The growing interconnectedness of the world’s almost 200 countries, termed globalization, and the rising impacts of foreign affairs on our daily lives increasingly require individuals with advanced knowledge of International Affairs. The Accelerated BA/MA in Advertising & Public Relations and International Affairs allows students to explore global problems and interactions from an interdisciplinary perspective that makes use of eight Arts and Sciences academic departments and four additional colleges. Students will have the flexibility to tailor their program to fit their individual interests. Students can fulfill a capstone experience by participating in an internship, taking a study abroad class, writing a paper for publication, or writing a master’s thesis.

Loyola University Chicago and the City of Chicago together serve as the ideal location for an MA in International Affairs: Loyola embodies a long commitment to interdisciplinary education; and Chicago is consistently ranked as one of the top ten global cities in the world. The program offers a unique urban setting for students interested in the advanced study of International Affairs.

The majority of full-time students are expected to finish the program in 5 years, as opposed to the six years if both programs are pursued separately. Undergraduate students from participating programs at Loyola will be able to pursue an accelerated BA/MA in Advertising & Public Relations and International Affairs.

Students will also be able to take graduate courses in the School of Communication, the School of Education (International Education), the School of Law, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Quinlan School of Business, and the School of Social Work.

Curriculum

For the BA, students will complete requirements for the Bachelor's degree, and graduate level courses may be used as electives. For the MA, students will take a total of ten classes (30 credit hours) to complete the program: Four required core classes, including a capstone experience, and an additional six elective classes, with no more than three offered by a single department in the College of Arts & Sciences or another School at Loyola.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Advertising & Public Relations BA Requirements
School of Communication Foundation Courses
COMM 100	SOC Career Prep Seminar	1
COMM 175	Introduction to Communication	3
COMM 200	Digital Communication and Society	3
COMM 215	Ethics & Communication	3
Required Courses
COMM 210	Principles of Public Relations	3
COMM 211	Principles of Advertising	3
COMM 213	Digital Foundations	3
MARK 201	Principles of Marketing	3
Research Course
Select one of the following:		3
COMM 363	Research Methods in Advertising/Public Relations
ISSCM 241	Business Statistics
STAT 103	Fundamentals of Statistics
Specialized Focus
Select one of the following focus areas:		9
Advertising Focus
COMM 214	Introduction to Creative Concepts 1
COMM 317	Media Planning
Select one of the following:
COMM 331	Social Media Advertising
COMM 334	Mobile Advertising
COMM 336	Search & Display Advertising
Public Relations Focus
COMM 314	Public Relations Cases
COMM 318	Public Relations Writing 1
Select one of the following:
COMM 313	Corporate and Organizational Communication
COMM 320	Public Service Communication 2
COMM 375	Media Relations
Integrated Focus
Select one of the following Advertising courses:
COMM 317	Media Planning
COMM 331	Social Media Advertising
COMM 334	Mobile Advertising
COMM 336	Search & Display Advertising
Select one of the following Public Relations courses:
COMM 313	Corporate and Organizational Communication
COMM 314	Public Relations Cases
COMM 320	Public Service Communication 2
COMM 375	Media Relations
Select one of the following Writing Intensive courses:
COMM 214	Introduction to Creative Concepts 1
COMM 318	Public Relations Writing 1
Internship & Capstone
COMM 386	Advertising/Public Relations Capstone	3
COMM 391	Advertising/Public Relations Internship 2	3
Electives
Must choose one (1) COMM course from the list of Electives for AD/PR.		3
Any elective from the list of Electives for AD/PR.		3
International Affairs MA Requirements
Core
INTA 420	Comparative Political Systems	3
INTA 430	Theories of International Politics	3
INTA 475	Political Analysis I	3
Capstone Experience		3
Select one of the following:
INTA 470	Fieldwork in PLSC-Internship
PLSC 499	Directed Readings
PLSC 605	Master's Study
Electives 3		18
In addition to the four core classes, students will take an additional six elective courses, with no more than three offered by a single department in the College of Arts and Sciences or another School at Loyola. The core INTA courses in Political Science do not count toward this three-course total, and thus a student may take three Political Science courses in addition to the three core (required) courses.
Total Hours		76

¹

Writing Intensive

²

Satisfies Engaged Learning requirement.

³

Two Graduate-level International Affairs courses must be taken Senior Year. These courses can count as major electives or general electives. These two courses double-count for International Affairs MA requirements.

