Bachelor of Public Relations
(Instruction Language is Arabic)
About Program
Program Learning Outcomes
About Program
Goals
- Provide the United Arab Emirates, Gulf countries and the Arab region with public relations specialists and practitioners for the purpose of contributing in the development of the public relation sector.
- Enrich the industry with graduates who are able to adapt and understand the public relation sector.
- Allow graduates to interact with practitioners and community professionals to preserve and develop the nation, and its public and private sectors.
- Strengthen the relation with relevant entities to recognize the required needs from graduates and to conduct research and consulting.
- Continuously communicate and collaborate with external stakeholders from the industry to assess the quality of the program in order to ensure its compatibility with the present needs and future changes.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Explain the of role of public relations in governmental and private organizations.
- Summarize the concepts of Humanities in public relations.
- Apply the Public relations strategies in the field of media and mass communication.
- Implement the promotional and marketing campaigns for Public relations purposes.
- Use the Scientific research results to find innovative solutions in public relations.
- Arrange using the modern techniques within the digital communication in promotional campaigns and mass communication methods.
- Achieve professional and Managerial Ethics at the organization.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
For further information, please click here
ACCREDITATION
The American University in the Emirates is licensed by the UAE Ministry of Education – Commission for Academic Accreditation | caa.ae
Retention Rate
AUE defines the undergraduate student retention rate as the percentage of first-year, full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate students enrolling in the Fall semester and returning in the following Fall semester
| Cohort Year | Cohort Count | Retained to Next Fall | Retention % |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Fall 2018 – 2019 |
8 |
5 |
63% |
|
Fall 2019 – 2020 |
4 |
3 |
75% |
|
Fall 2020 – 2021 |
1 |
1 |
100% |
|
Fall 2021 – 2022 |
1 |
1 |
100% |
|
Fall 2022 – 2023 |
1 |
1 |
100% |
Graduation Rate
AUE defines the graduation rate for the undergraduate program as the ratio of the total number of completers within 150% of the normal time required for the program (6 years for undergraduate), divided by the number of students in the entering cohort.
| Cohort Year | Cohort Count | Graduated | Graduation% |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Fall 2013 – 2014 |
1 |
O |
0% |
|
Fall 2014 – 2015 |
O |
O |
– |
|
Fall 2015 – 2016 |
5 |
3 |
60% |
|
Fall 2016 – 2017 |
8 |
2 |
25% |
|
Fall 2017 – 2018 |
5 |
4 |
80% |
Enrollment Rate
| Fall 2020-21 | Fall 2021-22 | Fall 2022-23 | Fall 2023-24 | Fall 2024-2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
143 |
135 |
163 |
225 |
310 |
Preparatory Courses
Prior to their enrollment in the program, students applying for Bachelor of Arts in Media and Mass Communication must sit for the placement test related to the program, failure to successfully passing the placement test, they are required to enroll in the following courses:
| # | Course Code | Course | Credit Hours | Exemption Condition |
| 1 | CIT 90 | Computer Preparatory | 0 | Passing the Placement Test |
| 2 | ARA 90 | Arabic Preparatory | 0 | Passing the Placement Test |
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
Course Category
Total Number of Courses
Total Number of Credit Hours
General Education Courses
18
54
Core Courses
9
27
Specialization Courses
12
30
Specialization Electives
3
9
Free Elective
2
6
Total
44 Courses
126 Credit Hours
FEE STRUCTURE
Tuition (One Semester)
………
Approx. 29,892 AED
One academic year is two semesters
Admission (One Time)
………
3,150 AED
Last Updated on October 7, 2024
General Education Courses
Core Courses
Specialization Courses
Specialization Electives
Free Electives
General Education Courses
GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES
18 COURSES | 54 CREDIT HOURS
A: University Core Requirements
The student selects 6 credit hours (2 courses) from the list below:
The purpose of this course is to facilitate the process of transition into the new academic and cultural environment for the new students enrolled in the AUE. Furthermore, it aims to promote their confidence so that they could succeed and meet their academic requirements. The course assimilates academic content with interactive in-class activities to ensure understanding of curricular options and begin to develop a future career plan through self-reflection.
Innovation is the engine of opportunity and, acting as a catalyst, this course is intended to ignite an interest in innovation and inspire entrepreneurial action. At the core of innovation and entrepreneurship is a commitment to experiential learning that will encourage students to engage in critical thinking, creative problem-solving while also equipping them with the soft skills needed in their pursuit of academic and professional endeavors. Students will discuss the relevance and role of innovation and entrepreneurship in work and life situations; determine opportunities for creative disruption and design a strategy for its implementation; develop a practical understanding of innovation through thoughtful debate and exercises, and demonstrate critical thinking and individual insight with a personal mastery portfolio.
