Course overview

The MA in Public Relations will help you develop the practical and strategic PR skills that employers look for, while also stretching you intellectually.

This course, the first of its kind in London, is particularly relevant if you want to start or progress a career in PR or one that involves communications with either internal or external stakeholders.

We offer an exciting curriculum, updated each year, which combines rigorous academic study with the practical professional skills that are much in demand by employers. You can study either full-time (over one year) or part-time (over two years). Part-time students will need to apply for day-release.

Helping you adapt to change

PR is a fast-moving industry, sensitive to societal and technological change. It is an international industry, at different stages of development in different countries. Our students are equipped to seize the opportunities presented by change, rather than simply follow in the slipstream.

The course is designed to make you a better strategic manager and to develop your initiative and creativity. We help you adopt a self-critical approach to your performance as a basis for life-long learning. Many of our former students work at a senior level in PR and related fields across the world.

What you will learn

The course combines both theory and practice and is highly participative. Group exercises involving current, real life scenarios and role-play form a key feature of the classes. Our PR students were the first in the UK to be taught in a virtual world. You will be taught by teachers with a wealth of professional expertise and teaching experience.

There are no formal examinations. We assess your work through essays, seminar papers, presentations, group work and participation in class exercises. See what current students are reading and thinking about on their blogs.

At the end of the course you should be able to:

• Manage effective PR strategies in a variety of contexts
• Interpret the context in which PR takes place, and function in a range of PR roles and environments
• Design and deliver messages to segmented audiences using a full range of up to date techniques including new media
• Analyse key and current issues facing PR practitioners
• Critically evaluate the theories which underpin PR practice
• Undertake independent research to add to the profession's knowledge base.

During the MA course, you will take seven modules and submit a dissertation. Classes are taught over two semesters, starting in late September, and you generally attend classes two days a week, depending on which modules you choose.

This is a popular course and you are encouraged to apply early.