List of Approved Ad/PR Electives

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Advertising and Public Relations Electives
COMM 101	Public Speaking & Critical Thinking	3
or COMM 103	Business & Professional Speaking
COMM 205	Reporting Basics I: Writing and Interviewing 1	3
COMM 212	International Advertising 3	3
COMM 214	Introduction to Creative Concepts 1	3
COMM 266	Advertising Copywriting 1	3
COMM 268	Persuasion	3
COMM 278	International Public Relations (abroad)	3
COMM 282	Media Law	3
COMM 290	Branding and Positioning	3
COMM 296	Themes in Advertising/Public Relations	3
COMM 311	Health Communication	3
COMM 312	Special Events Planning	3
COMM 313	Corporate and Organizational Communication	3
COMM 314	Public Relations Cases	3
COMM 317	Media Planning	3
COMM 318	Public Relations Writing 1	3
COMM 320	Public Service Communication 2	3
COMM 321	Advertising Campaigns	3
COMM 329	Advertising and Public Relations Design	3
COMM 330	Intermediate Advertising Design	3
COMM 331	Social Media Advertising	3
COMM 334	Mobile Advertising	3
COMM 336	Search & Display Advertising	3
COMM 337	AD/PR Multimedia Commercial Production 2	3
COMM 345	Student Agency 4	3
COMM 370	Special Topics in Advertising & Public Relations	3
COMM 375	Media Relations	3
COMM 398	Directed Study	1-3
Interdisciplinary Electives
FNAR 132	Visual Communication I	3
FNAR 233	Digital Media Design	3
FNAR 383	Interactive Design	3
MARK 310	Consumer Behavior	3
MARK 311	Marketing Research	3
MARK 363	International Marketing	3
MARK 380	Digital Marketing	3

¹

Writing Intensive

²

Satisfies Engaged Learning requirement.

³

At the John Felice Rome Center

⁴

Inigo

 List of International Affairs MA Elective Courses

The participating programs that will contribute classes include: Global Studies, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Theology, Criminal Justice & Criminology, as well as the Schools of Communication, Education, Business, Law, Health Sciences and Public Health, and Social Work.

Please note that the courses listed might not be offered every year and new courses may be added to this list. Students should talk with the Graduate Program Director if they want to take a course that is not on the list of elective courses to see whether the course can serve as an elective.

College of Arts and Sciences

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Criminal Justice and Criminology Department
CJC 416	International Criminal Justice	3
Methods Courses
CJC 403	Research Methods and Program Evaluation	3
CJC 404	Applied Data Analysis and Interpretation	4
History Department
HIST 441	Women's & Gender History: Europe	3
HIST 459	Environmental History	3
HIST 464	Transnational Urban History	3
Methods Courses
HIST 483	Oral History: Method and Practice	3
Modern Languages and Literatures Department
Language Research Tool: Although there is no language requirement, students interested in honing their foreign language skills will have the option of taking a 400-level language course (i.e., a course beyond 101, 102, 103, and 104), and having that course count as one of the six elective courses. Current language possibilities offered at Loyola include Chinese, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
MLL also offers graduate-level courses in Spanish as part of their master’s degree in Spanish. These courses are as follows and would be open only to interested students with advanced writing, speaking, and reading skills in Spanish. These courses are as follows:
SPAN 405	Critical Methods (pan-Hispanic world)	3
SPAN 490	Hispanic Culture & Civilization (Latin American film, with a focus on human rights)	3
Philosophy Department
PHIL 459	Philosophy of Law	3
PHIL 463	Virtue Ethics (includes non-Western philosophy)	3
PHIL TBD	Critical Race Theory (originally taught as a “special topics” course; is being turned into a permanent course)
PHIL 480	Social & Political Philosophy (focuses on global development on a regular basis)	3
Methods Courses
PHIL 400	Philosophy Research Tools	3
Political Science Department
PLSC 421	Democratic Political Systems	3
PLSC 422	Authoritarian Political Systems	3
PLSC 431	Formulation US Foreign Policy	3
PLSC 432	Comparative Foreign Policy Analysis	3
PLSC 433	International Organization	3
PLSC 435	International Political Economics	3
PLSC 436	International Conflict	3
Methods Courses
PLSC 401	Intro to Research Design & Method	3
PLSC 476	Political Analysis II	3
Psychology Department
PSYC 460	Social Psychological Theory	3
PSYC 461	Attitude and Attitude Change	3
PSYC 474	Research in Group Dynamics	3
PSYC 484	Prejudice and Intergroup Relations	3
Methods Courses
PSYC 486	Methods of Program Evaluation	3
Sociology Department
SOCL 418	Demography	3
SOCL 423	Social Movements	3
SOCL 426	Sociology of Gender	3
SOCL 441	Sociology of Religion	3
SOCL 447	Sociology of Culture	3
SOCL 461	Race & Ethnicity	3
Methods Courses
SOCL 410	Logic of Sociological Inquiry	3
SOCL 412	Qualitative Methods in Social Research	3
SOCL 414	Statistical Methods Analysis I	3
SOCL 415	Statistical Methods of Analysis II	3
Theology Department
THEO 459	Contemporary Theology	1-12
THEO 460	Seminar in History of Theology	1-12
THEO 464	Religion & Politics in Christian History	3
THEO 470	Foundations Crititical Issues Theological Ethics	1-12
THEO 480	Seminar in Christian Ethics	1-12

