Public Relations Program Receives Certification At International Conference

The following article was published on SMC News and Events on October 26, 2013.

The public relations industry has converged on Philadelphia this weekend and Temple University is playing a starring role.

The city is playing host to the International Public Relations Society of America Conference Oct. 26-29. A silver-level sponsor of the conference, Temple has secured its place as an important part of the future of public relations. On Saturday, the PR program within the School of Media and Communication’s Department of Strategic Communication has officially earned the PRSA’s Certification in Education for Public Relations. Only 32 other PR programs in the world have received this certification.

“Our public relations program is approaching a level that can be described as exacting, compelling and rigorous,” said Professor Cornelius B. Pratt, department chair.

The certification is something to which future students should be attracted as they search for a college program that fits their needs.

“It should offer a high level of confidence in the quality of the education that we will provide them,” Pratt said.

He said the depth and breadth of the department’s five full-time public relations faculty members, two of whom are accredited in public relations, were key factors in receiving the certification. All five have practical public relations experience.

Brianna Rooney of Ambler, Pa., is a senior in the public relations track. As president of the Temple Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America, she understands what the certification means for her degree.

“Hearing that PRSA is offering its support to our program is beyond exciting,” she said. “It brings great and necessary attention to the program and everything that it offers to students. It is a huge testament to the program, department and school and makes me so proud to be part of something so great.”

Strong SMC presence
Temple will be visible throughout the conference. On Monday, SMC Dean David Boardman will make introductory remarks at the all-conference networking luncheon. This opportunity will enable the new SMC dean to introduce himself to more than 2,500 international communications professionals, and tell them a little bit about Temple and its undergraduate and graduate programs. That same afternoon, adjunct instructor Amanda Bednar will be presenting a workshop on non-profit and association PR at the Public Relations Student Society of America conference, which is being held concurrently with the professional conference.

On Tuesday morning, Heather LaMarre, assistant professor of strategic communication, will present a workshop on “Defining Corporate Character Advocacy on Character Reputation and Relationships” at the professional conference.

More than 40 of SMC’s PR students have registered for the student conference. Members of Temple’s PRSSA chapter, student-run PR firm PRowl Public Relations and the Temple chapter of the Black Public Relations Society have been intimately involved in planning ways to get the most out of the school’s sponsorship. They are staffing tables throughout both conferences, promoting SMC’s graduate and PhD programs. Additionally, student are surveying conference attendees to see what they know about Temple and are exploring future opportunities to speak in classes and perhaps even teach.

Kaitlyn Sutton, PRowl firm director, said she and her fellow students are focused on networking this weekend.

“For many of us, this will be our first time interacting with professionals within the field,” Sutton said. “I think the other main benefit is the chance to explore new realms for the PR world that we may have not thought about before. Being exposed to professional development sessions at such a young age, I feel that we will be gaining an advantage over other students who do not have this opportunity during their college career.”

Is Graduate School Essential For PR Students?

I’m often asked by students if they should attend graduate school after receiving their undergraduate degree.  As with many things in life, the answer is often “it depends.”  It depends on what kind of career a student envisions for his or herself.  Is a graduate degree absolutely required to practice public relations?  No.  Is it advisable?  If you someday want to be offering strategic counsel to CEOs, senior executives and clients, and be valued as an experienced and knowledgeable communications counselor, then yes.

As the field of public relations becomes more complex, and the rate of change – technological and otherwise – increases, more education is always better.  In many organizations, for-profit and non-profit alike, public relations is already seen as a strategic function, not just the department writing news releases and staging events.  In order to fulfill the strategic role public relations professionals are increasingly being called upon to meet, a graduate degree is becoming more necessary.

A growing trend is online graduate degrees.  More universities are offering this option for the busy working professional or for those who can’t attend on-campus classrooms.  Online programs offer the flexibility of doing the work on your schedule, but they also demand a lot of self-discipline and time management skills.  Some programs are strictly online and a student may never visit the actual campus, while others demand some time on campus, such as one weekend per semester.  It’s advisable to check out each program’s individual criteria for applying and requirements.

At Temple, we offer a number of graduate degrees in the field of communications.  They include a Master of Arts in Media Studies and Production, Master of Journalism, Master of Science in Communication Management, Master of Science in Globalization and Development Communication, and a Ph.D. program in Media and Communication.  These graduate programs have been growing, bringing together students and working professionals from all kinds of organizations and industries, from corporate to non-profit, from healthcare to cable television.  In addition, an increasing number of international students are enrolled, bringing their own unique perspectives and set of cultural norms to in-class discussions. 

Currently more than 200 graduate students pursue professional and scholarly opportunities preparing for further research and doctoral work, or for furthering their careers in media, communications policy, communications management, and production.  For more information, visit http://smc.temple.edu/graduate.

This guest blog post was written by PRowl and Temple PRSSA Advisor Gregg Feistman. 

Public Relations and Studying Abroad

As a public relations major, studying abroad may not seem like an option for you. Most locations and programs do not offer PR courses, and only few offer internships. I am here to present my study abroad advising services and present some hidden treasures for public relations majors.

1. The School of Media and Communication’s International Internship Programs:
The Barcelona and Hong Kong programs both offer public relations courses as well as an internship in any field desired. All students are required to take Intercultural Communication in the Workplace: STRC 3670. The other course is cross-listed with multiple other majors but there are two strategic communication courses:  STRC 3385 or 3585 - Internship in Public Communication. Both programs are a total of 10 weeks, with the first two weeks on campus to take the Intercultural Communication course. Past students have told us that this course put them a step ahead of other students interning abroad.

2. As for a semester abroad, SMC’s London program has three strategic communication courses offered during the semester including an optional internship. The courses include: STRC 3323: Political Communication, STRC 3585 – Internship in Public Relations, or STRC 3685 – Internship in Organizational Leadership. You would only be able to take two courses directly through strategic communication, but any time you study abroad the Global/World Society GenEd is automatically fulfilled. The rest of the credits would be taken as electives offered through SMC.

The question that most students have about studying abroad is how they are going to pay for it. These are the necessary steps to take in order to receive the most financial assistance:

1. The first step would be to make an appointment with the financial aid office. If you plan on going for a semester, your financial aid package may increase because the cost of living is typically higher when studying abroad.

2. File your FAFSA within the first few days of it opening. This is how you can receive the most aid possible. It is not necessary to have your taxes filed beforehand; you may go back and fill it in later.

3. APPLY FOR ALL SMC SCHOLARSHIPS. All tuition scholarships apply when you are abroad for a semester; however, in the summer this is more difficult. The scholarships that are due in February are the ones than can be applied for the summer, and there are less available. This makes the summer more difficult to pay for but not impossible.

4. APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS THROUGH THE EDUCATION ABROAD OFFICE. There are hundreds of thousands of dollars offered in scholarships through this office. The requirements are broken by location typically, which makes it easier to choose which ones to apply to.

5. If nothing else, apply for loans. Most students are eligible for the Parent Plus loan, which is cosigned by your parents. Students sometimes take out private loans, but you need to be sure to look for low interest rates.

Preparing for a study abroad experience is a lot of work; however, when planned properly the process will be less stressful. As much work that you put in as a student, the study abroad advisers will put in as well. We have amazing opportunities to connect nationally and internationally through Temple. The first step is deciding to take the leap.

This guest blog post was written PRowl Staff Member Brianna Prime.