Public Relations education: our future is banking on it!

With the continued growth and popularity of PR degrees and courses, the subject of my blog was aimed at looking into the importance of having degrees and its impact on the PR industry. My focus is to know the perspectives and viewpoints of PR postgraduates and the decision behind their choice to do PR.

My findings illustrated that PR degrees are key to kick off with a career in the field because of market demand. It also shows that more and more people are having PR degrees and the number of practitioners who have not PR backgrounds is diminishing. A new generation of qualified and graduated PR is coming.

On the professional level, I can say that there are emerging markets which need qualified and specialized PR staff along with established markets which continue to look for PR practitioners as the market expands and grows.

On the academic level, I found out that PR degrees help to develop academic research as well as public relations theories.

Therefore, based on my research and current academic experience, I came to this conclusion that education is important and can be further enhanced by PR firms which can play a key role in the practical education process through the extensive internships they offer. I believe interns not only get invaluable experience but are one of the best ways to secure jobs. In such situation, we will have the required degree and the entry-level experience that employers are looking for!

Public Relations education: our future is banking on it!

PR takes over other courses!

With the continued steep growth of the public relations industry, some courses like business management, diplomacy, psychology, sociology and marketing are now teaching public affairs, public relations and communication marketing as part of their syllabus. As I said in the beggining of my blog that PR education is a trend around the world, it is also a trend within unrelated courses.

From my experience in the diplomatic field, PR was key for our work as a whole particulraly in terms of writing and reporting to Washington D.C. PR was not only key for public affairs and public diplomacy, but also for the Commercial, Agricultural, Cultural, Political and Military Affairs. All these sections within the embassy had a communication or PR specialist who help liaising, rebranding and networking in order to make business and deals.

Here I have gone over some courses like Marketing and Diplomacy where I found that Public Relations and Communication represent one of the main modules for the courses. http://www.wmin.ac.uk/wbs/pdf/4mam710_01.pdf, http://publicdiplomacy.syr.edu/courses.htm

This situation shows therefore how courses are overlapping among each others and it is no longer that PR falls under other courses as it was perceived in the past. On the contrary, PR and its related subjects are now key modules for many courses. PR is now taking over rather overwhelming other courses!

I understand now why students are tending to have degrees in Public Relations as they know that being holder of BA or MA in PR could help them get into different fields that do not necessarily require a degree in diplomacy, business or sociology, but with PR we can do all these specialities! For that reason, I did this choice and took this decision to do PR.

How to maintain PR education: continued training for practitioners

It is recognized that PR is gaining ground and education is key to its expansion, but education is not sufficient and needs a continued follow-up which could consist of continuing education and training.

To better improve public relations education for practitioners, the IPRA and PRCA organize seminar programmes each year and many other courses are available from public and private colleges (The practice of Public relations, 1995, P. 179) The PRSA has also developed a career guide for practitioners which lays out four levels for practitioners to evaluate their skills. The four levels are aimed at beginning professionals, staff professionals, professional managers and senior professionals. (Managing Public Relations, P. 81). The aim behind these levels set by the PRSA is to provide a guide to plan one's public relations career, particularly for new entrants.

Public Relations courses: facts anf figures

Based on my research, I have found out that the U.S. and the U.K. are not only two leading countries that provide PR jobs, but PR courses as well.

It is estimated that UK universities offering PR degrees have ten applicants for each place (Moloney, Rethinking Public Relations, 2000). This shows that PR degrees have become a popular choice among graduates. According to a 2008 research made by the Independent, 34 universities throughout the United Kingdom offer BA or MA in Public Relations. Out of these 34, 27 have their program approved by CIPR. Further, 500 UK undergraduates are enrolled in a PR degree in 2004 (Exploring Public Relations, Tench and Yeomans). I have alos noticed that the Charterted Institute for Public Relations (CIPR) attaches a particular attention to education by taking several initiatives to help promote the value of formal and informal education in public relations. http://www.cipr.co.uk/direct/careers.asp?v1=education.

As for the United States of America, it is important to look back at the history of Public Relations in this country and how this course has become one of the most popular throughout the States.

Edaward Barneys was the first lecturer of Public Relations in the United States in 1932. In 1947, 30 colleges throughout the U.S. offered courses in the Public Relations. In 1956, the Public Relations Society of America made the first survey of public relations education and found that the number of colleges offering PR courses had tripled in a decade. In 1970, the same society conducted a survey which indicated that 303 institutions offer courses in the PR field. In 1981, the Commission on Public Relations Education found that 10,000 students were taking PR courses at some 300 institutions (The Practice of Public Relations, P.176)

These figures confirm that the Public Relations industry has known dramatic development and expansion around the world, particularly in the US and UK. Also, a number of developing countries like our 2008-2009 PR MA class at Westminster University clearly refelct this trend to get degrees in PR, which is mainly due to the demand of market.

Is a PR degree essential to work in PR: from an academic perspective

As there is a trend to have academic qualifications in Public Relations, research in this industry will continue therefore to develop. To shore up the argument that education is important for Public Relations, I have come across a number of books dealing with the link between education and Public Relations and managed to collected some viewpoints from academics specialized in the Public Relations industry.

