How much PR education is enough?
This morning I received an e-mail promotion via the Daily Dog for the Master’s Degree program in Strategic Public Relations at The George Washington University. The degree program is completely online.
I’m sure this is a fine program, and certainly GWU has a great reputation, but it got me thinking about the best advanced degree for communications and PR professionals. Do you need a master’s in PR? Or what about a doctorate in PR?
My simple answer for the M.A. is yes, if your undergraduate degree is not in PR or a related discipline. I can’t imagine what more you could learn about PR in grad school that you can’t learn more effectively at a job so if you have an undergrad degree in PR skip the M.A. in PR and get to work. But if you have an undergrad degree in political science or history or anything other than PR and want to pursue a career in the profession then an M.A. program in PR makes some sense. Likewise, if you have an undergrad degree in PR and want to specialize in a particular discipline, like health care or tech PR, then you should consider getting your M.A. in the specialty — not a higher degree in PR. As for the PhD., obviously skip that unless you’d like to teach college.
Anyone out there have a different opinion?
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Comments
January 14th, 2010 at 9:11 am
Nope.
January 14th, 2010 at 9:24 am
I wholeheartedly agree that additional education for practitioneers will make our industry stronger and put our professional practice on par with accountants, lawyers and other business counselors. PRSA accreditation is a first step and easily available to all. Senior managers must start bringing up the next generation by setting the example.
January 14th, 2010 at 9:41 am
So fantastic to see one of the nation’s leading PR experts, Ray Artigue, weigh in on Valley PR blog. Listen to him – he has forgotten more than most of us will know.
Believe Dan Wool is taking the best route – an MBA. It gives you a business accruement to compliment a journalism background (education and media experience) that should be necessary – even today – for public relations practitioners.
Looked at getting a DBA, but there is no ROI on it. Don’t expect ROI on that MBA education, either. Do it for your own personal growth.
Now, if employers would improve their hiring practices, public relations could grow as a field. You wouldn’t hire an intern to do your legal work, would you? As Linda VandeVrede wrote in her book, “Press Releases are Not a PR Strategy,” “By moving an inexperienced, albeit willing, talent into PR, you degrade the profession.” Seems to be a major issue in Arizona.
January 14th, 2010 at 10:41 am
Seriously, a Masters or Doctorate in PR? While I totally agree that an MBA is well worth the time, effort and money, years of education to be a “supposed” expert is PR is a complete waste of time in my mind. In order for PR to be truly effective, it needs to be combined and leveraged with other marketing channels. PR on its own, especially in today’s day and age, is not enough. Knowing how to combine the right resources so that a company can gain a solid ROI from their entire marketing program takes a keen business sense and some common sense! Not an expensive piece of paper letting everyone know that you’ve spent endless hours in the classroom pontificating with your professors on how to write a white paper.
January 14th, 2010 at 11:14 am
I have my masters in mass communications from the Cronkite School at ASU. A couple years after I graduated with my journalism degree (there was not a PR degree at the time, just a couple classes), I realized that I needed and wanted some additional education in things like marketing, advertising, business management. I started taking not only the communications courses but business courses as well. My boss at the time was Ray Artigue, a big supporter of continuing education.
It took 6 years, but I got the degree. A personal accomplishment, for sure, and certainly a point of differentiation among my peers.
I am a strong advocate of continuing education — whether that be through an advanced degree, an accreditation process through a professional organization, or just participating in industry conferences and workshops. Online or in-person — more education is always a good thing.
January 14th, 2010 at 11:55 am
Love this discourse. 20 years ago, when it was A&M Magazine and the Business Journal’s advertising page covering media in Arizona, not Valley PR blog, this discussion would have gone nowhere – Dr. Francine Hardaway and myself were the only two “communications types” in Arizona with post-baccalaureate degrees. Shows growth in the communications field in two decades. Anyone know how many in Arizona have beyond bachelor’s today?
January 14th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Interesting conversation and points made by all… I actually made the decision to go ahead and go for this masters from GWU… Classes started this past Monday… I like the convenience of it all being online and at your own pace… Love the structure of the program (one class at a time to make it easy with your current job) and really looking forward to the group work with PR folks from a variety of industries all over the country… The courses all seem really interesting, plus my current employer will benefit from it because they are used as my “client” for projects throughout the program… Anything to keep new ideas, techniques and approaches fresh in my mind can’t hurt!
January 18th, 2010 at 8:29 am
I tend to agree with Len. A few years back I was pondering a Master’s Degree in communications at ASU. I talked to my boss at the time and he felt I’d be better served by an MBA because I already had gained “master’s level experience” through my years of working in communications. He felt the MBA would better round out my education and improve my abilities to navigate the business side of our organization. I took his advice and earned an MBA from ASU. I am very glad I took this route as it has been a great benefit. That being said, I also agree with Abbie in that continuing to learn and gain new experiences can only help. Because my undergrad degree is in journalism (PR wasn’t offered), I would probably consider this degree in PR just for the continued education and learning from others.
January 18th, 2010 at 8:02 pm
I’m in the MBA crowd. It was a great balance to the J-school BA. It also helps to be able to speak the language of those who control the purse strings. In fact, some high-tech firms require their engineers to get MBAs or similar degrees to move into management positions.
Public Relations Careers | Education & Experience | Business Training.com Resources Says:
February 15th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
[...] for you to learn more with hands on experience. Public relations may be one of those degrees. The Valley PR Blog also made a great point: if your undergraduate degree is not in PR, but you hope to work in the PR [...]