B: Languages and Communication Studies
The student selects 9 credit hours (3 courses) from the list below:
This course provides students with advanced writing skills in English so that they can successfully pursue their studies in various academic specializations. It helps students to develop, improve, and upgrade their writing and structure skills, and it also acquaints students with technical writing, research papers, and essays since brief research methods are applied in student projects and assignments.
The intent of this course is two-fold. First, it introduces students to the basic research terminologies. Second, it familiarizes them with the process of research from choosing a topic to writing the proposal. Students will be immersed in a hands-on experience where they will be introduced to research concepts that will help them understand, interpret, and review a journal article. Contents to be covered include the language of research, types of research, elements of the scientific research proposal, writing an academic research proposal using APA style, research ethics, identifying data collection instruments, and interpreting data.
Student choose one of the below Arabic courses
This course is designed to enable the Arabic-speaking student with the necessary language skills, especially focusing on the steps of writing reports, official letters and systematic research.
To achieve this, and to develop the student’s abilities to understand correctly what he reads and listens, and to gain the ability to write articles, reports, meeting minutes and recommendations of conferences and seminars in a sound manner, the course was concerned with training the student in basic writing skills; such as multiple spelling rules, punctuation marks, paragraph system, and essay writing progressively.
To achieve this, and to develop the student’s abilities to understand correctly what he reads and listens, and to gain the ability to write articles, reports, meeting minutes and recommendations of conferences and seminars in a sound manner, the course was concerned with training the student in basic writing skills; such as multiple spelling rules, punctuation marks, paragraph system, and essay writing progressively.
This course is based on the principle that “Education” is an accumulative task especially when it comes to language learning. This process undergoes specific stages to assist the non-Arabic speakers to reach the ultimate goal which is to acquire the required skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) easily and accurately. To achieve this aim, text-based dialogues are provided as head start for the non-Arabic speakers to continue to the higher levels. The course also provides basic elements for reading, writing, dialogues, and listening to assist the learners to confidently interact with the Arab community.
This course is based on the principle that “Education” is an accumulative task especially when it comes to language learning. This process undergoes specific stages to assist the non-Arabic speakers to reach the ultimate goal which is to acquire the required skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) easily and accurately. To achieve this aim, text-based dialogues are provided as a head start for the non-Arabic speakers to continue to the higher levels. The course also provides basic elements for reading, writing, dialogues, and listening to assist the learners in confidently interacting with the Arab community.
C: The Natural Sciences or Mathematics
The student selects 6 credit hours (2 course) from the list below:
The natural science course incorporates a wide range of subjects sciences such as astronomy, geology, biology, chemistry, and environmental science. The course will present the scientific facts of astronomy, the Earth and its weather, water, and environment, biology, and nutrition with the chemicals of life. The course emphasizes understanding the core principles of different branches of science and their effects on our lives. Moreover, the course explores the scope of natural phenomena, changing environmental conditions, general health rules of nutrition, and the variety of living organisms. The course helps the students to acquire skills in observation, critical thinking, analyzing, interpreting, understanding, and discussing scientific terminology and facts.
This course gives a thorough introduction to sustainable energy, conservation, and energy efficiency within the UAE and the world. It will explore the relationship between energy, environment, economy, and ecological well-being. It will discuss energy production from the biology, natural science, environmental science, and social sciences perspectives. A variety of topics will be introduced including global warming, climate change, sustainable food production, solid wastemanagement, environmental and natural resources laws. The course includes the growing challenges of climate change and energy crises and proposes solutions to overcome them.
The ‘Principles of Environmental Science course is designed to introduce the fundamental concepts of environmental science to undergraduate students. It includes topics from different areas of study such as ecology, biology, soil science, and atmospheric science. The course aims at raising environmental awareness among students and providing them with the scientific knowledge and skills to identify, prevent and solve environmental problems. Additionally, it deals with ecological concepts, organism interactions, communities, and ecosystems. The course focuses on key areas of population dynamics, biodiversity, human activities, environment-managed ecosystems, air quality, water, and solid waste management.
This course is designed to develop a good understanding of the fundamental concepts of mathematics. It also stresses crucial cognitive transferable skills such as the ability to think logically and concisely. Mastering this course will give students the confidence to go on and do further courses in mathematics and statistics.
