Graduate Certificate in Public Relations
Graduate Certificate in Public Relations
Public Relations has been defined as the management function that entails planning, research, publicity, promotion, and collaborative decision-making to help any organization’s ability to listen to, appreciate, and respond appropriately to those persons and groups whose mutually beneficial relationships the organization needs to foster as it strives to achieve its mission and vision. The Graduate Certificate in Public Relations is designed to provide students with the principles and theories that guide the work of public relations practitioners in commercial, public, and non-profit contexts.
The Graduate Certificate in Public Relations is designed for working professionals who already have earned bachelor’s degrees but who would like to enhance or upgrade their skills in the area of public relations. Non-degree students who enroll in the M.A. program following completion of the Certificate may transfer up to 12 hours of credits earned for the Certificate into credits for the M.A. degree. The Certificate also is designed for students enrolled in a UCD master’s program, including the Department of Communication’s M.A. program. For such students, the Certificate can be completed as part of or in addition to the coursework required for the master’s degree (recipients of the Undergraduate Certificate in Public Relations are ineligible to complete this Certificate).
Certificate Requirements
The Graduate Certificate in Public Relations requires 12 credit hours (4 courses):
CMMU 5635 Principles of Public Relations
CMMU 5640 Advanced Public Relations
CMMU 5665 Principles of Advertising
CMMU 5240 Organizational Communication
Students may be permitted to take courses other than those listed above to fulfill the requirements for the Certificate if those courses fit their professional goals better (CMMU 5635, Principles of Public Relations may not be substituted, however). Requests for approval for substitute courses, including an explanation for the substitution, must be made in writing to Hamilton Bean.
Grade and Residency Requirements
A grade of B must be earned in each course completed as part of the Certificate. All credit hours for the Certificate must be earned at the University of Colorado at Denver.
Application Procedures and Additional Information
Students should apply for the Graduate Certificate in Public Relations after the completion of the required courses. To apply, students must complete the Department of Communication application and return it to Hamilton Bean in his mailbox in room 102-A of the Plaza Building or mail to Department of Communication, P. O. Box 173364, Campus Box 176, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO 80217-3364. The approved certificate is mailed to the student.
Students who are not already enrolled at UCD must also complete an "Application for Non-Degree Admission." The form should be returned to the Office of Admissions in the annex of the CU Building.
Additional information about the Graduate Certificate in Public Relations may be obtained from Hamilton Bean, Department of Communication, Plaza 102-Q, 303-352-3876, Hamilton.Bean@ucdenver.edu.
