How to become a Public Relations professional: Courses, institutes and prospects

When it comes to on-job rewards, the sky’s the limit for Public Relations (PR) professionals. But it comes with a caveat — you must work hard and stay on your toes to make the most of something that comes your way. If you’re media-savvy and a good communicator, this could be the greatest career for you.

What is PR?

Public Relations (PR) is all about preparing media strategies for clients to catch the attention of media outlets to sway the audience's opinion and behaviour. As a PR professional, you can either work in-house for an organisation or be part of an agency that deals with a range of clients. The work can be glamorous and rewarding as it may involve mingling with celebrities and organising events. PR encompasses communication areas like Journalism, Media Science, Advertising and Corporate Communications.

Studying PR:

• You need to complete your Class XII board exams with at least 50% aggregate in any stream.
• After passing your board exams, you can pursue graduation in Mass Communication.
• You can also choose to pursue an undergraduate degree in any other subject like English, Journalism, Economics, Mass Communication or even Engineering from a recognised university with at least 60% aggregate.
• After completion of your graduation, you can pursue a master’s degree in Mass Communication.
• You can also choose to pursue a PG diploma in Public Relations or Mass Communication & Journalism.

Popular colleges that offer PR courses:

Jadavpur University, Kolkata

Course: MA in Journalism & Mass communication.

• Duration: Two years.
• Eligibility: You need a bachelor’s degree in any stream with at least 50% aggregate.
• Admission: Depends on your aggregate in the graduation exam and also on your performance in the Subject Aptitude Assessment conducted by the department concerned.
• Click here to learn more.
  

St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata

Course: BSc in Mass Communication & Videography.

• Duration: Three years.
• Eligibility: You need to clear your Class XII board exams with at least 60% aggregate.
• Admission: Merit-based.
• Click here to learn more.

Course: Postgraduate Diploma in Mass Communication and Public Relation (MCP).

• Duration: One year.
• Eligibility: You need to complete your graduation in any stream. Final-year students can also apply.
• Admission: Depends on your qualifications, work experience and performance in the personal Interview.
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Manipal School of Communication, Karnataka

Course: BA in Media and Communication.

• Duration: Three years.
• Eligibility: You need to clear your Class XII board exams with at least 60% marks to appear for an entrance test.
• Admission: Depends on your performance in the test.
• Click here to learn more.

Course: MA in Media and Communication.

• Duration: Three years.
• Eligibility: You need to complete your bachelor’s degree in any stream with at least 50% aggregate to appear for an entrance test.
• Admission: Depends on your performance in the entrance test and the subsequent personal interview.
• Click here to learn more.

Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi

Course: MA in Mass Communication.

• Duration: Two years.
• Eligibility: You need to complete graduation in any stream with 50% aggregate to appear for an entrance test.
• Admission: Depends on your performance in the entrance test and the subsequent personal interview.
• Click here to learn more.

Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi

Course: Post Graduate Diploma in Advertising & Public Relations.

• Duration: One year.
• Eligibility: You need to complete your bachelor’s degree in any stream with at least 50% aggregate to appear for an entrance test.
• Admission: Depends on your performance in the IIMC entrance test and the subsequent personal interview.
• Click here to learn more.

Xavier Institute of Communications (XIC), Mumbai

Course: Post Graduate Diploma in Public Relations & Corporate Communications.

• Duration: One year.
• Eligibility: You need to complete your bachelor’s degree in any stream with at least 50% aggregate to appear for an entrance test.
• Admission: This depends on your performance in the XIC entrance test and the subsequent personal interview.
• Click here to learn more.

Mudra Institute of Communications (MICA), Ahmedabad

Course: Advanced Certificate Programme in Advertising Management and Public Relations (ACPAMPR)

• Duration: 11 months (Online)
• Eligibility: You need to complete your graduation from any stream to become eligible for application.
• Admission: You need to write a Statement of Purpose (SoP) and then appear for a subsequent telephonic interview.
• Click here to learn more.

YMCA Institute for Media Studies & Information Technology, New Delhi

Course: Undergraduate Diploma in Public Relations, Media and Event Management.

• Duration: One year.
• Eligibility: You need to clear your Class XII board exams or its equivalent.
• Admission: Depends on your performance in the entrance test and the subsequent personal interview.
• Click here to learn more.

Course: Undergraduate Diploma Public Relation, Advertising & Marketing.

• Duration: One year.
• Eligibility: You need to clear your Class XII board exam or its equivalent to appear for an entrance exam.
• Admission: Depends on your performance in the entrance test and the subsequent personal interview.
• Click here to learn more.

Study abroad

PR is a well-established field of study in other countries. Several foreign universities offer courses that are intertwined with Journalism, Media Studies, and New Media. Here is a list of foreign institutes that offer PR courses:

• University of Akron, US
• Central Michigan University, US
• University of Bristol, UK
• Regent’s University London, UK
• University of Alberta, Canada
• Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
• University of Applied Sciences for Media, Communication and Management, Germany

Job roles with a PR degree:

• Public relations executive: They are in charge of implementing promotional campaigns, organising events, and interacting with the press to maintain the client's positive image. They use all forms of media and networking to build, maintain and manage their clients' credibility.

• Media relations officer: They create and maintain a positive image for a specific business, agency, public person or product through media channels. They also organise marketing campaigns and public relations initiatives.

• Communications specialist: These professionals assist businesses by maintaining a company's internal and external interactions.​​ They also work on spreading words about the company's operations to the outside world. These professionals write press releases, respond to media inquiries, assemble documents, and plan events and press conferences.

• Events executive: They carry out tasks such as identifying and scheduling sites, collaborating closely with clients and vendors, supervising logistics, budgeting and bookkeeping, risk management and event documentation.

• Guest relations officer: These are customer service representatives who typically work in the hospitality industry and assist guests. They also manage visitor feedback, assist with the check-in procedure and demonstrate all facilities, such as pool facilities and cafes.

• Customer service manager: They provide customer service by managing and motivating the support team, designing incentive programmes and developing customer service objectives.

• Marketing relations executive: These professionals assist the marketing and sales teams with product launches and campaigns. They work on promoting brand awareness, image and positioning.