Public Relations and Advertising Combined Bachelor's + Master's Degree Program

The Public Relations and Advertising combined degree program is open to all undergraduate majors across the university. Students who are interested in this program must apply to the Graduate Admission Office in their junior year, and if accepted, can take up to three graduate courses (12 credits) in their senior year. These three courses count towards both the bachelor’s program and the Master of Arts degree. Students will pay the current undergraduate tuition rate for these three courses. Once students earn their Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree from DePaul, they matriculate as a graduate student and complete the remaining required courses for their Master of Arts degree. Students should work with their undergraduate advisor to see how the graduate classes will fulfill undergraduate degree requirements. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA (B or better) in each graduate class taken in the senior year in order to continue in the program.

Admission Criteria

Admission criteria for the Public Relations and Advertising Combined Degree Program are:

  • 3.5 GPA in major courses
  • 3.0 cumulative GPA
  • Junior status
  • Completion of any two courses from the following two groups:
    • College of Communication core courses, CMN101, CMN102, CMN103, CMN104
    • Public Relations and Advertising (PRAD) major core or elective courses
  • Completion of or currently holding one or more PRAD internships or job.

In addition to the above minimum requirements, there is a strong preference that a student is an active member of a PRAD co-curricular organization (e.g., PRSSA, AAF, Bateman, or the Ad Society) or college media (e.g., The DePaulia, Radio DePaul).

Admission Requirements

Students who meet the above criteria must submit the following to the Office of Graduate Admission no later than six weeks prior to the start of their senior year (i.e., prior to the start of their final three undergraduate quarters):

Ready to Apply?

To apply to the Public Relations and Advertising Combined Degree Program please submit the following:

  • The Graduate Application 

    • Follow the instructions to create a new account or log in to an existing account.

    • Once you are in the application portal, go to the Application Details section and select "College of Communication Combined."

    • Once you have made that selection, open the application to continue the completion and submission process.

  • An official DePaul undergraduate transcript 

  • Your response to four essay questions

    Essay questions should be saved as .doc or .pdf and uploaded into online application or e-mailed to gradcom@depaul.edu.

    1. What factors contribute to your decision to enter graduate school now?
    2. How does studying public relations and advertising relate to your personal and professional goals? In your response, identify how this program suits your specific needs, goals, interests, etc.
    3. What demonstrates your suitability for graduate study in this program? Build an argument for your admission.
    4. What understanding should admission reviewers bring to a reading of your application? What additional information or explanations seem important?

  • One to two writing samples 

    • Writing samples should demonstrate an applicant’s ability to communicate clearly and concisely with a variety of audiences.
    • Examples: academic papers, scholarly articles, professional work created in internships, jobs, or freelance.

  • A résumé or curriculum vitae

    • Saved as a .doc or .pdf file.

  • Two letters of recommendation

    • One letter of recommendation from a professor in the College of Communication (preferable from a PRAD professor/class) or in the major
    • One letter of recommendation must be from a supervisor at a clearly PRAD-related internship or job.

Submitting Materials

Please submit all admission materials* to:

Office of Graduate Admission
College of Communication
DePaul University
2400 N. Sheffield Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614-2215

*Letters of recommendation and writing sample can be e-mailed to gradcom@depaul.edu

Program Standards

  • The three PRAD graduate courses taken as a senior cannot be used to fulfill core major requirements. They can be used to fill communication electives (for communication majors) and/or open electives.
  • Students admitted to the program must achieve a 3.0 GPA (B or better) in the three graduate courses taken as a senior.
  • If a student fails to meet this GPA requirement, they will not be allowed to continue as a graduate student in the program.
  • Students can defer their graduate admission for one year. If students do not matriculate after completing their undergraduate degree or within one year deferral period, the graduate courses taken as undergraduate students will no longer count towards the graduate degree and students must reapply for admission to the graduate program.
  • Students are strongly encouraged to take three of the four core classes (PRAD 553, PRAD 555, PRAD 575, PRAD 585) during their senior year.

Visit the Public Relations and Advertising MA site for more information about the graduate program.