Strategic Public Relations and Communication Management

Our Postgraduate Masters (MSc) Award in Strategic Public Relations and Communications management has a great history and continued excellence with repeat awards every year. Our Communications Masters and associated courses can are associated with the credentials listed below.

1st in Europe to teach public relations at Masters level (established 1988) 

1st in Scotland for research in Communication, Cultural and Media Studies in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise

1st in Scotland for Communications & Media (The Independent Complete University Guide, 2011, and The Guardian University Guide, 2011)

Public Relations and Communication Management practitioners provide direction for organisations of all sizes and sectors to communicate with their stakeholders and to manage relationships and emerging issues on the public agenda. Here at Stirling, we take a strategic approach to the field, encompassing a variety of perspectives and disciplines.

Graduate Programme Objectives

The MSc Strategic Public Relations and Communication Management equips you with the necessary practical and analytical skills for a professional career and it examines how to design, implement and evaluate public relations (PR) and programmes.

Entrance Requirements

Qualifications equivalent to an upper second class undergraduate degree from a university or college recognised by the University of Stirling. Applications will also be considered from those with significant experience in public relations, but without the normal qualifications for entry (normally for the Diploma in the first instance).

English Language Requirements

If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence of your proficiency such as a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 (minimum 6 in each skill), or TOEFL: Listening 23, Reading 23, Speaking 23, Writing 23.

Funding

information on possible sources of funding

Modes of Study

Full-time
one year

September

Structure and Content

Students on this programme will study the following modules:

• Strategic Public Relations Planning: Develops the ability to identify and diagnose public relations problems and design campaign strategies. Presentation and media broadcast skills are taught.
• Public Relations and Communication Management Theory: Provides an overview of key public relations and communication theories, and thus provide a conceptual introduction to the discipline of public relations and communication management
• Media Relations: Describes the context within which journalists operate and teaches you to write press releases and feature articles
• Public Relations Contexts: The study of public relations and communication management practice in a variety of organisational cultural and symbolic contexts; international and ethnic contexts; and practice contexts such as business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C), crisis and employee relations.
• Research for Dissertation: Teaches the necessary research skills to carry out academic research in the field of public relations and communication management
• Research and Evaluation for Practice: Teaches the necessary conceptual and computational research skills to operate as a public relations manager
  

Plus two of the following optional modules:

• Public Diplomacy and Strategic Communication: Explores the conceptual overlaps between public diplomacy, public relations and strategic communication, including rhetorical perspectives and inter-cultural issues
• Conflict Resolution & Negotiation: Explores strategies and techniques in a workshop setting
• Strategic Management: An MBA module that explains the process of managing strategic change within organisations
• Marketing Communications: Examines the role of advertising, branding, PR and corporate identity
• PR and Digital Media: Explores the impact of internet and communication technologies on public relations and communication management

Delivery and Assessment

Dissertation

Students for all our MSc degrees complete a piece of empirical research, written up as a 12,000-word dissertation. 

Timetable

Contact the School for information on your timetable and reading lists.

RAE Rating

Film, Media & Journalism had 70 percent of its research rated as either ‘World-leading’ or ‘Internationally Excellent’ in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).

Career Opportunities

The degrees offer necessary conceptual skills for managerial careers in public relations, organisational communication, corporate communications and communication management and related posts in a variety of contexts and sectors.