achievement on the Graduate Record Examination General Test (applicants with a post-graduate degree are not required to submit GRE scores);
- Three letters of recommendation; and
- A personal statement explaining how a master’s degree will fit into the applicant’s career goals.
Foreign language
There is no foreign language requirement for the degrees.
Grades
No grade below B- (2.7) will be counted toward these degrees.
Course requirements
Public Relations
General Requirements
A total of 30 credit hours, including five Journalism and Public Relations core courses (J528, J529, and three topics courses in public relations theory, research and evaluation, and planning). Students who do not have an undergraduate degree in journalism or a related field are required to take three undergraduate courses in introductory public relations, public relations writing and communication law (J219, J390 and J300, respectively).
PR Management Track
In addition to the core, general electives in Journalism and Public Relations or Communication Studies.
PR Sports Track
In addition to the general core, students take three core sports courses (J543, J540, and J542) and two electives in Journalism and Public Relations or Communication Studies.
PR Healthcare and Life Sciences Track
In addition to the general core, students take two core topics courses (public relations in the life sciences and integrated marketing communication in healthcare) and three electives in Journalism and Public Relations or Communication Studies.
Sports Journalism
A total of 30 credit hours consisting of J501, J510, J540, J541, J542, J543, J545, J546, J547, and J620. Students who do not have an undergraduate degree in journalism or a related field are required to take two undergraduate courses in sports writing and communication law (J345 and J300, respectively).