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.