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Earn Your Degree in Public Relations

When you become a public relations specialist, your work will involve advocating for various businesses, universities, hospitals, and nonprofit organizations in order to maintain their positive reputations. You will do this by handling organizational messages that involve media and consumer, industry, community and governmental communications. You will likely draft press releases and interact with various forms of media, be they broadcast or print, as well as establish speaking engagements. You might need to prepare speeches and talking points for the officials of the organizations for which you work. Essentially, you will be acting as the intermediary between your employer and the public and act as the “face” of the company.

To succeed in the field of public relations, you must possess excellent oral and written communication skills. When working toward your degree, you will focus on courses such as marketing, journalism, writing, and communications strategies. You may also take specific courses in marketing principles, public speaking, consumer behavior, social media, business, and technical writing.

Elective courses should be chosen with your ultimate career goal in mind; do you prefer a nonprofit, business, or public (i.e. hospitals, clinics, etc.) arena? Carefully choosing a focus for your degree will better equip you for a position in your desired sector when you graduate.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that jobs in the field of public relations will increase by 18 percent from 2006 to 2016; however, the competition for entry-level positions is expected to be high. Graduates with higher degrees and greater experience will have the greatest opportunities and earn higher salaries. The median annual salary for a public relations specialist in 2007 was $49,800 (the top 10 percent earned $94,620).