This course is jointly delivered by the University of Stirling, School of Arts and Humanities, and Lund University (Sweden), Institute for Strategic Communication.
Public Relations 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 the University of Stirling and Lund University, we take a strategic approach to the field, encompassing a variety of perspectives and disciplines.
Course objectives
This variant of our established MSc in Strategic Public Relations and Communication Management course is delivered jointly with our partner Lund University in Helsingborg, Sweden. This course provides students with a solid European and international perspective on public relations and provides an opportunity to study in both Stirling, UK, and Helsingborg, Sweden.
This course is taught completely in English and students will obtain a double MSc degree from the University of Stirling and Lund University. Students spend Semester 1 at the University of Stirling and then move to Lund University for the second and third semesters before deciding if they’d like their dissertation supervised by Stirling or Lund.
This new Master’s programme has unique features
- Opportunities to study in two countries at universities recognised for leading public relations and communication management education within Europe
- A focus on public relations and communication management, including strategic PR planning, media relations, digital media, public affairs, lobbying and advocacy, and organisational communication all within an international context
- An internship during the third semester of the course
- Rigorous research methods modules which enable students to build up confidence to engage in high quality qualitative and quantitative communication research
- The MSc Strategic Public Relations is also the English language line of the MARPE* – Euprera network and students will be able to interact and collaborate with students on the Iberian, French language lines and attend intensive public affairs seminars and workshops in Belgium,
The key benefits of this course include:
- Internationalisation: unique multicultural and intercultural experience
- Knowledge: an innovative and challenging curriculum which develops both a theoretical and practical understanding of strategic communication
- Skills: transferable personal and intellectual skills including core management skills required by strategic managers in the developing global public relations industry
- Career opportunities: graduates are equipped to take up public relations and communication management positions in the private, public and non-profit sectors
- Contacts: a multi-national programme team which is internationally recognised for teaching and research and an alumni base built up over two decades
- Additional opportunities: specialist industry seminars and workshops on public affairs and lobbying delivered by leading practitioners and key experts in Brussels
The MSc Strategic Public Relations equips you with the necessary practical and analytical skills for an internationally focused professional career by examining how to design, implement and evaluate public relations (PR) and communication management courses.
*MARPE is the abbreviation for Master Relations Publiques Européenne. MARPE is a framework for Public Relations programmes initiated by the European Public Relations Research and Education Association (EUPRERA)
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
two years
Course start date
September
Structure and content
Double Award (University of Stirling and Lund University)
Students spend an additional semester at Lund University in order to gain the double award.
Full-time
Certificate: three months
MSc: 21 months
Students on this course will study the following modules and do a 12,000 word dissertation:
- 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.
- Public Affairs and Advocacy: This module critically evaluates political and social science theories relating to public opinion, public affairs practice, lobbying and advocacy environments.
- Organisational Communication: This module provides an overview of the major theories and themes in organisational communication. Initially the module covers the historical development of the field and the different major perspectives, namely the post-positivistic, interpretive and critical perspective. The latter part of the module focuses on areas such as change processes, leadership and power from a communicative perspective.
- 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.
- Research Design: Focuses on quantitative approaches to research.
- Specialist Research Methods: Focuses on the methods approaches students are considering for their dissertation.
- Internship: students are required to complete an internship.
Delivery and assessment
Methods of assessment include case studies, timed assignments, essays, presentations and reports. Students also complete a 12,000-word dissertation.
Preparation
Contact the School for information on your timetable and reading lists.
Course Director
Dr Julia Jahansoozi Dr Howard Northhaft, Lund University
RAE rating
Research within the Communications, Media and Culture department had 70 percent of its research rated as either ‘World-leading’ or ‘Internationally Excellent’ in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). The Institute for Strategic Communication is one of the largest institutions in Sweden devoted to the study and research of communication and is recognised internationally for its research excellence.
Media Studies is joint first in the UK in the National Student Survey 2011.
Find out more
http://www.fmj.stir.ac.uk/
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.
