Blog

July 2009 – Paul Hagger writes…

PR degrees - worth the paper they're written on?

Whilst glossing over a recent edition of PR Week to find a feature on the pros and cons of studying for a degree in PR, as a student coming towards the end of my placement year I was naturally interested in what it had to say. However, rather than being infused with confidence it turned out to be quite an unnerving read.

The stance taken by the publication had unsettled me. According the PRCA (the Public Relations Consultancy Association) 70% of agency decision makers think that a university education is more important than it was 15 years ago. In contrast, the same study also concluded that 43% of the same pool of agency leaders said a PR degree made no difference when recruiting graduates and even more worryingly 34% stated it made a candidate less attractive.

So how can this culture develop whereby 34% of potential employers are shunning students that are actively choosing to study their professional discipline?

This made me consider my placement year at Project PR. I have been working here nigh on 40 weeks and the issue of a PR degree has never even been raised. I have not been greeted with any prejudice towards my degree, if anything my employers see it as a bonus that I have pre-packed knowledge of the industry, so the PRCA argument that a PR degree can be detrimental to the potential opportunities of a graduate seems pretty thin on the ground to me.

However I can see how differing degree programmes offered by universities can affect a student’s potential and success. In particular those courses which don’t offer or make compulsory an industry placement year are surely failing their students..

An industry placement is surely the most effective, mutually beneficial way of teaching both academic theory and on-the-job experience. It is also generally accepted that without any work experience, no amount of qualifications will help aspiring professionals crack a tough industry so it becomes invaluable to students in my position.

Ultimately, PR is a hands on job. It takes initiative, creativity and confidence to make potentially sensitive decisions and, good or bad, the buck will always stop at the competence of the communications department. No amount of academic studies can teach a student how to handle the nature of practising PR, which is why many graduates on three year courses struggle to make an immediate impact on the industry.

However, I firmly believe that students on 4-year placement courses are becoming equipped with relevant skills that cannot be ignored by PR employers.

Students have the opportunity to get out into the real world and learn from senior PR people in a professional environment. Personally, my time at Project PR has shaped my professional attitudes and beliefs immeasurably. I have been given the opportunity to write press releases and liaise with, clients, journalists, editors and even MPs and I am confident that this immediately gives me a higher chance of gaining employment than a humanities graduate without experience.

To say otherwise would surely create a thin argument.

Ultimately, finding a job in PR will always depend on the strength of the candidate and the bias of the employer, but in response to the 34% of agency heads who find PR degrees unattractive I can assure you that students in my position are nurtured to become the future of the industry.