Corporate Communication and Public Relations Ontario College Graduate Certificate
ObjectivesFanshawe’s Corporate Communication and Public Relations program is an intense one-year program designed to prepare college and university graduates to enter the exciting and challenging world of communications. Students will hone their writing and presentation skills, learn the latest desktop publishing and web design techniques and face the public relations and ethics challenges that will increase their communication related skills.
Practical experienceA second-term field placement allows students to put these new skills to work.
Entry requirementsThis program is suited to individuals with above-average writing skills, an outgoing personality and an ability to see solutions when others are focusing on problems.
Academic titleCorporate Communication and Public Relations Ontario College Graduate Certificate
Course descriptionLevel 1 Credits
Take all of the following Mandatory Courses:
COMP-6020 Internet Research and Web Page Design 3.00
CORP-6006 Trends & Technologies in PR 3.00
CORP-6002 Presentation Skills & Multimedia I 3.00
CORP-6007 InDesign 1 3.00
PBRL-6002 Public Relations & Ethics-Case Study 3.00
PBRL-6003 Writing for Public Relations 3.00
SKLS-6001 Facilitation Skills 3.00
PBRL-6011 Intro to Public Relations & Corp. Comm. 3.00
Level 2 Credits
Take all of the following Mandatory Courses:
COMP-6007 - Photoshop
Students are introduced to common features used in Photoshop such as RGB, CMYK, photo colour correction, and Adobe ImageReady for the web. Students learn how to control all resolutions and formats for electronic publishing/imaging and pre-press. Students learn collaging, close cropping, and repairing digital photos, special effects, stain removal, changing colours, layer collaging, and creating a home page by design through Photoshop.
COMP-6020 - Internet Research and Web Page Design
Students will learn to use e-mail, FTP, Internet research skills and web page design. Students will configure a web browser. Advanced searching techniques combined with HTML web page design and maintenance will be featured. This course prepares the students for a wide range of communication applications of new technologies.
COMP-6021 - Applied MS Office Skills
COMP-6021 is a comprehensive on-line course on using the MS-Office Suite in a businessenvironment. This course is ideal for the corporate communications consultant who would like to extract advanced features of MS-Office to increase their personal productivity. Case studies assignments, simulations will be used to reinforce concepts discussed. Students will learn advanced techniques in integrating MS-Office software packages such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access.
CORP-6002 - Presentation Skills & Multimedia I
Responding to expectations in the professional and business worlds, this course prepares participants to present themselves and their messages with credibility and confidence. The basics include personality styles, communication theory, overcoming nervousness and developing self-confidence. Students will participate in a number of speaking situations that will reinforce the principles of presentation research, organization and delivery.
CORP-6006 - Trends & Technologies in PR
Various PR trends and new technologies and social media are studied. Individual research projects result in professional written reports sometimes for various media. Teams of students benefit from the hands-on organizational skills involved in arranging a professional guest lecture seminar or topical seminar and producing a professional information package. The seminars may involve client interaction with outside organizations.
CORP-6007 - InDesign 1
This course will be focused on computer lab time to encourage students to develop, compose and edit work on a MAC computer. The student will follow Desktop Publishing with InDesign® Skills Guides 1 and 2, which consist of weekly exercises and weekly projects for the student to complete, save to disk, and submit to the instructor for grading. In addition, on a weekly basis and as assigned by the instructor, the student will enter answers to concepts discussed in class and practiced in weekly exercises/projects into the appropriate pages of their InDesign® Guides and submit it to the instructor for grading.
CORP-6008 - InDesign 2
This course has been designed to advance working skills of InDesign learned in the first semester. It will expand design talent and increase personal productivity with this powerful desktop publishing and electronic pre-print tool. Working with text and colour in detail, setting defaults, using scanners, working with the program utilities and time saving tips will all be covered. Students will have a firm understanding of typesetting terminology and be capable of preparing materials for professional printing tasks. Students are introduced to web applications at the end of the course.
FLDP-6001 - Independent Study-Program Topic
This self-directed course will enable the student to pull together many of the skills learned in the CC and PR Program, such as applying PR skills and multimedia presentation. The students will be expected to participate in a 120 hour field placement, and to present their findings to the class in written and visual formats. In effect, this independent communications and/or PR project issue is the culmination of the entire program. Learning contract, proposal, and reports will be written by the students as the project unfolds.
PBRL-6002 - Public Relations & Ethics-Case Study
Students will be introduced to the role and necessity for ethical standards in business, public relations and the media. The course is based on a case study method using cases drawn from real business situations. Using a combination of research papers, textbook and case studies, students will be required to discuss the cases, papers, and solutions in class.
PBRL-6003 - Writing for Public Relations
This course introduces students to various writing situations encountered in public relations. Writing, interviewing, quoting and summarizing skills will be developed. Special emphasis is placed on reviewing and refining basic grammar skills, and on editing for business writing.
PBRL-6007 - Writing for PR & Media Relations
This course will introduce students to the methods of media relations. The course explores some of the tools of media relations, including press releases, feature articles, brochures, and press conferences. Participants will also create a portfolio of their work, and a résumé.
PBRL-6011 - Intro to Public Relations & Corp. Comm.
Students will be introduced to key principles and process of public relations. Topics of study include the history and theory of public relations, PR planning and research, developing corporate communication plans and organizing special events. A case study method combined with student presentations, group assignments and guest lectures will be used.
PBRL-6012 - Strategic Planning & Crisis Management
Student will learn to understand McLuhan's claim that "the medium is the message". Students will gain an understanding of the unique properties, strengths and weaknesses of a variety of communication vehicles. Students will learn and practice public relations with a specific focus on strategic and crisis planning and applications. Students will learn effective strategies for dealing with stakeholders, and publics through projects and case studies.
PBRL-6013 - Specializations in PR
Students will learn and discuss areas of specialty in public relations. Topics of study include marketing, advertising, consumerism, communication audits and public affairs. Organizing special events and implementing public relations campaigns will give students application of public relations and re-enforce the framework of public relations learned in PBRL 500 - Introduction to Public Relations and Corporate Communications.
SKLS-6001 - Facilitation Skills
This course focuses on developing facilitation skills and conducting a workshop/seminar. Students will learn practical skills for working with and facilitating teams. Students will become proficient at both leading and participating in groups throughout the stages of team development. Students completing this course will have the skills to facilitate goal setting, problem solving, conflict resolution, strategic planning, content delivery, and other group activities.