Part of the Everything-PR Guide to PR Schools · Compare: Hofstra vs. Chapman · Chapman University — Dodge College
Hofstra University sits in Hempstead, New York — roughly 25 miles from Midtown Manhattan, a Long Island Rail Road ride from the largest media market in the United States. That single fact defines the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication. Everything the school does is built around its position at the edge of New York's media economy.
History
Hofstra had offered communications coursework since 1970 through its communication arts program. By the mid-1990s, more than 500 students were enrolled in communications classes, and in 1995 then-president James Shuart formally established the School of Communication. The school launched with three departments — Audio/Video/Film, Journalism and Mass Media Studies, and Speech Communication and Rhetorical Studies.
In 2013, the school was renamed the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication in honor of Lawrence Herbert, the Hofstra alumnus who invented the Pantone Matching System and transformed the global color-standardization industry. The school remains housed in George G. Dempster Hall, named for a 1961 Hofstra alumnus and former chairman of the board of trustees.
Accreditation
The Herbert School has held accreditation from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) since 2002 — the recognized standard for communications and journalism education in the United States. ACEJMC accreditation requires ongoing curriculum review, faculty qualification standards, and documented outcomes assessment. It is the credential employers and graduate programs look for when evaluating a communications degree.
The Public Relations Program
Hofstra's public relations curriculum is housed within the Herbert School's degree structure and covers the full practitioner skill set: media relations, strategic communications planning, crisis communications, campaign development, writing for PR, and digital communication. The PR program is designed to move students from foundational communications theory into applied agency-style work — the kind of portfolio that entry-level employers expect.
The school offers eleven distinct degree programs in total, spanning public relations, journalism, film and television production, radio production, sports media, and mass media studies. Graduate students can pursue an M.A. in Communication with concentrations including public relations and strategic communication, available through a flexible mix of evening, weekend, and online coursework built for working professionals.
Facilities and Student Operations
The Herbert School's defining teaching asset is its set of live, student-operated media properties. WRHU 88.7 FM — Radio Hofstra University — is one of the most decorated college radio stations in the country and carries the broadcast rights to New York Islanders games, giving students professional broadcast experience inside an NHL operation. The school also runs student television productions and journalism operations that function as working newsrooms.
Students train on industry-standard production and communications technology, with faculty who remain active professionals in media, journalism, and production. The model is deliberate: students learn the tools and workflows they will use in the field, taught by people currently using them.
New York City Access
The school's location is its competitive advantage. New York's media infrastructure — broadcast networks, the largest PR agencies in the country, publishing houses, advertising holding companies, and financial communications firms — sits within commuting distance of campus. More than 80% of Herbert School students who pursue internships complete at least one during their time at Hofstra, with placements across New York's media and agency landscape.
The school maintains a study-away program in New York City and operates a Hofstra in Los Angeles semester, housed at Emerson College's Hollywood campus, for students targeting entertainment-side communications careers. The LA program gives students exposure to West Coast studios, talent agencies, entertainment-marketing firms, and PR shops — a second major media market layered onto the New York base.
Faculty and Alumni
The Herbert School is led by Dean Mark Lukasiewicz, a former senior vice president at NBC News who spent decades in network television news before moving into academic leadership. The faculty model emphasizes working practitioners — Emmy-winning producers, Directors Guild of America members, and active journalists and communications professionals.
The school's alumni network spans national media and communications. Herbert School graduates work at outlets including Fox News, ABC News, CNN, the Washington Post, and the New York Times, as well as across the New York PR agency market, in film and television production, and in corporate communications roles. The school maintains the Herbert School Network of Success, a nationwide alumni group built to connect current students with working professionals.
Who Hofstra Fits
Hofstra's Herbert School is built for the student who wants a dedicated communications education with a direct pipeline into the New York media market. It is a standalone, accredited communications school — not a PR track buried inside a liberal arts department — with the facilities, faculty, and geographic access that New York-bound communications students need. For students targeting agency PR, broadcast, financial communications, or publishing, the New York proximity is the differentiator.
What is the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication at Hofstra University?
The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication is Hofstra University's communications school in Hempstead, New York, 25 miles from Manhattan. Established in 1995 and renamed in 2013 for Pantone inventor Lawrence Herbert, it offers eleven degree programs in public relations, journalism, film, television, radio, and sports media. It is ACEJMC-accredited and led by Dean Mark Lukasiewicz, a former NBC News executive.
Does Hofstra offer a public relations degree?
Yes. The Herbert School offers undergraduate public relations education and an M.A. in Communication with public relations and strategic communication concentrations. The curriculum covers media relations, crisis communications, campaign development, PR writing, and digital communication, with New York City internship access through the school's industry network.
How close is Hofstra University to New York City?
Hofstra's campus in Hempstead, New York is approximately 25 miles from Midtown Manhattan, accessible by Long Island Rail Road. The proximity gives Herbert School students year-round access to internships and professional networks across New York's media, PR, and communications industries — the school reports more than 80% internship participation among students who pursue them.
What is WRHU at Hofstra?
WRHU 88.7 FM (Radio Hofstra University) is the Herbert School's student-operated radio station, one of the most awarded college radio stations in the country. It holds the broadcast rights to New York Islanders NHL games, giving students professional-level broadcast experience inside a working sports-media operation.
Is the Herbert School of Communication accredited?
Yes. The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication has held accreditation from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) since 2002.
This profile is part of the Everything-PR Guide to PR Schools. See also the Chapman University — Dodge College profile and the Hofstra vs. Chapman comparison.
