WHAT DOES STUDYING PUBLIC RELATIONS AT UNIVERSITY INVOLVE?

In this blog post, I aim to outline the reality of studying public relations at an undergraduate level, in hopes to educate those who are interested in taking the same path as I did.

First, I would like to address, that it is not vital to obtain a public relations degree to pursue a career in the field, as the practice welcomes graduates from other disciplines including English, Law and Politics. So, do not feel the pressure to study public relations at an undergraduate level. However, those who are interested in studying public relations, I thought I would give you a small snapshot of what you may experience at an undergraduate level.

1. Heavily theory focused.

During my three years studying public relations, I had experienced a strong focus on building upon theoretical knowledge to critically evaluate an organisation's activity. To perform highly academically, it is important to ensure that you are well-read on a variety of theoretical concepts as it shows a clear understanding of the topic. 

2. Write, write and write!

Developing your writing style is very important in public relations, as the role requires you to prepare media kits including writing a press release or creating social media content (such as blogging or writing a Facebook post). At university, there is preparation to develop your writing style through writing reports and campaign planning. To give you an idea of the workload regarding how much-written content there is, you may either have one exam and one coursework or two coursework pieces to submit per module. However, each university will have a different system and also the course that I underwent may have changed, so please do seek out more information regarding the workload through online research or open days. 

3. Presentation.

I had both individual and group presentations during my accademic year, this skill is essential when working in public relations as there is an emphasis on teamwork. So, during your university experience, I would recommend that you find your strengths and improve your weaknesses when working in a team, as this will benefit you in the long term. 

4. Lots of independent studying.

Compared to my friends who study STEM-related subjects at university, I had significantly fewer contact hours. This is because the lecturer would assign a list of wider reading materials per week to build upon knowledge during contact hours. It is imperative that you complete the wider reading materials assigned, as the content will aid your assignments through understanding various perspectives on a subject.

Thank you for reading my blog post, I hope you found my insights informative, and if you are thinking of pursuing a public relations degree I wish you the best of luck, and I am sure that you will enjoy it.