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School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Certificates Corporate-Community Relations: Undergraduate You can make a vital contribution to an organization's success by helping it communicate effectively with its various internal and external publics. How an organization structures and presents its messages can make the difference between a positive, active response or negative resistance. By earning this 18-credit certificate, you will not only acquire a foundation in mass media theory, but also have the choice of elective courses that meet your particular professional or advocacy needs. Who should participate: Upon completion of this certificate, participants will be able to:

This certificate is applicable to such fields as:
corporate communications, nonprofit management, advocacy programs, public relations, broadcasting, sales, communication training, promotions, advertising, lobbying and politics, human resources and relations, and training and development.

Admission requirements Students must meet requirements for admission to the College of General Studies. For admissions guidelines and application, click here . A certificate application form must be completed and returned to a Learning Solutions/College of General Studies academic advisor. To avoid a late fee, you should complete this process when registering for courses. Fees and Tuition

If employed, check with your company's human resources office to see if you qualify for company tuition benefits. Current tuition rates are available at http://www.ir.pitt.edu/tuition/ . Financial Aid information is available at www.pitt.edu/~oafa/fahome.html . Information about billing and payment options is available at www.bc.pitt.edu/students .

Curriculum (18 credits)

Many courses are offered in the evenings, on Saturdays, and at off-campus locations. Click here to check the University schedule of classes for courses offered each term. (Not all courses are offered every term.)

For course schedule and descriptions
For most undergraduate classes offered by the School of Arts and Sciences, College of General Studies, and College of Business Administration, visit:
http://www.courses.as.pitt.edu/

Obtaining the certificate
To receive the certificate you must fill out an application with your academic advisor prior to completing your last term in the program. Check with your academic advisor for the application filing form and deadline, and be sure all requirements for the certificate have been met. To avoid a late fee, you should complete this process when registering for the term.

Required Courses

Required courses (6 credits)

Mass Communication Process
COMMRC     0320 
This course is designed to introduce students to the basic concepts of mass communication research and to the history and development of various media (TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, etc.).

Introduction to Journalism
ENGWRT     0550  
This course introduces students to the reporting and writing skills basic to all nonfiction writing.  The course examines such topics as the nature of news, differences between news, feature and magazine writing, the stylebook, reference sources, lead writing and the inverted pyramid, rewriting the press release, quotations and attribution, and interviewing.

Electives B. Choose two from the following courses (6 credits)

Ethics, Law and Public Policy in the Mass Media
 PUBSRV     TBD
This course examines selected topics of current interest in mass media law and policy, with particular attention to regulatory practices as well as the ways in which the news and entertainment media affect American politics and culture.

Theories of Persuasion
COMMRC     1111 
This course surveys theories of persuasion that have been articulated during the twentieth century.  It seeks to compare and contrast research about how the spoken word and the visual image influence public belief and action.

Special Topics: Media Relations
COMMC     1732
This course serves as a social history of the relationship between mass media and the public.  Publicity strategies, media events, and methods of educating and persuading the public are examined.

Marketing Fundamentals
BUSERV     1940  
This course provides an understanding of the roles of marketing in the economy and the firm, and develops a rationale for a marketing perspective as a guide to organizational and individual actions.  Topics covered are the marketing environment, strategic planning, market segmentation, product development, pricing, distribution, promotion, consumer decision-making, control, and marketing management.

Specializations  (6 credits)                                                 Choose two courses from the following.

Organizational Communication
 COMMRC     1102 

Special Topics: Health Communication
COMMRC     1732 

Writing Arguments
ENGCMP     0301 

Writing in the Legal Professions
ENGCMP     0410 

Writing for the Public
ENGCMP     0420 

Topics in Public/Professional Writing
 ENGCMP     0550 

Persuasive Writing: Advertising and Fundraising
ENGCMP     0515    

Newspaper I
ENGWRT     1310 

Nonfiction I
 ENGWRT     1330  

Public Relations Writing
ENGWRT     1395 

Creative Corporate Writing
ENGWRT     1397 

Corporate Speech Writing
ENGWRT     1398 

Topics in Nonfiction: Electronic Media
ENGWRT     1403 

Practices of Nonprofit Management
PUBSRV     1200 

Diversity Issues in Public Service
PUBSRV     1310 


Learning Solutions
Learning Solutions provides adult and continuing education programs that are designed to address changing employer and student needs. The high-quality, flexible programs include degree completion, certificates and enrichment courses. Learning Solutions provides a single point of access to innovative programs and services of the College of General Studies and other schools of the University of Pittsburgh that both enrich lives and promote the economic health of the region.

The University of Pittsburgh is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution.

 

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