School of Education (International Education)

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
ELPS 405	Introduction to Educational Policy Analysis	3
ELPS 448	International Higher Education	3
ELPS 455	Comparative Education	3
ELPS 540	Seminar in the History of Education	3
ELPS 550	Seminar on Globalization and Education	3
ELPS 555	Seminar Comparative Education	3

School of Communication

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
COMM 401	Foundations of Global Strategic Communication	3
COMM 402	Organizational Leadership and Change Management	3
COMM 422	Global and Multicultural Audiences and Stakeholders	3

School of Social Work

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
SOWK 502	Power, Oppression, Privilege, and Social Justice	3
SOWK 654	Global Social Work: Reflective Practice for Justice and Peace	3
SOWK 730	Immigration Dynamics and U.S. Social Policy	3
SOWK 731	Social Work Practice with Refugees and Immigrants	3
SOWK 732	Migration, Social Justice, and Human Rights	3
SOWK 733	North American Migration Dynamics, Challenges & Opportunity	1-3

School of Law 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
LAW 176	International Trade Law 1	1-3
LAW 371	International Business Trans 1	1-3
LAW 372	International Law and Practice	3
LAW 388	Global Access to Medicine: A Patent Perspective	3
LAW 459	Intro to English Legal Profession	1
LAW 568	European Union Law 1	1-3

¹

Explanatory note about 1, 2, 3, and variable credit hour courses from the School of Law: “For the law courses showing a range of hours (e.g., 1-3 credit hours), students have the option to choose the number of credits for enrollment within the range. For students opting for the higher credits (i.e., enrollment in 3 credit hours rather than 1 credit hour would require additional assignments and/or an examination). If the MA students in these courses need to be enrolled in 3 credit hours, the following notation can be included with the course listing: ‘MA students must choose the 3 credit option for enrollment in this course’.” Please note that courses to be included in this MA program will require students choosing the 3-credit option.

School of Law - Classes Offered at the John Felice Rome Center

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
PLAW 101	Comparative and Ethical Lawyering for the Rule of Law	3
PLAW 102	History, Theory and Practice of Rule of Law for Development	3
PLAW 103	Theory and Practice of Assessments in Rule of Law Advising	2
PLAW 104	International Development Architecture	3
PLAW 105	Sustainable Development Through International Commerce and Investment	2
PLAW 106	Design of Rule of Law Programs and Proposal Preparation	2
PLAW 107	Rule of Law in Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding	2
PLAW 108	Legal Systems and Methods	3
PLAW 250	Research and Writing on the Rule of Law	3
PLAW 907	Rule of Law Project Management, Monitoring & Evaluation	3

Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
MPBH 400	Determinants of Population Health	3
MPBH 414	Introduction to Global Health	3
MPBH 417	Global Maternal & Child Health	3
MPBH 422	Population Health Planning & Management	3
MPBH 424	Health Economics and Healthcare Financing	3
MPBH 432	Health Impact Assessment	3

Quinlan School of Business

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
ECON 424	International Business Economics	3
FINC 455	International Financial Management	3
HRER 422	Global HR Management	3
HRER 502	Global Employment Relations	3
MARK 465	International Marketing	3
MARK 461	Research Methods in Marketing	3
MGMT 446	International Business Ethics	3
SCMG 486	Global Logistics	3

Suggested Sequence of Courses

The below sequence of courses is meant to be used as a suggested path for completing coursework.  An individual student’s completion of requirements depends on course offerings in a given term as well as the start term for a major or graduate study.  Students should consult their advisor for assistance with course selection.

