7. Research Results
Phase 1: Analysis of secondary sources and
online audit of websites
• Increase in master’s programs (from 26 in 2000 to
75 in 2011, and still growing)
• Range of program titles
• Lack of uniform standards including number of
credit hours
• Inconsistent cumulative/capstone experiences
8. Research Results
Phase 2: Quantitative survey of educators and
practitioners
• Four knowledge categories identified: strategic
management, business, theoretical knowledge (including
research methods), globalization
• Comprehensive project requirement
• Practitioners and educators split on whether a master’s
degree is important in hiring
• Completing the degree makes graduate eligible for
research positions/equivalent of three years’ experience
9. Research Results
Phase 3: Qualitative in-depth interviews with
employers
• Employers value characteristics of applicant more than
knowledge or skills
• Employers view a master’s as preparation for entry-level
• Suggested a “better brand” needed for graduate programs
• Interpreted “split” between practitioners and educators as
reflection of varying graduate program quality
10. Master’s Degree Curriculum
• Standards for content areas, not specific
courses
• A master’s degree in public relations should
consist of a minimum of 30 hours
• Standards are applicable to:
– Master’s degree programs that are specifically
called public relations degree programs
– Programs in which public relations is a
track, sequence or concentration
11. Master’s Degree Curriculum
Should focus on knowledge and skills in the
following areas:
• Strategic public relations management
• Basic business principles and processes
• Communication/public relations theory and
research methods
• Global influences on the practice of public
relations
• Ethics
12. Master’s Degree Curriculum
Should also gain a mutual understanding of
business principles and processes:
• Management
• Marketing
• Accounting
• Economics and finance
• Understanding strategic business outcomes
13. Admission Standards
• Academic ability
– Standardized entrance exams such as the GRE
– Exceptional undergraduate GPAs
– Integrated reasoning and/or analytical writing
ability tests
• Knowledge of public relations
– Experience
– Academic and professional credentials
14. Delivering the Master’s
Degree
The traditional model remains the most
prevalent and widely preferred by educators and
practitioners due to the benefits:
• Academic services and professors are available to
provide support
• It is easier to structure courses for both students
and faculty
• Revenue for the university
15. Delivering the Master’s
Degree
However, traditional courses also pose some
challenges:
• Students must spend two-plus years on campus
• Most programs force students to quit working
while pursuing a master's degree
• International students struggle because relocating
limits work opportunities
• Many universities are already operating over
capacity
16. Delivering the Master’s
Degree
Online, blended and web-facilitated programs
address such problems and provide key benefits:
• Can increase enrollment and reach new markets
• Hybrid learning effectively expands course content
and supports knowledge analysis
• Hybrid education still enables students to form
bonds with peer groups and professors
17. Delivering the Master’s
Degree
Online and web-facilitated programs also have
drawbacks:
• Face-to-face connections are rarely made, which
limits team-oriented learning
• Students lack the benefit of a campus, professors
and academic services
• Students must rely on self-discipline to complete
course work
18. Delivering the Master’s
Degree
At a minimum, a master's program must ensure
that future practitioners are able to:
• Contribute to the profession
• Transmit knowledge
• Conduct research
• Apply theories in everyday work
Requires rigorous curricula no matter what delivery
format
19. Resources Needed
• Educators prefer faculty to have academic
credentials
• Practitioners thought too many educators lack
professional experience
• Faculty should have a blend of practical
experience and theoretical understanding
• Faculty should also remain professionally
engaged
20. Resources Needed
• Universities encouraged to recognize that an
individual faculty member may not possess every
desired criterion
• However, faculty hired for full-time positions
should:
– Preferably have a Ph.D
A master’s degree and professional experience should be the
minimum acceptable credentials
– Have professional credentials from a widely
recognized professional society
– Be engaged in ongoing professional development in
both academic and practitioner environments
21. Resources Needed
Financial, facility and marketing support for public
relations master’s programs:
• Increased autonomy for facilities and budget
management
• Utilize opportunities to attract greater funding from
the private sector
• Academic units should support global initiatives such
as travel grants for international faculty and students
• Use marketing techniques to attract top students to
public relations master’s degree programs
• Educate employers about the value of the master’s
degree
22. Resources Needed
Further resource considerations:
• Internships, work experience and practica are
essential components of professional graduate
education
• Employers have ever-increasing expectations of
master’s degree graduates’ ability to use
technology
• Graduates student research should enable an
understanding of using such tools and systems
23. Resources Needed
• Both educators and practitioners should commit
to a more effective interface with each other
• Practitioners believe too many full-time faculty
lack professional experience
• Collaboration in preparing practitioners to teach
can help improve interface
• Programs should leverage educator and
practitioner collaboration to increase the number
of successful research programs
24. Global Perspective
• There needs to be a global understanding of
public relations master’s education
• Countries all over the world have contributed to
the development of public relations
• The Commission includes members from North
America, Europe, Australia and Indonesia
• The Commission’s previous reports and standards
have been adapted all over the world
25. Summary
• Professional and academic graduate programs
engage students and practitioners in furthering their
education for career or academic purposes
• Standards create common core elements to ensure
consistency throughout public relations graduate
programs that results in credibility and validity
• Programs can leverage educator and practitioner
collaboration to increase relevance
• Educators and practitioners worldwide should
consider this report and alter their graduate
programs as needed
26. Commission Members
• Dean • Elizabeth Goenawan
Kruckeberg, Ph.D., APR, Fellow Ananto, Ph.D., IPRA Fellow
PRSA, Co-Chair University of Trisakti University
North Carolina at Charlotte • Karla K. Gower, Ph.D. University
• Frank E. Ovaitt, Jr., APR, Co-Chair of Alabama
Institute for Public Relations • Emanuele Invernizzi Università
• William Briggs, Ed.D. California IULM
State University Fullerton • Stephen D.
• Kathy Cripps, APR Council of Iseman, Ph.D., APR, Fellow PRSA
Public Relation Firms Ohio Northern University
• Louis Capozzi, APR, Fellow PRSA • Colleen M.
New York University Killingsworth, ABC, APR CK
• Denise P. Ferguson, APR Communications
Pepperdine University • Alexander V. Laskin, Ph.D.
• Dr. Rochelle Ford, APR Howard Quinnipiac University
University
27. Commission Members
• Thomas R. Martin College of Oklahoma
Charleston • Dr. Judy VanSlyke Turk, APR,
• John L. Paluszek, APR, Fellow PRSA Fellow PRSA Virginia
Ketchum Commonwealth University
• Maria P. Russell, APR, Fellow PRSA • Jean Valin, Fellow CPRS, APR
Syracuse University Valin Strategic Communication
• Hongmei Shen, Ph.D. San Diego • Susan Balcom Walton, M.A., APR
State University University of North Dakota
• Gerald Swerling University of • Donald K. Wright, Ph.D. Boston
Southern California University
• Elizabeth Toth, APR University of
Maryland, College Park
• Katerina Tsetsura University of
