In addition to required and elective coursework in the Master of Science Public Relations curriculum, students must complete a final degree requirement. There will be options to complete this requirement remotely. Students can fulfill the final degree requirement in one of four ways:

  1. Final Presentation of Work: We expect the majority of students who plan to enter the PR industry to complete the presentation requirement.
  2. Page Society Case Study Competition: This is another opportunity, but requires approval by the Page Society Case Study Competition faculty advisor. (Fall semester opportunity)
  3. Professional Project: For students in the London program, or by faculty mentor approval. Students must secure a faculty first reader and second reader, and submit a professional project proposal at least one semester prior to planned program completion. 
  4. Thesis: For students hoping to continue in a doctoral program. Students must secure a faculty first reader and second reader, and submit a thesis proposal at least one semester prior to planned program completion. Students should begin this process in their first semester of enrollment.

Please read the instructions below. More information will be provided once students declare their intentions early in the fall semester, but the department will be happy to answer questions via the form at the bottom of this page.

What does it mean to declare my intention?

Early each semester, students will receive an email asking them to complete a Google form to communicate with the faculty how they will fulfill this final degree requirement. The deadline to complete this form will be September 13, 2024.

Students choosing the Final Presentation of Work or the Page Society Case Study Competition will receive further instructions and access to supporting materials after they complete this form.

Note, for the thesis or professional project, students should begin their work in the second semester, however, and not wait for the fall. Those students participating in the London program will automatically declare intentions to fulfill this requirement through the professional project.

This presentation serves as a capstone for the master’s degree and will illustrate the synthesis of your graduate education in public relations. Please read the instructions below. Students who choose this option will receive more information. Faculty do not expect students to begin earlier than their final semester, as all work can be accomplished in that timeframe. The department will be happy to answer questions via the form below.

Develop a new public relations pitch you would deliver to an organization of your choice to sell your public relations plan and capabilities specifically tailored to that organization’s unique situation and goals.”

Process:

To help you prepare, you will identify an organization with either an untapped opportunity or that is facing a major reputation/relational challenge or threat. Analyze the situation and set specific communication objectives to help the company address the situation. Through researching the organization, its communication approach, stakeholder relationships, and competitors, you will develop insights to guide your strategy approach. Ground your strategy with relevant communication and public relations concepts and/or theories. Develop an integrated communication campaign based on those concepts and that demonstrates your analytical, strategic, and creative abilities. Develop the specific communication tactics you will use (paid, earned, shared, and owned media). Determine how you will monitor progress toward your objectives and ultimately, how you will know if your plan will be successful. You will present your plan as if the panel of professors are the client.

Required Elements:

Deliver a 15-minute-long (maximum) presentation to a panel of faculty members, followed by a short Q&A, that includes:

  • Introduction to yourself and your capabilities
  • Organizational overview, including current challenge, threat, or opportunity
  • Key insights about the audiences/stakeholders, industry, and competitors
  • Communication objectives (SMART) that would contribute to addressing the situation
  • Strategic approach and supporting concepts
  • Integrated PESO tactics
  • At least five samples of paid, earned, shared, and owned content you would use in your campaign to bring your strategy to life and help you achieve your objectives
  • Evaluation
  • A conclusion that states why your plan is the right one for the situation and why you are the best practitioner for the client

Additional Considerations:

  • The presentation should draw upon the concepts master’s students have learned in courses such as CM722, CM701, CM700, CM742, and other elective graduate courses.
  • Students should pursue an organization based on their interests (corporate, nonprofit, government, international, etc.).
  • As this is a new public relations pitch, students should engage the audience and establish rapport. Presentation skills matter.
  • Students can supplement their talk with brief presentation slides. Students are advised to use slides as visual highlights and should avoid excessive text or text that is too small to read. Students should be prepared to showcase their creative PESO elements either via slides or printouts.
  • Students are not permitted to work on their presentations together or present the same work as another student.
  • Faculty will be able to answer general questions, but cannot provide direct help on projects as that would create an unfair advantage. Students selecting this option will have the opportunity to attend an orientation meeting, and receive more information, templates, and tips to support their final presentations.

Topic Approval: 

Professors will hold an orientation meeting and this meeting will be recorded if students cannot attend.

Students will then submit a brief one-page proposal via the “assignment” function in Blackboard by September 27, 2024, outlining their topic. The faculty will return feedback on the proposal by October 11, 2024.

Presentations: More details, including a template, presentation tips, lessons, and deadlines will be provided to students choosing this option. All presentations will be recorded in the event of a grading dispute.

Presentation Date: November 6 & 7, 2024

Grading: A panel of two full-time public relations faculty will judge your presentation and score it to arrive at a pass or fail. Students cannot select faculty for grading. An outline for grading and requirements will be shared via Blackboard.

From the Page Society’s website:

“Page, in alliance with the Institute for Public Relations, conducts an annual competition for the writing of original case studies by students enrolled in a school of business, communication or journalism and who are pursuing a degree that is focused on corporate communications and the practice of public relations. The objectives of the competition are to introduce the practical applications of the core principles that define public relations as a critical function of management to scholars, teachers, and students, and encourage research that contributes to the profession’s body of knowledge and provides practical suggestions on how to improve the corporate public relations function.”

Students graduating in January have the option of writing a case study for submission to the Page Case Study Competition as their degree completion requirement. Case studies may be written individually or in teams, depending on the number of entries allowed in the competition, and is at the discretion of the faculty advisor, Dr. Arunima Krishna. This option is only available during the fall semester for students graduating in January.

If you are interested in pursuing this option as your final degree requirement, please email Dr. Krishna before September 15th, to learn more about this competition and the process of being accepted into this option. If a student applies but is not accepted to be on a Case Study team, the student will need to fulfill the final master’s degree requirement with the Final Presentation.

BU’s graduate program has a proud history at the Page Society Competition. Our graduate students have received top honors in the last two years.

  • 2021: COM graduate students Clay Patrick and Caitlin Dickinson won the grand prize, the Jack Koten Grand Study Award which carries a $5000 prize.
  • 2020: COM graduate student Noah Cavicchi won the First Prize in the communications category, winning $2,500.
  • 2019: COM graduate students Sarah Dasher and Olivia Zed won the grand prize, the Jack Koten Grand Study Award which carries a $5000 prize.

You can read these case studies here: https://page.org/study_competitions

Note: To fulfill the degree completion requirement, you need to write a case study, either individually or as a team that is deemed by the faculty advisor as being acceptable for submission. You do not need to either submit the case study or win a prize for the final degree requirement to be fulfilled.

Students who pursue the Summer London program will automatically complete a professional project. In addition, students have the option to complete an individual final professional project. This requires a formal proposal, faculty supervision, and two faculty readers. Students should initiate this process in their second semester by emailing the Mass Communication, Advertising and Public Relations Department for instructions.

Students who plan to pursue a Ph.D. program have the option to complete a thesis. This requires a formal proposal, faculty supervision, and two faculty readers. Students should initiate this process in their second semester by emailing the Mass Communication, Advertising, and Public Relations Department (mcadvpr@bu.edu) for instructions.

Final Graduation Requirement Questions