Public Relations, BCMM (Honours)

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Students who are interested in pursuing graduate school or who wish to explore their discipline in more depth are advised to apply for admission into the Honours stream. Core BCMM program requirements are augmented with an advanced research seminar and the completion of an Honours Research Project. Please contact the Communication Student Advisor for more detailed information on admission and course planning for the Honours stream.

Admission Requirements - Honours

To be considered for admission into the Honours stream, students must achieve the following:

Minimum grade of B+ in PUBR 3855 and PUBR 3860;
Minimum GPA of 3.50 in their core courses; and
Successfully securing an Honours supervisor.

Note: Admission into the Honours stream is competitive and is not guaranteed solely on meeting the above requirements. A student who has already graduated with a Bachelor of Communication may not apply to enter the Honours stream.

Application for Admissions - Honours

Students may apply for admission into the Honours stream in the winter semester immediately after completing 60 credits toward their degree. Applications will be accepted each year from February 15 to April 15. The process for application to the Honours stream can be found by contacting the Communication Student Advisor.

If a student is admitted into the program, they will take COMM 5010 - Communications Honours Seminar in the fall semester of their final year. This will replace COMM 4501 - Roles and Practices in Contemporary Communications taken in the non-Honours stream.

Upon successful completion of COMM 5010, the student will then commence their COMM 5020 - Communications Honours Research Project in the winter of their final year. This will replace one of the six Elective requirements taken in the non-Honours stream.

Program Continuance - Honours

Students admitted to the Honours stream must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.50. Students who fail to maintain a semester GPA of 3.50 will lose their place in the Honours stream. Students will normally not be permitted to re-apply to the Honours stream and may do so only with the permission of the Chair of their honours discipline. Students permitted to re-apply must follow the procedures for “application into the Honours stream,” as mentioned above. There is no guarantee that a student will be re-admitted into the Honours stream.

Student Conduct

Public relations students are expected to adhere to the Code of Student Conduct as outlined for all students at Mount Royal. As well, students will learn and be held accountable for knowing and adhering to the Canadian Public Relations Society’s Code of Professional Standards. Any deliberate breaches to either Code, such as academic dishonesty, will incur consequences as outlined in the Mount Royal Code of Student Conduct.

Program Continuance

Students accepted into the Bachelor of Communication - Public Relations degree must comply with all Mount Royal policies and regulations relating to baccalaureate degrees and continuance.

Work Experience

To ensure our graduates are ready to take their place in the profession, Public Relations students are required to complete one non-credit, work experience with an option to complete a second work experience involving four months of full time supervised work in a public relations setting. These work experiences not only put newly learned skills to work, but they also expand the students’ network, build confidence and create opportunities to travel. Students in the Public Relations program take their first work experience during the summer following their third year, and the optional second in the winter semester of their final (fourth) year. To be eligible, all students must complete a range of prerequisites. Both work experiences involve professional placements and, as such, the program chair can, for a fixed period, deny eligibility to any student who has acted in an inappropriate and unprofessional manner during the preparation phase. Any student who receives a work experience assessment of Fail for exhibiting professional misconduct will be ineligible to continue in core courses until the work experience has been successfully completed or may be required to withdraw from the program, subject to the terms of the Student Code of Conduct.

Curriculum

The Public Relations, BCMM (Honours) includes three required Common Communication courses, 20 major specific courses, two honours courses, 10 General Education courses, and five electives, for a total of 40 courses over four years.

Common Communication Courses

The three required Common Communication courses for all BCMM students consist of the following:

Major Specific Requirements

The major in Public Relations consists of 20 courses, 18 of which are required courses and two of which are chosen from a list of options.

One of the following

Honours Specific Courses

BCMM Honours students must take the following two courses.

Zero-credit program elements

In addition to the above, students in the Public Relations major must complete the following zero-credit requirements:

PUBR 4890 - Public Relations Workplace Issues and Preparation Seminar *
PUBR 4891 - Public Relations Work Experience I *
*All courses are three credits except for zero-credit courses PUBR 4890 and PUBR 4891.

Electives

Five electives

General Education Requirements

Ten courses must be completed to meet the General Education requirements to graduate with a Bachelor of Communication.

Four courses will be taken at the foundational level: one from each of the thematic clusters.
Three courses will be taken at the second tier: no more than one from each of the thematic clusters. One of these courses must be from the Numeracy and Scientific Literacy cluster.
Three courses must be taken at the third tier, selected from at least two of the thematic clusters.

See the General Education section for more details on the nature and structure of general education.

Graduation Requirements

For graduation purposes, all degree candidates in the Bachelor of Communication - Public Relations must complete all core courses in the program, with a final grade of C or better. Students must achieve a minimum program GPA of 3.50 to be eligible for graduation within the Honours stream.

Successful completion of the total required credits and courses for graduation as listed
Successful completion of one non-credit work experience placement and the non-credit work experience preparation seminar.