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Students can get advising from professional advisors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) Advising Center (https://www.gvsu.edu/clasadvising/), which is best in your first few years at GVSU. For specific advising in the Advertising and Public Relations major/minor, students should visit their faculty advisor (noted on your Banner account).

Course Planning Guides

The following course planning guide for Advertising and Public Relations majors lists in detail the required courses, how to declare the major with emphasis and degree, a suggested sequence in which to take classes, and a list of potential electives. The course planning guide for Advertising and Public Relations minors lists exactly which courses are required and also offers a list of suggested electives for the minor. View and download the appropriate guide to help you plan your courses.

Advertising and Public Relations MAJOR course planning guide
Advertising and Public Relations MINOR course planning guide

 

Basic Advising Reminders

• Declare your major, emphasis, and degree - In order for the Banner system to be useful to you, you must declare your major (Advertising and Public Relations) and your emphasis (either Advertising or Public Relations.) In addition, you must indicate which degree you will pursue--either Bachelor of Science (B.S.) or Bachelor of Arts (B.A.). Once you have made these declarations, Banner (MyPath) will clearly show you what courses are required for you and whether or not you have taken them. See Major Requirements to learn more about what each emphasis and degree requires.

 

• Sequence of courses - Courses have numbers for a reason. It is important to pay attention to the sequence in which you take courses. Recommended course sequence plans are in the Course Planning Guides to help you register for courses in the appropriate order.

 

• Pre-requisites - To find out if the course you want to register for has pre-requisites, go to the Registrar website at www.gvsu.edu/registrar. Click on "My Banner Registration Directions", and then scroll down to "Click here for a list of Banner Pre-requisite helpful hints" or select "Click here to determine if a course has a pre-requisite".

 

• Electives - Electives are courses YOU “elect” to take because they are interesting to you personally and relevant to your major and career goals. You can select courses from across the university curriculum, with the following restrictions:

1. Electives must be 200-level courses or higher (with a few exceptions)
2. Electives must be unduplicated credit, meaning a course you choose as an elective can’t be something you were required to take for a general education course or some other university requirement.
3. Electives must be approved by an advisor, who will notify the records office so your chosen courses show up as electives in the major/minor on your Banner degree progress record. (Just email your advisor your G# and both elective courses you have chosen once you decide).

 

• Registration overrides. If you need a pre-requisite, closed class, or other overrides for registration, this web page on the School of Communications website answers your questions about the process: https://www.gvsu.edu/soc/registration-questions-197.htm

 

See list of suggested elective courses for APR majors and minors in the Course Planning Guide.

 

• Internships - APR majors are required to do one 3-credit internship (or several internships that add up to 3 credits). Students must complete an internship agreement in order to receive a permit to register for internship credit. The Internship Agreement and further instructions about internships are on the School of Communications Web site (www.gvsu.edu/soc) under internships/students.

 

• Independent Studies - An independent study is designed for you to study a subject that is not offered in a particular class. It is NOT an opportunity to work alone and get credit for an existing course. In order to get a permit to register for an independent study you must first complete an Independent Study Form on which you propose what you will study and provide details about what you will do - a paper, a project, etc - that can be assessed for a grade. You also need to decide which professor you will work with who will supervise and grade your independent study.

 

• Study Abroad - You can get credit for your study abroad experience by taking courses that count towards certain general education foundation requirements. A few programs have specific application to APR major courses. It is best to review the courses at a foreign institution with your advisor to determine which ones would count as substitutes for courses in the major. You could also count study abroad courses as electives. See www.gvsu.edu/studyabroad for more information