Galbe said(The Public Relations Handbook, P.380) among the five major Public Relations issues for the next decade is to have enough qualified staff and promoting PR as an attractive industry to college students. Further, Ralph Tench of Leeds Metropolitan University (Effective Public Relations, P 126) said that professionalization of the PR industry is key to the future and this is inextricably linked to education. I believe that these two statements clearly highlight the importance of education for the industry and how education can help PR overcome professional challenges that might arise during work as well as develop the profession itself to have a status like law, medicine…

Furthermore, James Gruning (Managing Public Relations, P81) said that "public relations will never reach the status of a profession as long as people can get into the field and prosper without having completed a fairly rigorous course of study in the field." In this context, he argues that the practitioners should be holders of PR degrees in order to get into the field; otherwise it will remain open to outsiders.

It is important to have a specialized course in PR, as this will help the profession have a sound academic reference, and will therefore expand research and knowledge which are the cornerstones for the development of any profession, notably for PR which continues to make significant strides in terms of expansion on the ground.

I understand from those academic statements that education is key to have a professional status. Also, education is important to develop research in the field.

Survey Findings: Emerging Public Relations Markets

The below quotes from MA students at Westminster University that have been randomly taken clearly show that there is an increased trend to have degrees in public relations in different countries. Also, the choice to do PR studies in UK remains important for foreign students as it is considered the international hub for PR industry.

Guahar Mukaman (Kazakhstan) said “I have chosen PR because it is a humanitarian subject. Education in Public Relations is a good investment for my future career.
I have chosen to do my Master’s degree in the UK because it is considered as the second country after the USA in terms of PR.


Gunjan Wathodkar (India) said “I have chosen to do a PR course so that I could gain an in-depth knowledge of the industry. As I specialized in advertising during my grads I felt necessary to know the theoretical aspect of this industry as well. A higher degree of education is important. Indian PR industry is awestruck with individuals getting a higher degree that too from London. The PR industry in the UK is sorted out. Another option of going to US was the least I could consider. Education standards in UK are higher compared to other nations".


Mourad Eberle said “this is a discipline I have some talent for, in which I have conducted a nice career in the field so far. It is the University degree that is an asset, as it is more and more asked in the job advertisements. Otherwise, it is also most important to have some experience and good references, I think as much as the degree. Regarding studies in UK, well it's kind of the "European PR headquarters", and I thought that might be motivating".

Erab Al Fuqaha (Palestine) said “doing a Master’s Degree in Public Relations was a priority for me to move forward in my career. Also, as I worked in the ICRC, PR remains the backbone for this sector. Choosing UK to do my MA would certainly help me move up in my career. The UK is a leading PR market at the international level”.

Luke Malcher (UK) said “I chose a PR course because I want to kickstart a career that I feel is well suited to my skills and experience. But experience is more valued in the UK”.

Priscilla Garcia (Spain) “after studying Journalism I realized that I wanted to work in PR because I like the characteristics and opportunities that the industry offers you. PR is about business and information. You still work with people and you get the chance to meet new ones. I think it's important to have a PR degree depending on your background. if you studied something related to PR or Journalism, it will be useful to do a postgraduate in PR. I come to do Master’s degree in the UK because I want to work in this country and I think it is necessary to have an English degree (graduate or post) to have a stronger CV and better opportunity when you apply for a job”.

Based on the survey findings, I have noticed that PR education and the industry as a whole represent a trend in the respective countries of students. It also highlights that there are emerging markets where PR is flourishing. There is a large number of students coming from India, Kazakhstan, Nigeria and the Middle East, and former socialist countries like Croatia along with established markets like the US, Canada, UK and Europe.

Regarding India, the Middle East, Kazakhstan and Nigeria; these markets are experiencing deep economic boom and transformation. Thus, the economic impact has required qualified and specialized people in public relations.

While I was making research on PR and Education, I came across with some web sites that confirm that PR represent a trend in emerging markets like former Soviet Republics and the Middle East.

http://www.instituteforpr.com/digest_entry/bob_grupp_a_good_example/
http://www.clickpress.com/releases/Detailed/13015005cp.shtml

Therefore, the above survey clearly shows that it is no longer that outsider practitioners coming from different background such as law, journalism, economics and marketing are the people who are running the PR industry. There is a new wave of graduate and qualified PR. People are tending to have PR degrees to kickstart a career and climb the professional ladder in the field. This shows therefore that in either emerging or established markets, PR education remains a necessity to further develop the PR industry.

Westminster University’s MA PR Students Survey

To underpin the idea that PR education has become a trend across the world, I conducted a survey in December 2008. I have noticed that the MA PR students at the University of Westminster have different academic and professional backgrounds, and about 80 % of them are not necessarily from the PR industry. The 32 MA students, who are from different countries, were asked why they chose to study PR and why in the United Kingdom. But before revealing my classmates’ survey findings, it is good to start with myself and give my viewpoint regarding the course.

I believe that PR studies are important more than ever before. As far as I am concerned, the PR industry in my country (Algeria) has become the backbone for many sectors such as oil and gas, tourism, banking and what is called privatization. Algeria has moved from a socialist to a liberal system and therefore requires a robust PR industry. For that reason, I decided to do a Master’s Degree in PR in the UK which is a pioneer in PR in the world. Having an MA in PR would certainly pave the way for me to hold senior and managerial positions in the Algerian market where PR continues to grow and expand. The degree is now required by the market. Also, being a graduate from a British University would help me hone over my PR skills in the UK which is a leading hub in this field.