MSc Strategic Communication and Public Relations (Joint Degree UPF Barcelona)

You’ll be taught by lectures, seminars, workshops, case studies, small group tutorials, field trips and visiting speaker presentations.

Guest lectures from public relations practitioners provide networking opportunities and introduce students to current practice in the industry. We work closely with  the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, and you can attend CIPR Scotland events, allowing you to meet practitioners working in the field and to extend your network of contacts. 

You’ll have the opportunity to attend a Public Affairs and Lobbying seminar series in Brussels, which includes visits to the European Parliament, the European Commission as well as specialist industry seminars with leading public affairs and public relations experts in Brussels.

Methods of assessment include:

• essays
• papers
• timed assignments
• public relations and communication campaigns including presentations and reports
• media conferences
• a media relations portfolio which includes press releases, feature articles, and blogs
• practical communication reports and strategic plans
• case studies
• research designs and projects
• in-class contributions and presentations

You will also complete a 12,000-word dissertation.

For some of the more practical modules, you’re required to produce a portfolio of work – which you can present to potential employers at job interviews. 

You will spend at least one semester at Pompeu Fabra University, Spain.  

Dr Alenka Jelen

+44 (0) 1786 466225

alenka.jelen@stir.ac.uk

University of Stirling

Dr Alenka Jelen is Programme Director of the Public Relations and Communication postgraduate programmes and teaches public relations theories; public affairs and advocacy; media relations and production and research methods. Her current research focuses on public relations as an academic discipline; relationships between media and politics; gender in media and public relations; and health communication, including government communication during COVID-19.

Dr William Dinan teaches and researches on promotional culture, communication and power. Interests include spin; propaganda; political communication; lobbying and civil society advocacy; freedom of information; transparency and governance.

Grant Thoms teaches and has research interest in public relations practice, media relations, public affairs and lobbying. He is a chartered public relations practitioner with a varied client base.

Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Professor Jordi Xifra is Programme Co-Director of the MSc Strategic Communication and Public Relations (Joint Degree) at Universitat Pompeu Fabra. His research focuses on the intellectual history of public relations, and the role of film in building public relations discourses. He has published more than 15 books on public relations and public affairs in Spain, and his articles have been accepted for publication in Public Relations Review, Journal of Public Relations Research, and American Behavioral Scientist, between others. He founded Public Relations Inquiry (Sage), a key critical journal in the field of public relations.

Professor José Fernández-Cavia is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Communication, Universitat Pompeu Fabra. He teaches and researches in the fields of advertising, public relations, place branding and public diplomacy. He currently leads a research project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness entitled 'The Tourist on the Web. Informational habits and destination choice' (ITOURIST).

Dr Lluís Mas specialises in the relationship between branding and political communication in social media; sound branding; body image and advertising; and PR strategies. He teaches Public Affairs and Advocacy. 

Dr Mònika Jiménez-Morales is a Senior Lecturer at the Communication Department of Pompeu Fabra University. She has also been Visiting Scholar in the University of California, Berkeley. Her main research lines are focused on the effects of media discourse, as well as on PR and events management. She has published several papers and books, and has coordinated several studies related to the mentioned topics.

Elisenda Estanyol is a Lecturer at the Information and Communication Sciences Department at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) – and an Associate Professor at both the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, the Institut d’Educació Contínua (IDEC-UPF) and at the Istituto Europeo di Design (IED). Before joining the University, she worked for several years in public relations consultancies (Llorente and Cuenca, Hill + Knowlton Strategies) and in-house communication departments (CAATEEB, DiR).  Her research interests are focused on public relations, creativity, social media and gamification.

Dr Rumen Dimitrov is Honourable Academic of the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Currently he lives in Barcelona and teaches at the University Pompeu Fabra and the Global Communication Institute of the University Ramon Llull. His research interests have been in the areas of nonprofit communication, strategic communication, public health communication and promotional cultures. 

Ask an expert

Lecturer, Dr Katherine Champion, a specialist in Media and Communications, explains how studying at Stirling can enhance your career prospects.

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