ONLINE MBA: Public Relations specialization
Elevate your expertise in managing public perception and organizational reputation with our MBA in Public Relations. Master the dynamics of persuasive messaging and strategic communication essential for careers in corporate communications and brand strategy.
Complete 9 credits for the Public Relations concentration or 15 credits for the major.
GMAT/GRE
Optional
$1,069
Cost per Credit
100%
Asynchronous
With Your MBA in Public Relations, You Will:
- Manage PR campaigns.
Craft and implement persuasive messaging.
- Steer public communication.
- Shape branding strategies.
- Excel in strategic communication.
Public Relations Concentration or Major
Master the art of strategic communication with an MBA in Public Relations, where you'll deepen your expertise in crafting compelling messages and managing complex PR campaigns. Customize your degree with a concentration requiring nine credits or delve deeper with a major spanning 15 credits.
Sample Courses
COMM 727 PR Management - 3 Credits
Through case studies, learn strategies that public relations practitioners need to know to successfully manage issues and communicate effectively with external audiences, including news media.
COMM 728 Strategic Communication and Persuasion - 3 Credits
Learn how influence is created and resisted through communication in various settings, including personal relationships, public relations, advertising, and political campaigns.
COMM 719 Reputation Management - 3 Credits
Develop a comprehensive overview of reputation management both offline and online through case studies and leading models. Students will gain an understanding of the components and drivers of corporate reputation and potential risks.
With an MBA in Public Relations, you’ll be entering an occupation projected to grow by 6% by 2032—higher than the average job growth rate—and be ready to take on dynamic roles such as political strategist or chief branding officer.
The Career Outcomes website reports what our graduates do, where they work and the salaries they make.
Answers to Common Questions
You can earn your degree in as few as 12 months full-time, or complete the program part-time at your convenience.
Yes. The online MBA at the University of Delaware is delivered through the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, which has been accredited by AACSB International (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) for more than 50 years. AACSB accreditation is the highest standard of accreditation for business schools in the world, and a distinction fewer than 6% of business schools worldwide have earned.
Under certain conditions, we may be able to accept graduate credit from other institutions:
- The institution must be AACSB-accredited;
- The class must carry a grade of B or better (not a B-); and
- The class must have been completed within the past five years.
Per University policy,
- Only 9 graduate credits may be transferred in.
- Credits are not transferred until the student has completed nine credits of graduate work at the University of Delaware.
- Only earned credits transfer, not earned grades.
- Courses must have been conducted over a ~14 week semester for all credits to transfer. Credits from schools on 10-week quarters will be transferred at 2/3 value.
- Students who wish to transfer credits to the University of Delaware must provide a course syllabus (not a course description) for each course being considered and official transcripts showing the courses and grades. You may need to contact your prior institution for copies of course syllabi.
You do not need to officially declare a major or concentration until graduation although we suggest that you meet with your advisor to be sure that you are on the right track to earn the major or concentration that you want. You are not required to choose a major or concentration. If you want to pursue a General MBA, you may choose five unrelated graduate elective courses for a total of 15 credits.
You can also choose from the following options. Please keep in mind that the actual credit count may vary depending on your course waivers and course transfers.
MBA with a major and a concentration: 15 credits for the major + 9 credits for the concentration (the program will be 53 credits).
MBA with a double major: 15 credits for the 1st major + 15 credits for the 2nd major (the program will be 59 credits).
MBA with a double concentration: 9 credits for the 1st concentration + 9 credits for the 2nd concentration (the program will be 47 credits).
To be successful in the UD Lerner MBA program, you must demonstrate strong analytical and quantitative skills through prior academic work and/or recent professional experience. Applicants who are otherwise qualified for admission, but lack successful coursework in non-introductory Statistics, Calculus, Linear math classes, or work experience, may be asked to complete at their expense an MBA Math course in order to be admitted to the program. This will be communicated upon the completion of the Admissions Committee’s review of the full application.
Course waivers are granted for certain courses only and may be granted when all of the following criteria are met:
You have earned a bachelor’s degree from an AACSB-accredited institution within the past 5 years.
You have successfully completed at least 6 credits of undergraduate coursework in the related discipline with a grade of “B” or better in each course.
Except as noted below, at least 3 of the above credits are in a course at the intermediate level.
All course waivers are subject to individual review and require the submission of syllabi for all non-UD courses. Meeting the above guidelines does not guarantee that a course waiver will be granted.
Students in the MBA program may have up to 12 credits of course waivers and 9 credits of course transfers but no more than 12 credits combined between the two. A minimum of 32 graduate credits must be taken at the University of Delaware.