D: The Social or Behavioral Sciences
The student selects 15 credit hours (5 courses) from the list below:
This course provides an understanding of anthropology, the study of human beings throughout time and space. Anthropology is a broad discipline that studies humans from a holistic perspective looking at both biological and cultural aspects. Anthropologists use different methods to understand and study humans. During this course, students will experience ethnographic fieldwork.
This course introduces the science of Sociology. Students will examine Society, Institutions, and the relationships that make up a social context. The scientific methodology used to study social interactions, stratification, and other elements of sociological inquiry will be discussed to emphasize the core concept of sociology as a systematic study of societies and social structures
This course will introduce the students to the key concepts of Political Science and its principal tools. The course will discuss the role of main political actors in the field of politics and their function.
This course serves as an introduction to the interdisciplinary and multifaceted social sciences. The content of the course covers the range of different disciplines that social sciences consists of, namely: anthropology, sociology, psychology, political science, economics, and to a lesser extent also history and geography. The secondary aim of the course is moreover for students to develop their critical thinking skills by engaging actively with material about social issues, social change, and social institutions.
An introduction to the science of psychology, its theories, and foundations. The course is focused on principles and research methodologies, including the following topics: history of psychology, the biology of mind, memory, learning, child and personality development, psychological disorders, and therapy. The course aims to introduce the basis of psychology, provide the foundational knowledge to pursue the subject in more depth in the future, and build an ongoing interest in the application of psychology in everyday life.
This course will provide the students with a comprehensive overview of geography. Emphasis is on concepts that are necessary to understand global, regional, and local issues. This course also includes topics on both human and physical geography.
E: The Humanities and Arts
The student selects 12 credit hours (4 course) from the list below:
This course aims to focus on the evolution of Islamic Art through a chronological overview of various trends and approaches throughout history. Students will explore and analyze the rise and influence of Islam leading to the formation of a new artistic culture the world over.
This course will introduce the students to the key concepts of philosophy and its principle tools. The course will discuss the schools of philosophical thought and will apply philosophical analysis to the topics of knowledge, religion, mind, freedom, responsibility, and ethics.
This course provides an overview of World / General History. The course will conclude with discussions about perspectives on World History. It surveys the history of humankind from 250CE till 1990 CE. In addition, interregional, comparative, cross-cultural, transnational, and historiographical topics will be considered. The objective of the course is to explore the roots of contemporary globalization and to develop historical thinking and writing.
This course provides an overview of Middle-Eastern History, including the sources of Middle Eastern History. The course will conclude with discussions about perspectives on Middle-Eastern History.
This course explores Arab art and aesthetics from the beginning of the twentieth century to date. The students will learn about the contemporary art and design movement in Arab countries, the expression of cultural identity, as well as the factors involved, and changes in aesthetics from Islamic to Arabic art. They will also study and analyze the role of pioneer artists from various generations with emphasis on their influence on contemporary Arab art.
This course will provide the students with a comprehensive overview of English literature in the United States. It will familiarize the students primarily with early Anglo-American writers and the different literary movements that took place in the United States. Today American literature includes many minority literary works, but the historical matrix remains Anglo-Saxon if we are to consider the dominant culture as the starting historical point.
F: Islamic Studies
The student selects 3 credit hours (1 course) from the list below
This course will expand students’ knowledge to enable them to understand the Islamic culture and its characteristics. It analyzes the sources of legislation in Islam. It offers a review of the history of Islam and how it is currently the fastest-growing religion in the world.
The course is designed to give an in-depth understanding of the Islamic civilization. It deals with the universal principles that went into the making of the Islamic civilization. It examines the basic ideas of Islamic civilization besides exploring their contemporary relevance and challenges. The course seeks to effectively address the notion of the ‘clash of civilizations.
G: UAE Studies
The student selects 3 credit hours (1 course) from the list below
The course is designed to introduce the UAE and GCC society with its historical background and uniqueness. It is aimed at enabling students to understand the specific features of the society along with its customs, traditions, and lifestyle. The course will introduce the processes and the challenges of development as well as the future aspirations of the UAE and GCC Society.
Core Courses
CORE COURSES
9 COURSES | 27 CREDIT HOURS
This course is a fully developed introduction to the fundamentals of the theories that define the communication discipline and professions. This being journalism, public relations, multimedia productions, and organizational communications. Covering the main questions and theories emphasizing the emergence of mass communication in the UAE and the Gulf States (GCC) at large.
