PUBLIC RELATIONS

In 1971, Howard University became the first historically black college or university to offer a public relations course. Within 10 years, a full sequence of courses was offered at the University and the school became the first historically black college or university to have a chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America. The chapter named itself after D. Parke Gibson, APR, a practitioner who popularized target marketing African Americans. In 1986, the Department began offering public relations as a major sequence.

Students who major in public relations take courses intended to provide them with strong writing, presentation, research and strategy skills. Students are required to complete a supervised internship as part of their curriculum and work one semester for our student-run advertising and public relations agency, CapComm. Student internship sites have included the World Bank, Washington Wizards, Congress, BET, USA Today, Fleishman-Hillard, Marriott and a host of non-profits, agencies and trade associations.

Alumni of the public relations sequence work at such major agencies as Burson-Marsteller, Fleishman Hillard, Ketchum Public Relations and Hagar Sharp. Other public relations graduates have embarked upon communications careers at government agencies, the White House, AARP, Congressional Black Caucus, The Gap, Kraft Foods, Mobil Oil, MCI, Sony Records, Reader's Digest and Johnson Publishing.

Students also have achieved a number of notable accomplishments including being recognized as the top public relations student in the nation, PRSSA Golden Key Awards, and receiving the prestigious Daniel J. Edleman/PRSSA Award. The faculty have received numerous national and international awards such as the Public Relations Educator of the Year and PR Week's Top-30-Under 30 Award. Members of the faculty provide professional consulting to major corporations, associations and government agencies, and have published numerous journal articles, book chapters and trade articles.