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Bachelor's Degree in Communication

Concentration: Public Advocacy and Media Studies (BA)

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Public Advocacy and Media Studies Concentration Overview

Purdue University Northwet’s communication degree program with a concentration in public advocacy and media studies allows students to confront current public issues while studying the role of media and its impact on social change.

Department of Communication and Creative Arts

Journalism and Public Relations are the oldest communication professions and are the basis for almost all communication careers.

Journalistic ethics, methods of research and writing are essential skills, and public relations has the broadest application of those skills and commands the highest salaries and greatest career potential for business communicators.

Public Advocacy and Change Concentration Highlights

This program features a unique opportunity to audit real clients’ communication strategies. You’ll gain hands-on experience that employers seek and graduate with a working portfolio that sets you apart in the marketplace.

Previous clients include BP, Nipsco, City of Portage, Indiana South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority, Griffith Police Department and many more.

PNW Lion Statue with a brick wall in the background Two students pose in commencement regalia in front of the Nils Building

Public Advocacy and Change Concentration Outcomes

Our experiential courses give you the tools to be successful in any future career. Upon completing the program, you’ll have the tools and confidence to complete a professional portfolio filled with your own work. It’s an indispensable tool as you network with fellow professionals and go after your dream job.

Public Advocacy and Media Studies Concentration Career Paths

A public advocacy and media studies concentration from PNW prepares you for a number of careers in the field, including:

  • Public relations specialist
  • Crisis communication specialist
  • Social media coordinator
  • News reporter-editor

Public Advocacy and Media Studies Concentration Beyond the Classroom

You’ll have many opportunities to get involved in on- and off-campus activities, including:

See All Student Organizations

Public Advocacy and Media Studies Concentration Employers

Graduates of this program are employed in organizations and companies like:

  • Boy Scouts of America
  • Lamar Advertising
  • Service Employees International Union

Public Advocacy and Media Studies Concentration Scholarships

In addition to the scholarships available to all PNW applicants, students seeking a public advocacy and media studies concentration may also apply for program-specific scholarship awards, such as:

  • The Stephen Hough Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a Communication major with a concentration in public relations.
  • Edwin F. and Elsie L. Buck Scholarship
  • John R. Troyer Communication Scholarship

See All CHESS Scholarships

Sara Komendat

I have had the opportunity to actually build a portfolio that I’m able to take to employers. I have been able to network with alumni and professors who have really helped me along the way. I feel that I am leaving with such great experience. I’m ready to go out into the real world and get a job.

Sara Komendat
Communication, Concentration: Public Relations, 2018

Meet the Faculty

Tom Roach

Thomas J. Roach, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Communication

Thomas J. Roach teaches rhetorical theory and all courses in the PR concentration including journalism, interviewing and photography.

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Earn a Bachelor's Degree in Communication with a Concentration in Public Advocacy and Change at PNW

Purdue University Northwest’s public relations and journalism concentration allows students to gain industry-relevant knowledge in a variety of fields through hands-on classes..

To see how a bachelor’s degree in communication with a concentration in public advocacy and media studies from PNW opens doors, from corporate boardrooms to non-profit leadership, take the next step today!

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