This course introduces the students to the history of means of communication in the UAE and its evolution as it provides them with the basic knowledge needed to understand the media and cultural roles of communication entities and their organizational structures. Furthermore, the course helps the students acquire and develop the skills to understand and analyze the structure of press, radio and television organizations and the Emirates News Agency (WAM), in addition to the freedom of speech, legal frameworks and media legislation that determine the course of professional practice of old and new media. The course also provides the students with site visits to the headquarters of newspapers and broadcasting stations
Focuses on crisis management communication, the significance of crisis management in the age of digital and interactive media, crisis management stages and processes, crisis management team. Considerable attention will be placed on: Crisis communication preparation, developing a crisis management plan, crisis response strategies and role of social media during crisis.
This course aims to provide the students with scientific knowledge about the methodologies for scientific research used in media and communication sciences, public relations, advertising, and recent trends in the scientific method. The course primarily focuses on the field, descriptive and analytical research, content analysis, polls, case studies, focus groups, practical application of the steps of scientific research and the development of applied research in the PR field.
This course provides the students with the basic knowledge base of public opinion and propaganda. Covering the discourse of Public knowledge, public policies and diplomacy. The main skills attained will enclose negotiation, critical analysis and knowledge in the public domain. Principally, the major components are the political and social aspect of public opinion and propaganda.
This middle level undergraduate course focuses on the study and the analysis of the principles of communication in organizations. It will provide an understanding of the tools of organizational communication along with development of the skills, knowledge, and values needed for success. The course will emphasize the application of theories and approaches in the organizational setting.
This course seeks to present and view advanced knowledge in media legislation and ethics, and to provide students with critical thinking and objective analysis’ skills to understand and analyze philosophical trends, the concepts and theories which established the ethics of media work in political, economic and social contexts, with a focus on practical applications and case studies that constitute models for professional practices in the world of Public Relations within modern organizations
This course seeks to provide students with knowledge of integrated marketing communications and to identify its various elements, functions and various characteristics. The course also works to provide students with the skills for evaluating the processes and methods of institutions in practicing integrated marketing communications and how to use them according to market requirements making the students well equipped to apply integrated marketing communications’ strategies to promote the organization according to values, professional and ethical standards.
The course provides a historical overview of the origins and evolution of the art of persuasion, and focuses mainly on explaining the models and theories of persuasion most applied in contemporary time for the purpose of providing students with the skills and competencies to apply persuasion strategies, methods and techniques to influence the audience, taking into account ethical values and standards
Specialization Courses
SPECIALIZATION COURSES
12 COURSES | 30 CREDIT HOURS
This course represents an introduction to the study of the public relations program where the student gains knowledge about the origins and development of public relations and its various models. The course allows students to understand the functions of public relations in planning, organizing and evaluating programs and campaigns conducted by public relations in the institution. The course focuses also on traditional means of communication and the Internet or tools of persuasion.
This optional course aims to introduce students to virtual public relations and the digital mechanisms used by public relations practitioners to achieve the institution’s goals, which include building the institution’s mental image and strategies in virtual public relations, creating digital content, maintaining the institution’s active presence on social networks and enhancing the institution’s interaction with its audience through promotional campaigns and audience research.
This course is designed to introduce students to concepts and methods of strategic campaign planning, and to improve their knowledge of how strategic communication planning fits within the wider scope of organizational goals. This course is designed to provide students with solid work knowledge and experience in PR campaign practice and improve their overall skills in research, planning, organizing, managing time, and evaluation, as well as communicating with clients and colleagues in written form and in person. This course extends upon the study of public relations, by creating, evaluating, and critiquing public relations campaigns. Students will grow upon skills developed in basics and Principles of Public Relations and Communication to enhance their knowledge of the processes of planning, accomplishing, and evaluating strategic campaigns.
The course aims to teach students the fundamentals of public relations strategies and enrich them with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and analyze strategic communication in organizations and public relations departments. Also, students will learn how to build strategies according to the established theories and professional ethics. The course will provide students with the skills needed to make appropriate decisions to manage organizations and public relations entities. It will also teach them how to deal with audiences and stakeholders.
Writing in public relations is designed to provide students with diverse professional strategies of writing in public, relations with a particular focus on communication objectives, techniques, strategies, styles, and mechanics. Building on students’ knowledge of the principles of public relations, the course provides practical, real-world writing experience within different formats for a wide range of audiences. The student’s critical thinking and writing skill are predicted to improve over their study.
