10 things you should know before undertaking a degree in public relations

Having achieved a first-class PR degree at Leeds Beckett University and completed a placement year at an award-winning PR agency, I know a thing or two to look out for when it comes to choosing the right degree for you, and taking advantage of the opportunities it may offer. Here’s my top 10 things you should know before making this decision.

1. DOING YOUR OWN RESEARCH IS ESSENTIAL

If you’re reading this blog post, you’re obviously off to a great start in terms of understanding what you are getting yourself in for with a PR degree. However, I would strongly recommend doing some research of your own on the following:

1. General research around what PR is, what interests you about the industry and what skills you think you have or could be good at.
2. What modules do different universities offer (universities may have different names for courses and focuses for modules).
3. Which universities offer a placement year, looking into where previous students have completed their placements.

As part of your research, I would also suggest you consider attending different university open days to better understand what that they offer. They are also a great opportunity to connect with lecturers and potential course mates and ask questions that will help you to decide if this is the course for you. Personally, feeling supported by lecturers early on and speaking with current students about the work they are currently doing helped me to decide that Leeds Beckett was the best choice for me.

2. THE VALUE OF A PLACEMENT YEAR

Personally, I couldn’t recommend an industrial placement year enough to prospective PR students. Some of the most valuable experiences I gained from my degree were from these experiences. Working in one of the UK’s leading PR agencies, Taylor Herring, I had the opportunity to practice lots of relevant skills including writing press releases, pitching to journalists, tracking coverage, organising and assisting on PR events, and creating media lists. While understanding the theoretical practices is great, applying this knowledge really helped me to solidify what I had learnt and go into final year much more confident in my abilities.

Additionally, the connections you build in your placement year may actually lead to a job post university or give you a better idea of the direction you would like to take your career in the future.

3. THERE ARE SOME GREAT NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

If you aren’t confident in breaking into the industry alone, a PR degree is an excellent opportunity for you to gain connections with a variety of practitioners. As part of your degree you will meet so many different industry professionals including your lecturers, clients from practical modules, and colleagues from internship experiences. At my university, I also had the opportunity to attend a CIPR networking event in my final year that was hosted by one of my lecturers, and included connecting with a panel of PR professionals, all with interesting perspectives on the field and stories of their journey into the industry.

4. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A CONFIDENT PRESENTER (JUST YET)

One of the biggest things that scared me about studying a PR course when I was in school was the prospect of pitching a campaign idea to lots of people and completely freezing up. I was never a confident speaker in front of big crowds, however over the duration of my course I definitely became more comfortable doing so. As my other PR skills have developed, I have become much more at ease when pitching to clients and lecturers (which I did various times in my final year). So don’t let a fear like this stop you from pursuing a degree in PR.

5. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

While undertaking a placement year is great, there are also lots of chances in your first and second year to gain short-term internship opportunities. Lecturers promote them on emails or LinkedIn, search independently for intern postings or approach local agencies about short-term work. By making time to build up your experience with short-term internships, you will not only have a better understanding of PR and the concepts you are studying, but you will also have more experience to talk about if you decide to take a placement year, and when it comes to creating your professional portfolio (which you will likely have to produce as part of your course).

6. YOU CAN SHAPE YOUR DEGREE TO FIT YOUR INTERESTS

With most PR degrees out there, there is the opportunity to focus your studies on your specific interests. At the university I studied at, there were some creative modules that required researching and exploring skills in a chosen sector of PR, in addition to optional modules you decide from in final year and group projects in your chosen industry, e.g. fashion, entertainment or sports PR. Over the course of your studies, you might even find a sector or area you become passionate about, and if you choose to write your dissertation about this, you will have an extensive amount of time to research it further.

7. CREATIVITY IS ENCOURAGED

If you are creative but haven’t found your calling yet, PR might just be the degree for you. There are lots of creative skills applied in the industry including creative thinking and storytelling for campaign ideas, creative writing used in press releases, problem solving in crisis management and the use of social media. Each of these skills will probably be tested at some point in your degree, and so creativity is something that shouldn’t be underestimated.
However, if this is a concern for you, then don’t worry as you will inevitably improve on producing innovative PR campaign ideas, for example. As you progress through the course, you will acquire a better understanding of PR and the strategies and tactics that can be applied for different briefs.

8. THERE WILL BE LOTS OF GROUP WORK

For a PR degree, you should expect to participate in lot of group work. While this might become tedious at times, after university you will be working with lots of different people in various teams, and so developing your skills in team working is vital. Plus, if you want to gain some extra experience, you could even nominate yourself for Team Leader or to lead some creative brainstorming sessions, learning additional skills in leadership and delegation. In final year, you will have the opportunity to pitch ideas to real clients for set briefs, and if you impress them, you may even be able to secure a graduate job.

9. YOU GET OUT WHAT YOU PUT IN

While group work is encouraged, to achieve a higher overall mark in your degree and become more employable post university, you will also need to work on your skillset independently. This may include undertaking a placement year or some short-term internships, creating your own social media blog or website, or completing online courses in relevant areas. There will likely also be some job openings at your university that exercise key PR skills eg blog writing, running social media pages, student ambassador, event coordinator. And, as you probably won’t be in uni every day, committing some extra time to your course will only advance your career and networking opportunities for the future, so make sure to seize every opportunity!

10. YOU DON’T NEED A DEGREE IN PR TO PURSUE A CAREER

One thing you should also know before starting an undergraduate degree in PR is that you don’t need one! There are plenty of opportunities to start your career in PR by applying for internship positions and working your way up. Many people in PR studied something completely different at university.

For me, I loved studying PR and meeting a variety of different PR people over the four-year duration of my course, while slowly building up my confidence. But if you’d rather not take out a student loan and you’d prefer to get stuck in straight away, then looking for internship programmes might be the best option for you.