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Degrees and Schools

Most public relations specialists (also known as PR specialists, media specialists or communications specialists) have a bachelor's degree in public relations, journalism, English or communications.

Classes

Public relations students usually divide their time between coursework and internships. Classes often include:

• public relations principles and techniques
• public relations for business, government, and nonprofit organizations
• public relations management and administration including organizational development
• advertising, journalism and creative writing
• visual communications, including desktop publishing and computer graphics
• social science research and survey design and implementation
• business administration and finance
• political science and sociology

Students focus on gaining experience and developing a portfolio of published articles, multimedia presentations, radio or TV programs, etc.

Online Classes and Programs

Online journalism, communications and public relations degree programs are plentiful, and many campus-based programs have online learning options as well. Online programs may not offer the internship and job placement resource centers that campus-based programs do.

Any distance learning program should be part of an institution with accreditation from agencies approved by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or United States Department of Education (USDE)..

Employment Requirements

Most employers consider a bachelor's degree in public relations, communications, English or journalism to be the minimum educational requirement for entry level public relations jobs. A portfolio is also essential for any job seeker.

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) offer accreditation programs for professional certification, which can give job candidates competitive advantage.

How to Evaluate Schools

Students comparing degree programs in public relations should consider asking:

• Curricula and focus - Does the program provide comprehensive course offerings in public relations, as well as areas of specific interest such as political science, government relations or PR for non-profits?
• Class size and experiential learning - Are popular classes difficult to get into? Is the student-teacher ratio appropriate for optimal learning? Does the program coordinate internships, and are there plenty of desirable opportunities?
• Tuition and financial assistance - What financial aid opportunities, such as student loans, grants, scholarships and work / study are available through the school? What resources are made available to students to help them take advantage of these resources?
• Location and graduate success - Is the school located where the student plans to work after graduation? Does the school coordinate career fairs featuring employers that hire public relations staff? What is the program's track record in helping graduates find employment in their field?

Public Relations Specialist Job Description

A company's success is measured not just by profit but by reputation as well. Businesses, governments, non-profit organizations, universities, hospitals, and other organizations endeavor to establish and retain positive relationships with different groups or “publics” to bolster profit and/or reputation. They rely on public relations specialists (also called communications or media specialists) to advocate on their behalf, generating support from media, community members, interest groups, politicians, consumers, industries, employees, investors and government agencies.

A PR specialist's responsibilities can include:

• Telling the organization's story
• Continually assessing and reporting on attitudes and perspectives about the organization in the various global, national and local communities
• Fostering positive relationships with print and broadcast media, employees, consumers, community members and other groups
• Writing and distributing press releases to draw media attention
• Handling inquiries from the public and media
• Keeping track of news stories in print and video about the organization
• Shooting informative videos, writing interest stories and delivering presentations
• Working with media to create radio and television special reports, magazine articles and newspaper stories
• Communicating activities undertaken by the organization that are beneficial to the environment, energy, health and other public issues
• Arranging speaking engagements for company leaders including writing speeches and preparing presentations
• Planning trade shows, conventions and press conferences
• Writing proposals and preparing annual reports
• Traveling frequently

Public relations specialists might specialize in Media Relations, Community Relations, Special Events Coordination or Employee Relations. Those who work in government may be called press secretaries, information officers, communication specialists or public affairs specialists. They inform the public about the activities of officials and agencies.