Journalism & Public Relations
Find us

Tehama Hall 207
530-898-4779
jour@csuchico.edu

Summer Hours
7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Monday through Thursday

Mailing Address
Journalism & Public Relations
400 W. First St.
Chico, CA 95929–0600

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Nationally Accredited

J&PR has been accredited by
ACEJMC since 1996 and was
re-accredited in 2023. 
accred-logo
Information on enrollment,
as well as graduation and
retention rates:

About the Public Relations Option

Dare to Join the Country's #1 Creative and Media Profession

PR professionals 5 students around a tablecreate mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the audiences that engage with it. It’s an exciting and demanding job that includes a wide range of skills. For most organizations, the PR team is the: 

  • Voice and conscience of the organization.
  • Writer of content you see online or in print.
  • Community manager engaging in social media platforms.
  • Creative inspiration behind ad campaigns and special events.
  • Media relations specialists working with journalists to earn coverage.
  • Communications strategists guiding the C-suite through crisis situations.
  • Protectors of the brand’s reputation and relationships with important publics.

PR Students Get Hands-On Work

tgc logoA key component of the PR option is for students to work directly with clients to help address their organization’s communication challenges. Hands-on work through Tehama Group Communications (opens in new window)allows students to partner with both for-profit and nonprofit organizations while building a portfolio with a variety of published work.

J&PR students can:

  • Write for print, broadcast, digital and emerging media.
  • Learn client relationship management and team-building skills.
  • Produce visually compelling content using photography, video and design.
  • Conduct effective primary and secondary research.
  • Create strategic PR campaigns.
  • Experiment with emerging technology and its impact on storytelling.
  • Develop methods to measure and evaluate plan success.
  • Gain valuable leadership skills to prepare for career advancement.
  • Act ethically and strategically for clients and their audiences.

Growing Career Opportunities in PR

In 2023, U.S. News & World Report(opens in new window)ranked public relations as the best creative and media job option, and the U.S. Department of Labor(opens in new window) has projected an 8 percent growth rate in the PR industry between 2021 and 2031. Check out our J&PR Careers(opens in new window) page to see where some of our PR alumni are working. 

Students graduating from the PR option find employment in a wide variety of fields, including: 

  • Consumer PR
  • Digital and new media content creation
  • Crisis communication
  • Entertainment and sports PR
  • Health care PR
  • Legal PR
  • Media relations
  • Nonprofit communications
  • Public affairs or governmental PR
  • Tech PR

Watch the video below to learn about our program and the profession from an alumna’s perspective.