Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations

Get Started on Your Online Degree Today!

Majoring in communication means studying the creation, dissemination, and reception of messages that matter. The field of communication is constantly transforming, and our concentrations allow you to graduate with the knowledge, skills, and connections to land you an immediate job or a spot in a top graduate program.

Your online bachelor's degree in communication involves taking at least 124 credit hours total, including 42 in the Communication department and 19 elective hours.

Tuition & Fees

Tuition per credit hour	$419.00
Instructional Support Fee per credit hour	$25.00

Tuition and fees listed are subject to change and do not include all possible charges. Additional fees may apply. Please refer to the master class schedule for individual course charges.

Public Relations Concentration:

The Public Relations concentration broadly explores the strategic process of communication through various channels to establish and maintain relationships with an organization’s many audiences. The program incorporates scholarship with practical application that aids your development of skills in critical thinking, research, strategic planning, goal making, problem-solving and effective written and oral communication. Students interested in media planning, crisis and reputation management, social media coordination, sports communication, entertainment, government relations and leadership would be well-suited to this degree.

Our students have interned with MSU Athletics, Walt Disney World, Coca Cola, the U.S. Congress, local news stations and community-based organizations.

Your online bachelor's degree in communication involves taking at least 124 credit hours total, including 42 in the Communication department and 19 elective hours.

What are some potential careers?

Program Structure

To graduate with the Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations ::
- Complete a minimum of 124 hours
  - 63 hours of university and college core courses
  - +6 hours required Communication core courses
  - +36 hours of required Public Relations or Communication & Media Studies courses (courses taken in prerequisite order)
  - +19 hours General Electives
- Up to 62 hours may be transferred from an accredited community college
Students must have a GPA of 2.00 on all college work prior to entering the major
A grade of C or better is required for all Communication courses to count toward the degree

Core Curriculum

All students who enter MSU must meet the common core curriculum requirements as set by the Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning of the State of Mississippi to qualify for any bachelor's degree.

English Composition (6 hours)
Mathematics (6 hours)
Foreign Language (3 hours) (up to the third semester of a language, unless you test out of this requirement)
Fine Arts (3 hours)
Oral Communication (3 hours)
Natural Sciences (9 hours)

Humanities (18 hours)
Social and Behavioral Sciences (15 hours): No more than 6 hours from one discipline (CO & EC only 3 hours allowed)

New Admissions

If you have never attended Mississippi State University, please complete the online Undergraduate Admissions Application.

You will choose Communication (BA) as your major and Online Education as your campus.
Request that official ACT or SAT scores be sent to MSU.
Request that your high school send your official transcript. Faxed transcripts will not be accepted.
Submit a separate official final transcript from each college or university attended; faxed transcripts will not be accepted. An applicant may not ignore previous college attendance and must list all colleges attended on the application for admission. You must be in good standing at the last college or university attended. A 2.0 GPA is required for admission to the program.
If you are able to submit official transcripts and other documentation electronically, you may send them to admit@msstate.edu.
If you are unable to submit official transcripts and other documentation electronically, you may send them via U.S. Postal Service to:
Office of Admissions & Scholarships
P.O. Box 6334
Mississippi State, MS 39762
All new admits will pay a non-refundable application fee online.

Readmission

If you have previously attended MSU, you will need to apply for Readmission.

Once you are readmitted, if you are not a former Communication BA student, please contact your advisor so he or she may change your major and campus as well as advise you for the upcoming semester.
Submit a separate official final transcript from each college or university attended; faxed transcripts will not be accepted. An applicant may not ignore previous college attendance and must list all colleges attended on the application for admission. You must be in good standing at the last college or university attended. A 2.0 GPA is required for admission to the program.
If you are unable to submit official transcripts and other documentation electronically, you may send them via U.S. Postal Service to:
Office of Admissions & Scholarships
P.O. Box 6334
Mississippi State, MS 39762

There is no fee for readmission applications.

Transfer Credit

Students may transfer to Mississippi State University from regionally accredited community, junior, or senior colleges for any period of enrollment, provided they have earned a 2.0 GPA (as computed by Mississippi State University) on all college courses attempted as well as earned a 2.0 GPA on the 30-hours of core courses. Applicants must list all colleges attended on the application for admission, must be in good standing with the last college or university attended, and must meet one of the following:

Complete the 30-hours of core courses listed below with a 2.0 GPA on those courses and earn an overall 2.0 GPA (as computed by Mississippi State University) on all hours attempted.
- English Composition – 6 semester hours
- College Algebra, Quantitative Reasoning, or a higher level math – 3 semester hours
- Natural Science – 6 semester hours
- Humanities and Fine Arts – 9 semester hours
- Social or Behavioral Sciences – 6 semester hours
Earn an A.A. degree (associate in art) or a higher degree from a regionally accredited community, junior, or senior college with a 2.0 GPA (as computed by Mississippi State University).
Meet the requirements for entering freshmen and earn an overall 2.0 GPA (as computed by Mississippi State University) on all hours attempted.

Notes on Transfer Credit:

Students may transfer up to 62 hours from an accredited community college
You may not transfer any credits from a community college after you have a total of 62 credits accepted by and/or earned at MSU
Last 32 hours must be from MSU
Upon admission to the university, the Registrar's Office will evaluate transfer credit to determine how it transfers to MSU

Academic Advising

After gaining admission to the university, you must contact one of your advisors to determine the courses that are most appropriate for you to take. Approximately two months prior to the upcoming semester, your advisor will send an email to your MSU email account, making course recommendations based on your program of study.

Mississippi State University uses email as its official means of communication with all MSU students. Please check your MSU email account (NetID@msstate.edu) daily. Information on setting up your MSU email can be found at the link for student services.

Kelli Anthony

Department of Communication

Public Relations Online Academic Advisor

kanthony@comm.msstate.edu 662-325-3329

Program Reminders

Students must have a GPA of 2.00 on all college work prior to entering the major
You must take the required Communication/Public Relations courses in the required order. Some courses have prerequisites, and these prerequisites must be completed before you can take certain courses.
If you take courses, not on your recommended program of study, it is likely the classes will not count toward your BA degree.
You must earn a grade of C or better in all Communication classes.
In order to graduate from MSU, you must have an MSU and Overall GPA of 2.0.

All programs of study are subject to review by the Registrar's Office for graduation, even from a signed program of study. Courses that do not equal MSU courses exactly may or may not apply to your program as core courses. You can see these course translations through the CAPP report found at my.msstate.edu. To access the report, log into your myState account and click on the "hamburger" icon in the top left corner in order to access the Banner tab; click or hover over the myBanner for Students tab in order to view the Academic Records column where you can click on the CAPP Compliances link.