Objectives
Public relations is a very competitive marketplace. With exciting career prospects and high earning potential, employers are increasingly looking for professional qualifications as a way of differentiating between applicants. Employers also are keen that new recruits have first hand experience of working in a public relations environment and are able to demonstrate a sound knowledge of basic skills, including knowledge of industry-specific software. With a qualification such as DMU’s Postgraduate Diploma in Public Relations, graduates are able to differentiate themselves in the field and progress more quickly to senior roles within the profession. Public relations is one of the first truly global careers, so graduates can work in different countries as part of their career plan and in a variety of related communications disciplines – including internal communications, corporate communications, event management, financial public relations, lobbying, sponsorship and fundraising - as well as in business-to-business, consumer and technical public relations positions within both public relations agencies and in-house departments.
Course description
Public Relations is a rapidly expanding profession with excellent career prospects. It is also the third-most popular career choice for graduates – which means that competition for jobs is fierce.
A sound knowledge of public relations skills and practices, coupled with an awareness of the key issues in this developing field, are essential in order to secure a coveted position in one of the 21st century’s most dynamic and exciting industries.
With this in mind, De Montfort University has launched a new Postgraduate Diploma in Public Relations - designed to produce precisely the right kind of professionals to work in this exciting and challenging field.
The new Postgraduate Diploma has been developed by both public relations professionals and members of the team behind our successful Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism. The Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism is highly regarded by the industry and has an almost 100% employment record. This new course in public relations will equip students with both the theoretical understanding and practical skills that they need to make a success of a career in public relations.
Public relations is a popular career – but it’s also a demanding one. Successful public relations practitioners have excellent verbal communication skills, the ability to deal with people in senior positions, are well organised and able to deal with multiple projects (and deadlines), have excellent written English and thrive under pressure. They are also creative, fascinated by the media and have an awareness of current affairs. If this sounds like you, then public relations could be for you!
The course is in the process of obtaining accreditation from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
Teaching/assessment
Students will be taught in a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops and self-directed study. Their work will be assessed by essay, assignment, project work, a detailed portfolio, and oral presentations.
Further information
The course aims not just to equip students with industry-specific public relations skills but also encourage them to think about the broader context in which the practice of public relations is situated.
As a result, the course also helps students to understand modern business and media practices, as well as teaching students how to integrate the developing new media technologies into public relations programmes. Students will also work closely with students on the Postgraduate Diploma in journalism, thus gaining a hands-on insight into the workings of modern media.
The Diploma will be organised into four modules; Theory and Structure, Basic Skills, Public Relations Planning and Management and PR in Practice.
Theory and Structure and Basic Skills are taught alongside each other in first term with Public Relations Planning and Management and PR in Practice being taught in term two. The object is for Theory and Structure to lead naturally into Public Relations Planning and Management and for Basic Skills to prepare students to carry out the exciting ‘hands-on’ PR in Practice module.
Students will also be expected to complete a four-week full-time work placement between the first and second pair of modules. In this way students will be able to apply both their academic understanding and professional skills in real-life situations – gaining valuable experience which they can use in the second term and beyond.
