PRSA Announces Seton Hall University and West Virginia University as the Latest Schools to Adopt its MBA-Level Strategic Communications Course

NEW YORK, Oct. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) announced today that the Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University and West Virginia University's P.I. Reed School of Journalism and College of Business and Economics are the latest schools to offer the PRSA MBA-Level Strategic Communications Course.

The course was formally launched on September 18, following the completion of a successful pilot program and publication of a white paper on strategic communications at the MBA level, issued by PRSA in partnership with five leading business schools.

West Virginia University will offer the course via an innovative two-way partnership between the School of Journalism's Integrated Marketing Communications online graduate program and the College of Business and Economics. At Seton Hall, the course will be implemented via a collaborative partnership between Stillman and the Department of Communications and the Arts.

"Seton Hall and West Virginia University deserve credit not just for offering strategic communications at the MBA-level but for doing so in a highly collaborative manner that bridges talent and resources across multiple schools. In a business environment where the lines continue to blur between the disciplines, this forward-looking approach to education is of tremendous benefit to the students, their future employers and the schools themselves," said Joe Cohen, APR, Chair-Elect of PRSA and senior vice president at MWW. 

By confirming to offer in 2014, the schools join an elite and diverse group of universities that include the:

• Tuck School of Business Management at Dartmouth
• Kellogg School of Business Management at Northwestern University
• S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University (joint offering)
• Robert H. Smith School of Business Management at the University of Maryland
• College of Business Administration at the University of Texas el Paso
• School of Business at Quinnipiac University
• Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University
• Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas

"The continued momentum and fast adoption of this course by leading business schools speaks to the need from employers for MBAs with grounding in communications strategy," said Anthony D'Angelo, APR, Fellow PRSA, Co-Chair of PRSA's MBA Committee and senior communications manager at ITT Corporation. "In today's business and media environment, where corporate reputation is harder than ever to build and protect, business schools are taking notice that reputation management coursework is absolutely essential."

To best meet the needs of each business school's MBA program, the turn-key course is offered in full semester, mini-mester or seminar formats.

"Increasing numbers of business schools are expressing interest in integrating strategic communications coursework into their curricula, and we expect to see continued growth," said Judy Phair, APR, Fellow PRSA, program co-chair and president, PhairAdvantage Communications, LLC.  "We encourage interested B-schools to contact us for more information."

Schools interested in the course can obtain information through the PRSA website at http://www.prsa.org/learning/mba.

About the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
PRSA is the largest professional organization serving the U.S. public relations community. With a mission to "advance the profession and the professional," PRSA provides news and information, thought leadership, continuing education and networking opportunities; sets standards of professional excellence and ethical conduct; and advocates for the business value of public relations and greater diversity among public relations professionals. Based in New York, PRSA comprises 112 local Chapters; 14 Professional Interest Sections that focus on specific industries and practice areas; and the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), which is active at more than 320 colleges and universities.

SOURCE PRSA