A Review of the Public Relations Courses Offered in Departments of Colleges and Universities.

This article reviews United States university catalogs to map public relations curriculum across academic disciplines. Content analysis identifies communication departments as the principal locus of course offerings, outpacing journalism, business, mass communication, and interdisciplinary units. Although journalism and mass communication once were presumed dominant, findings reveal substantial growth within liberal arts based communication programs, including robust five course sequences that meet professional accreditation guidelines. The study also shows that most programs are administratively situated in liberal arts colleges rather than journalism schools, challenging prevailing assumptions in national commission reports. By comparing departmental titles, administrative homes, and the prevalence of internship structures, this article supplies baseline data for curriculum research, program assessment, and future policy development in public relations education.