University of Lincoln Careers & Employability

Public Relations

This page is intended to provide ideas and information for students and graduates of a degree in Public Relations.

With thanks to CareerPlayer www.careerplayer.com Graduate Jobs and Career Advice on video.

What skills have I gained on my course?

Employers are interested in the skills and competencies you gained from your degree, therefore it is very important you can recognise them and present them effectively on CVs and in interviews:

Communication, including writing for a variety of new and traditional media; presenting, lobbying, pitching, persuading, promoting
Critical thinking
Decision making in complex and unpredictable situations
Planning, organisational and time management; event management
Team working
Reflection, analysis, synthesis and evaluation
Competency in ICT with regard to research, data manipulation and communication
Ability to develop PR programmes for a variety of purposes and sectors

Occupations associated with Public Relations

The obvious direction for people with a degree in Public Relations is to work in that field, either for a consultancy or an in-house department of a public sector organisation such as a hospital or a government agency, or for a private sector organisation.

Other occupations where a degree in Public Relations would be useful

Postgraduate Study

Postgraduate study may enable you to explore aspects of Public Relations in greater depth or to study a new subject. There are several masters programmes and diploma courses in Public Relations which incorporate International, Media, Corporate Communications and Event Management strands. The Chartered Institute of Public Relations offers an Advanced Certificate and a Diploma ( see www.cipr.co.uk) PR graduates may also be interested in qualifications offered by The Communication, Advertising and Marketing Foundation (CAM)

A postgraduate qualification, either academic or vocational, is required to enter many fields or work not directly related to Public Relations such as teaching, law, social work.

You should consider why you want to do postgraduate study, whether it will affect your career prospects and whether you are likely to get funding.

For general information and where to find courses, please see our Postgraduate Study section. For information on courses available at Lincoln click here.