Journalism and Public Relations Department

Professors: R. Davis, C. Lemza, S. Murphy, J. Slater
Associate Professors: M. Ouellette
Assistant Professor: M. Barcomb
Lecturers: J. Downs

Contact Us
Chairperson: Colleen Lemza, Professor
Phone: 518-564-2408
Email: lemzaca@plattsburgh.edu

The Journalism and Public Relations Department offers a degree in public relations (0292) and journalism (0276) in which you learn to write and produce content for multimedia, magazine and newspaper outlets and to stories using words, photos, audio, video and graphics.

In journalism, you will study newswriting and reporting, journalism ethics and law, current affairs and issues, and the history of the U.S. media industry. All of our students gain hands-on experience at the department’s online and print magazine and the campus’s award-winning student newspaper, and prepare for your first job in journalism by interning internationally, nationally, regionally or locally. You can also opt to complete a minor in journalism. Non-traditional students might take the opportunity to retrain with our professional certificate in multimedia journalism.

The public relations major is your gateway into the corporate communication. Our public relations major provides you with a broad spectrum of knowledge and practical experience that prepare you for an engaging career as a public relations practitioner. Our graduates work in both the private and public sectors, either in corporate and agency settings or governmental and other institutional environments. You will learn about concepts of persuasion and communication strategies, relationship-building, audience analysis and public opinion research, project management and the latest techniques in social media. The public relations program places a strong emphasis on writing and speaking - essential communication skills in today’s competitive marketplace. You will have a number of opportunities within the public relations major to put your acquired knowledge to work, whether through professional internships, hands-on practical work, or developing public relations campaigns for real clients in several of our upper level courses and our student-led public relations agency, Cardinal PR. You will also be able to gain a taste of the professional world when you join our chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). PRSSA members travel to regional and national conferences, participate in leadership training trips, host social and educational events on campus and organize an annual college celebration of the public relations profession.

Programs

Majors (Undergraduate)

Minors (Undergraduate)

Certificates (Undergraduate)

Multimedia Journalism Certificate

Print this Page