This article describes how students can obtain a bachelor degree at a community college and focuses on Centennial College’s Bachelor of Public Relations Management, which takes four years to complete.

1. Bachelor of Public Relations Management Balances
Subjects for Thorough Understanding
A university is no longer the only place to obtain a four-year bachelor
degree. While community colleges are traditionally known for offering
diploma and certificate programs, they are now expanding into degree
program areas. These offerings, however, do not follow the traditional
structure of a university-level undertaking. At Centennial College, students
have four degree programs from which to choose.
One of these offerings is the Bachelor of Public Relations Management
program, which is open to anyone with an Ontario Secondary School
Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent; at least six Grade 12U, Grade 12M, or OAC
credits with an overall average of 65 per cent or higher (courses must
include English Grade 12U with a final grade of 70 per cent or higher). It is
worth noting that after admission, students are asked to take a
mathematics assessment. The outcome of the assessment determines math
placement or exemption.
All of the Public Relations courses featured in the offering are geared
towards helping students to secure the knowledge they will need to be field-ready
after four years of study. As a result, students:
· gain an in-depth understanding of the public relations industry with
highlights such as building critical skills for career success in
professional writing, research, strategic communications and social
and digital media;
· become familiar with business skills such as financial management,
organizational behaviour, business law and accounting that will give
them a competitive edge in the marketplace;
· focus on global citizenship, corporate social responsibility and the role
communicators play in helping organizations make change;
· learn the skills to navigate today’s digital world, including developing
multifaceted social media and integrated online marketing programs.
As mentioned above, unlike other PR programs this offering includes a focus
on business, specific courses within this undertaking include Introduction to
Public Relations, Statistics, Corporate Social Responsibility, Strategic
Communications Planning, Internal Communications, Advanced Social
Media, Investor Relations, Public Sector Communications, Advanced PR
Writing and more.

2. While Public Relations programs at university level typically have a
theoretical focus, this offering also incorporates ways for students to
practice the skills they gain. This is achieved through projects that mimic
scenarios that students may encounter in the real world.
Rounding out this PR program Toronto-based offering is a fifteen-week
industry field placement. During the semester-longer experience, students
apply everything they have learned, expanding their professional network
and gaining experience that they can then feature on their resumes.
With this Public Relations Degree, grads can secure positions in a number of
career paths. That’s because the combination of business and digital
communications principles gives grads a competitive edge. Among the
career areas for which grads are prepared are: public relations agencies,
corporate communications and investor relations departments, digital
marketing companies, not-for-profit sector organizations, and hospitals and
healthcare organizations.