A practical applied course that works on providing the student with knowledge and skills related to the basic framework for the preparation, design and production of printed, audio and visual media materials for the purposes of public relations for the organization, and to communicate with the public as well as building the organization’s reputation and mental image. The course also includes the foundations of preparing and designing publications and other public relations’ materials such as posters and brochures, magazines, newsletters, fold-outs, business cards, radio and television materials, advertisements and promotional gifts using modern technologies in preparation, design and production.
The course is designed to equip students with knowledge and skills related to the concept of social marketing and the distinction between it and commercial marketing, social marketing models and theories, social marketing and building the mental image of the organization through social marketing programs that promote the organization’s social values and practices, and the importance of social marketing in the Internet age, in order to qualify them for planning and implementing marketing campaigns.
This course provides students with an overview of international public relations through theories and models explaining international public relations, as well as planning based on scientific research, studying the effects of media and communication in international public relations, and discussing public relations experiences in this field such as America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Pre-Internship is designed for students seeking an internship. The course will prepare students to successfully plan their internship by researching and identifying potential internship opportunities, creating professional resume and letter of introduction, developing interviewing and networking skills as well as a portfolio per industry requirements. Students will go through different learning modules including experiences, team work skills, communication skills, leadership skills, problem solving, self-management and professionalism to be able to make the most of their internship.
This course is provided to College of Media and Mass Communication’s students who completed 90 credit hours in the PR field under written agreements between the American University in the Emirates and potential training places in the UAE. The course serves as a continuous seminar that includes the professor, the student and the labor market. The student shall submit a comprehensive report to the respective supervisor on the experience acquired from the training and its importance to his/her future career at the end of the course.
The pre-capstone course is designed to prepare the students for the preproduction planning and processes for public relation projects and campaigns. The students will follow certain steps in the production process while identifying and presenting their idea, concept, and methodology. The students will have comprehensive knowledge about writing the capstone proposals, reports, presentations, and designing the ideas for the different PR campaigns.
Media and Mass Communication students are expected to complete a three credit hour course on the Graduation Project. To be graduated, students must demonstrate that they have developed capability and proficiency in the core knowledge of their specialization and can show capability in learning aptitudes in the four specializations. It will be a challenging and thorough adventure however the reward for undertaking a significant experience is enormous and will without a doubt give AUE graduates a capable begin in vocation they may pick. Moreover, English dialect and innovation capability should likewise be illustrated. The Capstone is ought to be as field based contextual analyses. The Capstone Graduation Project is intended to give students a helpful working comprehension of the requirements and desires expected to move on from
AUE.
Specialization Electives
SPECIALIZATION ELECTIVES
3 COURSES | 9 CREDIT HOURS
This course introduces students to the basic concepts and principles of protocol arts and etiquette, and the rules governing meetings, conferences, diplomatic occasions and specific precedents. The course focuses in detail on providing students with the basic skills to implement protocol and etiquette.
The technically-oriented course aims to teach the students digital photography skills and techniques through theoretical and practical training. The theoretical training helps students understand the definition of the photograph and how it’s created, in addition to learning the difference between traditional and digital photography. The practical training teaches the students how to use traditional and digital cameras and introduces them to the photo production process and computer software used to edit digital photos and print them for media and PR purposes.
The course aims to provide students with skills in applying the knowledge, models, theories and strategies of public relations in their practical and applied field of work after graduation, through case studies in public relations in the local framework in the UAE with global approaches for the purposes of self-development and with the aim of identifying the reality of the practice of public relations and how to deal with different issues in terms of applications and practice.
The course includes various topics according to students’ interests and the emergence of new topics in the field of public relations that may appear in that field. The topics that may be included in the course, such as: modern communication technology and its impact on public relations and the media, the media and its role in business, and building its mental image. Social marketing and social responsibility for public relations in the organization. Applied public relations and many other topics.
Free Electives
FREE ELECTIVES
2 COURSES | 6 CREDIT HOURS
Students must choose (2 courses / 06 credit hours) from different college/program.
RECOMMENDED STUDY PLAN
ATTENDANCE
Student builds the schedule based on available offered courses in the registered semester
Weekday Morning Classes
THU – THUR | BETWEEN 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
MON – WED | BETWEEN 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
MON – WED | BETWEEN 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Weekday Evening Classes
TUE – THUR | BETWEEN 4:00 PM – 9:00 PM
MON – WED | BETWEEN 4:00 PM – 9:00 PM
MON – WED | BETWEEN 4:00 PM – 9:00 PM