Classes are done and summer is here! I thought it would be the perfect time to let you know how the full-time public relations one year program works.

First of all, there is a huge difference between the fall semester and the spring semester. The fall semester was a lot more work, to be honest. Most of my classmates and I are completing the program in one calendar year.

So in the fall we took the required courses: Public Relations Theory, Research Methods, and Law and Ethics. Most of us took Crisis Management as an elective and, in addition, I also took the online Interactive Communications course elective. Most of my classmates took the healthcare class for their second elective. I hope you understand that there are choices with what you want to study! I am not interested in healthcare but I am more interested in social media so I was able to take a course better suited to my interests.

The first semester is mainly an introduction to the field, which is perfect for people who do not have a PR background (like me!). We learned the theory aspect of the discipline, which required a lot of reading. We learned so much about being ethical in a field known for being a bunch of "spin doctors." Our major assignments were mostly papers. It sounds painful but it really prepped us on the theory and prepared us for writing our theses this semester.

So the second semester of the program is very different from the first. This semester is more hands-on because we used all our newly acquired skills. This semester took PR Writing, Integrating Marketing Communications (IMC), Research Design and Strategic Planning. The elective everyone else took was International PR, but I chose another online Interactive Communication class. In lieu of either electives, many of my classmates did an internship. We didn't have class on Tuesdays or Fridays so many of them went to their internships on those days.

Like I said, this past semester was less intense. Our Research Design class allowed us to start our thesis, section by section. The majority of our writing assignments were for this class. The IMC class was mostly group work presentations, which simulates the type of projects we will be doing in the working world. Our PR Writing class consists of weekly assignments that we can use for our portfolio. The strategic planning course gave us the opportunity to make a campaign for a real client.

That's the difference between the two semesters. I hope it gives you a better understanding of the program. So what's next? This summer, I will write my professional project. Because we only need the 6 credit professional project/thesis course my classmates and I were able to walk in the graduation ceremony!

--Randi Iaco

Randi graduated in 2009 from Central CT State University with an undergraduate degree in Marketing. Subscribe to our feed for more posts from Randi.