What Do Our National Rankings Mean?

The First and Only
When Ball State’s master’s degree in public relations received Certification in Education for Public Relations (CEPR) from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), it became the first and only graduate program to be certified in the country.

Certification was based on a site visit and review of curriculum, faculty, resources and facilities, students, assessment of objectives, professional affiliations, university support, and commitment to diversity.

“Responses from the evaluation committee were overwhelmingly positive,” says Dick Shoemaker, public relations sequence coordinator. “This is the direct result of the hard work and dedication our faculty and students commit toward pursuing academic excellence. We are very proud of this honor.”

The largest professional organization serving the field of public relations, PRSA is a community of more than 21,000 public relations and communication professionals worldwide.

One of Top 10 Up and Comers
When our master’s degree in public relations was named one of the Top 10 Up and Coming Graduate Programs by the Commission on Public Relations Education, the program joined company with PR and communications graduate programs from the University of Southern California and Columbia, Georgetown, George Washington, and Johns Hopkins universities.

“All Top 10 share the same goal—graduating students who are educated to take their place as strategic thinkers and doers in the expanding public relations profession and associated fields,” writes Don Bates, PR instructor with New York University, at commPRO.biz. “A master’s degree from one of these programs more than likely will provide a big leg up on the competition.”

Of the Top 10, Bates also notes: “For certain they’ve topped the profession’s buzz meter as the most popular choices among people who want to get into the field quickly, and people in the field who want to get on the fast track to top management.”