Unlock Professional Opportunities in Public Relations
Employment and career opportunities in the public relations industry continue to grow robustly. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that from 2019 to 2029, jobs in public relations are expected to increase at a pace faster than average. The Bureau also noted that as of May 2020 (the most recent statistic available), the median annual salary of public relations specialists was $62,810 and the top 10% earned more than $118,210.
Employers are looking for PR professionals who possess a superior combination of skills and capabilities in integrated marketing, crisis communication, and management, traditional and social media, and digital production. The Master of Arts in Public Relations will help students master the fundamentals of the profession through a hands-on approach where they will learn how to solve problems, develop strategic communication plans, build relationships with key constituents, maintain and enhance organizational reputations, improve customer response, and communicate effectively.
Possible professions with an MA in Public Relations:
Steve Rubel '91, Chief Content Strategist at Edelman, speaks about the benefits of a Master of Arts in Public Relations.
Corporate PR
Working in corporate PR could involve serving a company's in-house PR team, which means your mission would be to act as the public face and/or voice of the company. You might be writing public statements, training executives for interviews and, overall, determining how your company's story and image should be shared with its stakeholders.
Crisis Communication
A career focus in crisis communication means you'll be working to protect your clients by managing their reputations and implementing strategies when a crisis reaches your organization. This includes developing a crisis communication plan to avoid potential crises.
Agency PR
With a career in agency PR, you can expect to serve several clients simultaneously. You'll likely act as an account executive, pitching the media, planning events and creating opportunities for public exposure.
Nonprofit PR
Working for a nonprofit organization involved reaching out to the media to tell your story, handling events that promote a specific issue or service, supporting fundraising, and putting a tailored communication strategy into place to help your cause.
Reputation Management
You would be cultivating positive attitudes and working to enhance the public images of organizations and individuals. You'll seek opportunities for partnerships in support of communities and nonprofits, and define effective approaches to social and traditional media.
Community Relations
A career in community relations typically means you will implement communication strategy and interactions in the community where your company or organization resides. This may involve connecting with area businesses, starting local initiatives, and creating good neighbor policies to enhance your reputation--and the community's.
Media Relations
A job in media relations involves cultivating relationships with reporters, editors, producers, and bloggers to move messages to your target audiences. You can expect to create press releases, pitch stories, organize press conferences, and be networking with and working alongside journalists.
Government Relations
With a career in government PR, you may act as the gatekeeper for information to be shared with various constituencies. You'll work on translating governmental policy into communicable terms for the public to receive, or you'll serve as your organization's liaison to policy makers and elected officials.
Lobbyist
Working as a lobbyist means you will focus on influencing decisions made by government officials by advocating for your cause. This could entail researching legislation, monitoring governmental developments, working with coalitions, and developing strategies that aim to enact or change laws.
Entertainment, fashion, lifestyle, PR
Working in entertainment, fashion or lifestyle PR could involve running publicity campaigns for a fashion company, representing a celebrity or production company, or coordinating with clients who wish to promote a lifestyle-based product or service.
Sports Information
A career in sports information involves liaising between a sports enterprise, like a college or professional team, and the public. Your job will include reaching out to appropriate media outlets to generate publicity. You can also expect to schedule events, prepare coaches and team members for interviews, and distribute information to the media.
Investor Relations
If you pursue a career in investor relations, you will likely serve as the liaison between a company's executive management team, investors and the business media. You may coordinate the flow of financial information to investors by coordinating shareholder meetings, creating financial reports, and handling any crisis that could harm key relationships.
Environmental Communication
A career in environmental communication means you'll work to share an environmental or scientific messages with target audiences and policy makers. You will likely focus on educating publics on issues affecting the environment or championing support for a program through various media platforms.
Faith-Based PR
Careers in communications for religious-based organizations including sharing information and missions on behalf of houses of worship, nonprofit religious organizations and related lobbying groups.
Educational PR
In the field of educational PR, you can expect to strategize communication plans that help improve the programs and services of an educational organization. This profession might involve drafting written communication between a community and a school district, university or other learning institution, and reaching out to journalists to earn media coverage for your institution's stories.
Consumer Relations
A profession in consumer relations involves representing your company using strategies that will cultivate positive business-to-consumer relationships. Your focus will be to communicate with existing and new customers in a way that allows for crucial feedback and engagement through social media and other platforms.
Business-to-Business PR
When a business's customers are other businesses, these organizations require strategic communication efforts focusing on budgets, contracts, supplies, trade associations, and marketing efforts.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Following a career in corporate social responsibility means you will focus on how your company assesses and takes responsibility for its effects on the greater social good. This function typically entails developing and implementing strategies that will help position your company for a sustainable future and goodwill in the communities it serves.
Internal Relations
As a public relations professional working in global communication, your expertise will be to understand cultural differences, know how audiences are most effectively reached through media in different countries, and move messages across languages and divergent approaches to business and communities.
Corporate Social Responsibility