Advertising is the creative expression of strategic persuasive communication. Individuals and organizations use advertising to educate and motivate consumers, voters, employees, suppliers, shareholders, public interest groups, and other publics. Students of advertising will learn to use research techniques to select and understand target audiences, create relevant messages for these audiences, develop effective and efficient means for exposing these messages to the intended target, and evaluate the success of advertising campaigns. Students will learn about advertising’s role in a diverse, global marketplace.
Public relations is the creative expression of strategic persuasive communication to build relationships vital to the success of the organization. It is used by individuals and organizations to communicate and motivate consumers, voters, employees, suppliers, shareholders, public interest groups, and other publics. In the public relations program, students will master the role of PR in a diverse, global marketplace; the four-step PR process of research, program planning, communication, and evaluation; the strategies used in PR to achieve program objectives; the multimedia tactics required to implement PR programs in a digital environment; and the application of PR in the numerous venues of modern society, including corporations, agencies, and nonprofit organizations.
Programs
Advertising and public relations are the disciplines organizations use to communicate with their constituencies: customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders, public-interest groups, voters and other key publics. The purpose of the Department of Advertising and Public Relations (A+PR) is to help the world’s brands, communicators and scholars tell better stories that matter, and our mission is to change the work and the world by producing research and leaders that are creative, socially conscious and business-savvy.
The curriculum provides an analytical and conceptual approach to understanding and practicing advertising and public relations. Students also gain an appreciation of the role of these disciplines in society. Courses blend theoretical and conceptual thinking with instruction in the latest business practices. The A+PR faculty seeks to educate highly competent, focused students who will be recognized for their leadership qualities — their abilities to discern issues relating to both the practice of their profession and its role in society, to develop and execute successful communication programs, and to lead others effectively.
A total of 120 hours is required for graduation.
For more information about the advertising and public relations majors, advising, internships, etc., visit apr.ua.edu.
Faculty
Professors
- Brown, Kenon A.
- Gower, Karla K.
- Ki, Eyun-Jung
- Khang, Kyoungkoo
- McKeever, Brooke
Associate Professors
- Britt, Brian Christopher
- Hayes, Jameson
- Horsley, J. Suzanne
- Kinney, T. Lance
- Lemon, Laura
- McKeever, Robert
- Topić, Martina
- VanDyke, Matthew
Assistant professors
- Barry, Mark
- Boman, Courtney
- Bramlett, Joshua
- Brinson, Nancy
- Holiday, Steven
- Kim, Jihoon
- Kim, Seoyeon
- Lim, Dongjae
- Walters, Caleb
Senior Instructors
- Daria, Susan E.
- Huffaker, Randall
- Little, Michael T.
- Sims, Tracy R.
- Walker, Janet
- Waters, Gerald
- Wisla, Matthew
Instructor
- George, Jared
Professors emeritae
- Cartee, Karen Johnson
- Cooper, Caryl
- Elebash, Camille
- Lamme, Margaret O.
- Mancini, Marilyn
Professors emeriti
- Barban, Arnold M.
- Berger, Bruce K.
- Dennis, Alan
- Gonzenbach, William J.
- Pasadeos, Yorgo
- Phelps, Joseph E.
Courses
The Professional Exploratory provides the student with one of the following, depending on qualifications: 1) an opportunity to shadow advertising or PR professionals in the workplace while being introduced to current practices and trends in the field or 2) an opportunity to gain practical experience (such as an internship) in the advertising or public relations field. Enrollment is by permission of the internship coordinator (or faculty sponsor) and the departmental chairman. In order to qualify for APR 100 as a shadow opportunity for one hour of credit on a Pass/Fail basis, the student must have an overall GPA of at least a 2.0 and be a declared advertising or PR major or minor. In order to qualify for APR 100 as a practical experience opportunity for one to three hours of credit on a Pass/Fail basis, the student must have an overall GPA of a 2.0 and have completed the foundation courses of the advertising or PR major or minor coursework. This course is repeatable for a six-hour-credit maximum.
A survey of the theoretical, procedural and ethical issues associated with creative thinking. Examines both individual and organizational strategies for promoting creativity, and the creative thinker's role in shaping the culture. Also highlights the intellectual connections between the scholarship in creativity and its practical applications.