Public Relations and Issue Management

Public Relations and Issue Management focus on the negotiation and maintenance of relationships among organizations and their social, political, and economic environments. The program emphasizes communication theory and research in examining the public discourse used to build these relationships and the practical, ethical, and philosophical implications of these relationships for society.

Study in this area draws from both an established rhetorical tradition and current public relations scholarship which emphasizes a social scientific orientation. Specific foci include political issues management, international public relations, public health campaigns, environmental and risk communication, crisis communication, diplomatic and developmental public relations, corporate advocacy, strategic public relations management, and organizational legitimacy.

Reasons to Study PR and Issue Management at Purdue
  1. Obtain a degree from one of the top-ranked communication programs in the nation
  2. Work with some of the most prolific scholars in the discipline of communication
  3. Participate in stimulating communication courses covering a wide variety of areas
  4. Design a personally-tailored plan of study that best suits your needs
  5. Collaborate with faculty members and fellow graduate students on research projects
  6. Teach or assist with undergraduate communication courses
Program Strengths and Faculty Interests
  1. Corporate rhetoric: Joshua Boyd
  2. Health campaigns, social marketing: Mohan Dutta
  3. Strategic Communication: Jakob Jensen
  4. International Public Relations; Public Diplomacy: Jeong-Nam Kim
  5. Advertising: Stephen Robb
  6. Visual Communication: Janis Page
  7. Ethnographic and critical studies: Robin Clair
  8. Health media campaigns; Risk Communication: Hyunyi Cho
Selected Course Offerings
  1. Publics and Public Relations (COM 610)
  2. Rhetorical Approaches to Issue Management (COM 610B)
  3. Corporate Advocacy (COM 610C)
  4. Theory of Public Affairs (COM 610T)
Interdisciplinary Connections

The PR/IM faculty is connected to many interdisciplinary programs on campus, including the Center for Education and Research in Information Security and Assurance (CERIAS) and the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering. Students have the opportunity to develop research and professional connections through these programs. Additionally students have the opportunity to participate in the Exchange Program for Graduate Students in Public Relations - Aarhus School of Business in Denmark. Click here for more information on the Aarhus Program.

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