Strategic Communications for Social Change

Public interest communications is an emerging field that uses strategic communications grounded in research and science to achieve sustained and positive social change in areas ranging from climate change and racial justice to health care access and housing policy. It borrows from its sister fields of public relations, advertising, journalism and marketing and is informed by sociology, psychology, neuroscience and political science.

The issues to which public interest communications is applied transcend the interests of any single organization. The idea is to create lasting change by going beyond just raising awareness to motivating people to effect positive societal change.

Why Should I Pursue Public Interest Communications?

Public interest communications is needed now more than ever. Be one of a new generation of students representing an array of cultures and voices, and equipped with public interest communications and research skills that you can use to effect positive social change in the world.

Public interest communications is a rewarding field for anyone who wants to help make a positive difference in the world. Do you see a broad societal problem? You can apply public interest communications to help solve it. Careers range from being a communications director at a nonprofit organization or a media relations officer at a foundation to being an account executive at a strategic communications firm.

Public Relations is designed to prepare students for entry-level jobs as technicians, such as producing social media strategies and tactics or effective multimedia news releases, as well as for career advancement as managers, such as formulating a communication plan for a new initiative or forecasting the reputational impact of an organizational decision or action. Excellent writing and critical thinking skills are essential. Learn more about our curriculum here.

The Public Relations Department offers more than 30 required and elective classes to prepare you for careers in advertising and related industries. You can find a list of these courses in the UF Course Catalog. 

You can view a list of syllabi for most PR classes over the past four semesters.

The Public Relations Academic Learning Compact identifies the skills students should acquire if they follow the major’s prescribed course of study. These skills describe the core learning expectations in the areas of content knowledge and skills, communication skills and critical thinking skills that UF is required to assess for each baccalaureate degree program.

Our combination degree allows undergraduate students to take graduate-level courses and receive both an undergraduate and Master of Arts in Mass Communication degree with less time and money than pursuing both separately.