Public Relations

Public relations practitioners belong to an important and growing profession that helps organisations build relationships with people who are important to them.

It is a practical, people-focused profession that involves developing ideas into projects and events that help charities, businesses, service clubs, government agencies, sports teams and celebrities to advance their public profiles. Practitioners work with journalists, graphic designers, business leaders, sportspeople, celebrities, politicians, employees, and other professionals.

Our focus

Public-Relations-image1 The Bachelor of Public Relations degree program focuses on providing beginning practitioners with essential, ethical, work-ready skills for a career in business, consultancies, not-for-profit organisations, and government agencies. That involves studying the techniques required for contemporary public relations practice, and the important theoretical principles that underpin why and how people communicate. The program gives students experience in working with practitioners in a professional public relations office. Students develop writing and professional practice skills, analytical abilities for research, problem-solving, project planning and strategy development and an understanding the legal contexts in which they will work, and the requirements of ethical practice.

The UC Bachelor of Public Relations degree is designed to enable graduates to take leadership, management and strategy roles within a few years of graduation as many of our graduates are now employed.

The Bachelor of Public Relations degree is fully accredited by the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) and after graduating you will be eligible to become a professional member of that body.

Our approach

The complexities of 21st century global issues and their impact on individual nations and communities mean that public relations practitioners need not only to have professional skills but to be acutely aware of the world around them to successfully do their jobs. For those reasons the Bachelor of Public Relations degree program

Focuses on skills development
Builds critical thinking and research abilities
Introduces students to real-world public relations practice through a final-year internship, which can be undertaken locally, interstate or internationally
Underpins professional skills development with essential knowledge about communication theory
Involves senior professionals in teaching and mentoring
Is taught by academic staff with professional experience and research interests in communication theory and practice
Uses realistic case studies, often in a problem-based learning context
Encourages participation in extra-curricula professional activities
Offers an opportunity to broaden its day-to-day relevance by allowing students to study other disciplines like international studies, tourism, management, law, politics, marketing and languages. Students may also study in a double degree program with arts, management or law to further enhance their employability. High achievers can undertake an honours year.