Plan of Study Grid

First Year
Fall		Hours
COMM 175	Introduction to Communication	3
	Hours	3
Spring
COMM 210	Principles of Public Relations	3
COMM 211	Principles of Advertising	3
	Hours	6
Second Year
Fall
COMM 200 or COMM 215	Digital Communication and Society or Ethics & Communication	3
	Hours	3
Spring
COMM 200 or COMM 215	Digital Communication and Society (if not already taken) or Ethics & Communication	3
COMM 213	Digital Foundations	3
MARK 201	Principles of Marketing	3
	Hours	9
Third Year
Fall
COMM 100	SOC Career Prep Seminar	1
Major Track Course		3
Major Track Course		3
Major Elective		3
	Hours	10
Spring
Major Track Course		3
Major Elective		3
Research Course		3
	Hours	9
Fourth Year
Fall
COMM 386 or COMM 391	Advertising/Public Relations Capstone or Advertising/Public Relations Internship	3
Two (2) International Affairs Course 1		6
	Hours	9
Spring
COMM 386 or COMM 391	Advertising/Public Relations Capstone (if not already taken) or Advertising/Public Relations Internship	3
Two (2) International Affairs Course 1		6
	Hours	9
Fifth Year
Fall
Three (3) International Affairs Courses 1		9
	Hours	9
Spring
Three (3) International Affairs Courses 1		9
	Hours	9
	Total Hours	76

¹

Students are expected to take two graduate-level courses in each semester of their senior year and a total of six graduate-level courses in their fifth year. There is no required course sequence, but we strongly suggest that students first take the required courses (PLSC 420 Comparative Political Systems, PLSC 430 Theories of International Politics, and PLSC 475 Political Analysis I) whenever they are offered before taking elective courses.

Guidelines for Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Programs

Terms

• Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s programs: In this type of program, students share limited credits between their undergraduate and graduate degrees to facilitate completion of both degrees.  
• Shared credits: Graduate level credit hours taken during the undergraduate program and then applied towards graduate program requirements will be referred to as shared credits.

Admission Requirements

Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s programs are designed to enhance opportunities for advanced training for Loyola’s undergraduates. Admission to these programs must be competitive and will depend upon a positive review of credentials by the program’s admissions committee. Accordingly, the admission requirements for these programs may be higher than those required if the master’s degree were pursued entirely after the receipt of a bachelor’s degree. That is, programs may choose to have more stringent admissions requirements in addition to those minimal requirements below.

Requirements:

• Declared appropriate undergraduate major,
• By the time students begin taking graduate courses as an undergraduate, the student has completed approximately 90 credit hours, or the credit hours required in a program that is accredited by a specialty organization,¹
• A minimum cumulative GPA for coursework at Loyola that is at or above the program-specific requirements, a minimum major GPA that is at or above the program-specific requirements, and/or appropriate designated coursework for evaluation of student readiness in their discipline.²

Students not eligible for the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program (e.g., students who have not declared the appropriate undergraduate major) may apply to the master’s program through the regular admissions process. Students enrolled in an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program who choose not to continue to the master’s degree program upon completion of the bachelor’s degree will face no consequences.³

Ideally, a student will apply for admission (or confirm interest in proceeding towards the graduate degree in opt-out programs) as they approach 90 credit hours. Programs are encouraged to begin advising students early in their major so that they are aware of the program and, if interested, can complete their bachelor’s degree requirements in a way that facilitates completion of the program. Once admitted as an undergraduate, Program Directors should ensure that students are enrolled using the plan code associated with the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program. Using the plan code associated with the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program will ensure that students may be easily identified as they move through the program. Students will not officially matriculate into the master’s degree program and be labeled as a graduate student by the university, with accompanying changes to tuition and Financial Aid (see below), until the undergraduate degree has been awarded. Once admitted to the graduate program, students must meet the academic standing requirements of their graduate program as they complete the program curriculum.

¹

Programs that have specialized accreditation will adhere to the admissions criteria provided by, or approved by, their specialized accreditors.

²

The program will identify appropriate indicators of student readiness for graduate coursework (e.g., high-level performance in 300 level courses). Recognizing differences between how majors are designed, we do not specify a blanket requirement.

³

If students choose not to enroll in the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program, they still must complete all of the standard requirements associated with the undergraduate degree (e.g., a capstone).

For more information on Admissions requirements, visit here.

