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Diploma in PR

The course

The Diploma level is for more experienced professionals that successfully gained Advanced Certificate qualification. The course provides an understanding of the strategic roles and functions of the public relations manager. Students will appreciate the practice of public relations as a management function and be encouraged to analyze critically. The Diploma provides public relations practitioners with the knowledge and understanding of theory and practice to develop as effective and efficient professionals.

Students examine case studies and will be given the opportunity to discuss them with practitioners in workshops and by reference to recommended texts for more theoretical analysis. Students build case studies and find evidence for practical examples from a wide range of daily newspapers, the broadcast media, magazines, journals and specialist publications. They also create a diary of their professional development which they can carry forward throughout their working lives.

 

Assessment and quality assurance

Assessments (Critical Reasoning Test (CRT), Planning Assignment, and Diploma Project) are moderated by a board of examiners in Great Britain, comprising PR practitioners and academics. After passing the three assignments the candidates are awarded with the international qualification.

Syllabus

1 Public relations principles

Suggested teaching time: approximately 50% of qualification

Learning outcomes: at the end of unit 2.1, learners will be able to

  • Critically evaluate a wide range of public relations theories, concepts and practice
  • Locate public relations theory and practice in wider academic and social contexts
  • Evaluate the impact of public relations on their own organisation/clients and wider contexts
  • Apply a range of public relations concepts to their workplace and the sectors they operate in
  • Indicative content
  • Theory and practice
  • Definitions of public relations, applying theory, and reflective practice
  • Public relations in context
  • Public relations and the organisation, public relations and communications theory, international perspectives and diversity
  • Strategic public relations
  • Dialogue and persuasion models, different theoretical perspectives, reputation and relationship management, challenge of the online environment
  • Professional practice

Ethics and professionalism, corporate social responsibility/community relations/sustainability and stakeholder heory, internal communications, professional roles, strategic media ` management

Assessment: Critical reasoning test (two essays @ 2,500 words each)

2 Planning and programme management

Suggested teaching time: approximately 40% of qualification

Learning outcomes: at the end of unit 2.2, learners will be able to

  • Apply a range of planning concepts to different public relations contexts and their own workplace
  • Analyse and prioritise the situation, environmental issues, and stakeholders/publics
  • Develop strategic objectives aligned with corporate goals
  • Design effective communications and select appropriate research and evaluation tools
  • Indicative content
  • Strategic planning and communications management
  • Risk issues and crisis management, stakeholders and publics, the corporate context
  • Planning research and evaluation
  • Research to assess the situation, research to monitor progress, research to assess impact
  • Campaign planning

Planning models, objective setting, creativity, messaging, strategy and tactics, budgeting, timescales and resources

Assessment: Campaign programme (3,500 words) plus supporting management presentation with theoretical underpinning (2,300 words)

3 Personal Skills and Development (reflective practice)

Learning outcomes: at the end of Unit 2.3, learners will be able to

  • define their own project parameters and produce a realistic research plan
  • produce a literature review of current thinking in the field, including critical evaluation
  • conduct primary and secondary research, as appropriate, using suitable research tools
  • produce an in-depth reflective investigation of a selected area of public relations practice or theory, drawing on material introduced in previous modules.

Indicative content

  • project design
  • research tools
  • personal reflection

Assessment: Personal project agreed with tutor (6,000 words).