Admission Requirements
Contact Information

PROGRAM: Public Relations

Degree: Master of Arts

The Public Relations program at Iona provides opportunities for practical experience with corporations, agencies, and media outlets in the New York City metropolitan area. The program allows for specialization in non-profit organizations as well as sports and entertainment among other areas.

Campus Location:

New Rochelle Rockland Graduate Center

Accreditation: ACEJMC: Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication

Specific focus of the program:
Professional public relations and communications, including marketing, media relations and promotional campaigns for corporations, nonprofits, sports and entertainment.

Key features:

• Accreditation by the primary US professional association and only 1 of 4 in New York State
• Professional focus
• Courses offered in the evening and online so students can work during the day
• Broad selection of courses and ability to customize the program for student’s needs
• Proximity to NYC, the world's largest media market
• Availability of internships
• Small class sizes

Sample job titles of alumni:

• Account executive, top PR firm;
• Assistant US secretary of education for communications;
• Manager of affiliate relations, nonprofit environmental firm;
• Employee communications specialist, Fortune 100 corporation;
• Regional communications director, U.S. Postal Service;
• Media relations manager, commercial real estate firm;
• Communications director, metropolitan hospital;
• President, investor relations PR firm.

Faculty research areas/interests:
Principles and history of public relations; feature writing; media theory, effects, and economics; media law and ethics; crisis communications; corporate and organizational communications; technologies including computer animation, informational graphics, and digital video; societal effects of changing communication technologies; minority, gender, and cross-cultural communications; advertising measurement and design; visual arts and communication; influence of communication technology on religious belief; crime victims and the media; terrorism and the media; Supreme Court history; public affairs; presidential press relations; journalism history; sports journalism; business journalism; copy writing and editing; newsroom leadership

Adjunct Faculty affiliations:
Vice president for marketing, large East Coast communications firm
Free lance writer, book author
Senior vice president for public affairs, industrial information institute
Director of the Workplace Institute, large community college
Local editor, large metropolitan newspaper
Production copy editor, large metropolitan newspaper

Calendar:
Semester
Each class meets for three hours, one evening a week
Many courses are offered online

Entry terms: Fall, spring, summer

Application deadline:
Rolling; we encourage you to submit application documents at least two weeks before the start of the term

Average courseload per term: 2-3 courses (three credits each)

Credits to completion:

36

Average time to complete the degree: 2-3 years

Preferred academic preparation or background experience:
BA in a discipline that will inform PR writing and practice. For example, a chemistry major could benefit from the degree and find work in the chemical or related industries.

Admission requirements:

• Application for admission
• Official transcripts from all colleges attended
• Two professional letters of recommendation
• Current resume
• Minimum GPA 3.0 without GRE or at discretion of the director
• GRE (if cumulative UG GPA is below 3.0; minimum 450 on verbal section)
• Interview
• Three writing samples illustrative of ability to use language and construct written work
• Resume

Department Contact: Prof. Jim Eggensperger (914) 637-2701 jeggensperger@iona.edu

Admissions Contact: (914) 633-2502 admissions@iona.edu

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