Curriculum

Level and progression of courses. The Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s programs are designed to be competitive and attractive to our most capable students. Students admitted to Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s programs should be capable of meeting graduate level learning outcomes. Following guidance from the Higher Learning Commission, only courses taken at the 400 level or higher (including 300/400 level courses taken at the 400 level) will count toward the graduate program.^1,2  Up to 50% of the total graduate level credit hours, required in the graduate program, may come from 300/400 level courses where the student is enrolled in the 400 level of the course. Further, at least 50% of the credit hours for the graduate program must come from courses that are designed for and restricted to graduate students who have been admitted to a graduate program at Loyola (e.g., enrolled in plan code that indicates the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program, typically ending with the letter “D”).³

In general, graduate level coursework should not be taken prior to admission into the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program. Exceptions may be granted for professional programs where curriculum for the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program is designed to begin earlier. On the recommendation of the program’s Graduate Director, students may take one of their graduate level courses before they are admitted to the Accelerated Bachelors/Master’s program if they have advanced abilities in their discipline and course offerings warrant such an exception.⁴ Undergraduate degree requirements outside of the major are in no way impacted by admission to an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program.⁵

Shared credits. Undergraduate courses (i.e., courses offered at the 300 level or below) cannot be counted as shared credits nor count towards the master’s degree. Up to 50% of the total graduate level credit hours, required in the graduate program, may be counted in meeting both the undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. Of those shared credits, students in an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program should begin their graduate program with the standard introductory course(s) for the program whenever possible. So that students may progress through the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program in a timely manner, undergraduate programs are encouraged to design their curriculum such that a student can complete some required graduate credit hours while completing the undergraduate degree. For instance, some of the graduate curriculum should also satisfy electives for the undergraduate major.

The program’s Graduate Director will designate credit hours to be shared through the advising form and master’s degree conferral review process. Shared credit hours will not be marked on the undergraduate record as having a special status in the undergraduate program. They will be included in the student’s undergraduate earned hours and GPA. Graduate credit hours taken during the undergraduate program will not be included in the graduate GPA calculation.

¹

If students wish to transfer credits from another university to Loyola University Chicago, the program’s Graduate director will review the relevant syllabus(es) to determine whether it meets the criteria for a 400 level course or higher.

²

Programs with specialized accreditation requirements that allow programs to offer graduate curriculum to undergraduate students will conform to those specialized accreditation requirements.

³

In rare cases, the Graduate Director may authorize enrollment in a 400-level course for a highly qualified and highly motivated undergraduate, ensuring that the undergraduate's exceptional participation in the graduate class will not diminish in any way the experience of the graduate students regularly enrolled.

⁴

For example, if a particular course is only offered once every 2-3 years, and a student has demonstrated the necessary ability to be successful, the Graduate Director may allow a student to take a graduate level course to be shared prior to the student being formally admitted to the graduate program. See, also, footnote 3.

⁵

Students should not, for example, attempt to negotiate themselves out of a writing intensive requirement on the basis of admission to a graduate program.

Graduation

Degrees are awarded sequentially. All details of undergraduate commencement are handled in the ordinary way as for all students in the School/College/Institute. Once in the graduate program, students abide by the graduation deadlines set forth by the graduate program. Students in these programs must be continuously enrolled from undergraduate to graduate degree program unless given explicit permission by their program for a gap year or approved leave of absence. In offering the option of an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program, the university is making possible the acceleration of a student’s graduate degree completion. It should be understood that students may not request deferral of their matriculation into the Master’s degree program. If students would like to delay their graduate studies after earning the undergraduate degree, they may apply for admission to the traditional master’s degree program. Any application of graduate credit earned while in the undergraduate program is subject to the policies of the graduate degree granting school.

LEARNING OUTCOMES 

Students will graduate from our program having achieved:

• a foundation for understanding and critiquing research related to International Affairs, including methods training that leverages both qualitative and quantitative data [International Affairs]
• knowledge of the principal theories of comparative politics and international relations, as well as the key areas of research in these two subfields [International Affairs]
• an interdisciplinary understanding and appreciation of International Affairs through coursework available within eight different departments in the College of Arts and Sciences and four additional Schools at Loyola [International Affairs]
• enhanced writing and critical thinking skills and dispositions through class-based projects and a capstone experience [International Affairs]
• strengthened methods, research, or writing skills tailored to students interests with advanced methods courses, language training, or the writing of a master’s thesis. [International Affairs]
• Create and implement strategic communication campaigns that integrate advertising, public relations and integrated marketing communication, and are responsive to community needs and organizational goals in local and global contexts. [Advertising & Public Relations]
• Write copy and design messages to reach diverse publics and for distribution through multiple channels, including both traditional and digital media. [Advertising & Public Relations]
• Understand the implications and applications of integrated strategies for digital media in marketing, advertising and public relations practices. [Advertising & Public Relations]
• Apply appropriate research methods to plan, monitor and evaluate public relations, advertising and other communication campaigns and activities. [Advertising & Public Relations]
• Practice ethical communication in professional practices that are socially responsible and in the mutual interests of the organization and the community. [Advertising & Public Relations]
• Demonstrate the competencies to work as an entry-level professional in advertising or public relations. [Advertising & Public Relations]