Online master’s in communications and public relations

These types of degrees revolve around communications — written, spoken, and digital. Today’s master’s programs focus on industry trends and allow you to get hands-on experience using the latest digital tools for audience engagement.

Core courses

You will complete core coursework in the theory and practice of communications, including:

• Social media management
• Industry technology and software
• Strategic planning
• Marketing and promotional communications
• Research and analytics
• Writing

Advanced skills

If you’re looking to complement your public relations interest with practical expertise, a graduate degree can broaden your abilities and skill sets in the following areas of study:

Ethics

Ethical decision-making is critical to success in public relations and communications. You will often be presented with ethical dilemmas and concerns and must be prepared to recognize and respond to these issues.

Ethics courses involve analysis and engaging discussion with your peers and are typically philosophical in nature.

Strategic communications

This type of degree teaches you to approach all communication with a strategic eye. You can expect to enhance your strategic knowledge in areas such as:

• Writing
• Responsible communication
• Problem-solving
• Strategic plan development
• Plan implementation

Public relations writing

Writing is the foundation of any public relations career. Coursework in this area not only equips you with a firm grasp of language, grammar, and style, but also prepares you to develop a wide range of content, including:

• Statements
• Press releases
• Media correspondence
• Public service announcements
• Newsletters
• Fact sheets
• Talking points
• Media advisories

Communications research

Responsible communication hinges on well-researched information. This area of study allows you to hone skills in:

• Information gathering
• Informational campaign planning
• Evaluating information for factual accuracy and efficacy
• Secondary, primary, and informal research methods
• Analysis of online and traditional media
• Focus group and survey research
• Media segmentation and targeting

Marketing

Many students who complete a communications and public relations master’s pursue a path in marketing. Examples include devising social media strategy for a brand or business, managing client relations for an advertising firm, or overseeing an organization’s marketing department.

A graduate degree will furnish you with these marketing-specific skills:

• Identifying target audiences
• Developing media strategies
• Developing marketing content strategies
• Determining brand positioning
• Communicating across traditional channels and online platforms such as social media

Leadership

The best leaders are also effective communicators. Within this area of study, you will learn:

• How communication drives productivity
• How to reach consensus
• Interpersonal relationship management
• Collaborative leadership
• Elements of psychology and social psychology

Typical concentrations and electives

Certain master’s programs give students the chance to specialize by taking electives or focusing on a concentration.

Some of the concentrations you can choose include:

• Consulting
• Nonprofit public relations
• Corporate communications
• Crisis communications
• Digital communications
• Internal communications
• Media relationships
• Personal branding
• Reputation management

Elective classes are designed to help you further your education in specific areas or fill gaps in your current knowledge. Some of these electives include:

• Media relations
• Corporate relations
• Digital marketing and online brand management
• Public service and government relations
• Health care communication

Choose your coursework wisely — it should map to your career goals to help increase your job opportunities and starting salary.

There are two types of accreditation — regional and specialized. 

Regional accreditation

Regional accreditation is the most prestigious type of accreditation that an online or traditional college or university can receive. Regional accreditation confirms that the provider has met and maintained adherence to a minimum set of academic standards.

Most regionally accredited schools will only accept credits from other regionally accredited institutions of higher learning.

Specialized accreditation

Schools often apply to gain specialized accreditation for specific areas of study, departments, or degree programs. The leading accreditation for communication schools and public relations programs is the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) offered through the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). Public relations master’s programs may also be accredited by the Universal Accreditation Board, or UAB.

Enrolling in an accredited program makes you more marketable to employers and can affect your career growth over the long term.

Why accreditation matters

Accreditation is key if you want to:

• Transfer your credits, as most schools will only accept transfer credits from accredited institutions
• Apply for financial aid, as federal aid is only granted to students who are studying at recognized accredited institutions

Check for both national and regional accreditation at your university of interest. You may also find that your degree program or academic department of interest has additional and specialized accreditations.