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Journal of Creative Communications 1:2 (2006)
SAGE PUBLICATIONS New Delhi lThousand Oaks lLondon
DOI: 10.1177/097325860600100202
Public Relations as a Profession
An Analysis of Curricular Content in the United States
KRISHNAMURTHY SRIRAMESH AND LISA B. HORNAMAN
This study attempts to evaluate the efficacy of undergraduate public relations programmes in the United
States. The study surveyed 155 public relations educators and practitioners to determine their impressions
on factors such as whether students are being imparted the knowledge and experience to become public
relations practitioners, the knowledge and skills respondents thought students ought to possess to become
successful professionals, the skills new graduates should possess, and the characteristics of the public rela-
tions profession. Results revealed agreement among educators and practitioners about the subjects that
should be taught in undergraduate public relations programmes, including the knowledge and skills
recommended by the Commission for Public Relations Education. Respondents did not agree on the best
career plan for future public relations professionals. However, a majority felt that majoring in public
relations with a minor in business was the best thing for students who want to work in this field. Respond-
ents felt that not all of the subjects they deemed important were currently being taught in all public
relations programmes. Both practitioners and educators agreed that graduates were well trained in the
use of new technologies for public relations. However, the percentage of practitioners who felt that graduates
were prepared to enter the public relations profession was considerably lower than educators.
Contrary to the popular misconception among most segments of the general public and
among many practitioners around the world as well, the scope of public relations is not, and
ought not to be, limited to positive publicity or ‘image’ building. When practised strategically,
public relations can contribute greatly to organizational effectiveness. Strategic public relations
practice goes beyond providing positive publicity. Scholars have offered various definitions
of the term public relations, a synthesis of which tells us that public relations should be the
strategic management of communication by organizations to build lasting and mutually beneficial
relationships with their stakeholders. In other words, effective public relations should not only
be driven by the interests of the organization (or the source of the message), but also by the
needs, values and interests of organizational stakeholders.
The question of whether public relations is a profession or a craft has been debated widely
for almost two decades. Jackson (1988) contended that public relations has established itself
as a profession, while many others (Agee et al. 1995; Bivins 1993; Cameron et al. 1996;
Hainsworth 1993; Ryan and Martinson 1990; Sallot et al. 1998b; Wylie 1994) have argued that
156 Krishnamurthy Sriramesh and Lisa B. Hornaman
it has yet to be recognized as one. However, all agree that it is important for public relations
to gain professional status because that would give credibility and reputation to the industry,
increase the accountability and credibility of practitioners, enhance the quality of work pro-
duced by practitioners, and give practitioners greater opportunities to contribute organ-
izational decision making.
Scholars have proposed that in order to attain professional status, the public relations
industry must meet criteria that are basic to all professions, such as maintaining a code of
ethics, serving the public interest, e nsuring that practitioners of th e profession possess special-
ized technical skills, possessing a body of esoteric knowledge, providing specialized and
standardized education to those who seek to enter the profession, offering a unique service,
and establishing robust professional organizations (Cameron et al. 1996; Ryan and Martinson
1990; Saunders and Perrigo 1998; Wylie 1994).
The research described here attempted to study the extent to which undergraduate college
education in the United States prepares students to become professionals. Because the United
States is considered the leader in public relations education and practice, understanding the
strengths and weaknesses of that system is important. In order to do so, we surveyed a sample
of pub lic relations educators and practitioners (and those who identified themselves as profes-
sionals and scholars) to determine whether students are being imparted the knowledge and
experience that is necessary for them to become public relations professionals. Respondents
were also asked to identify the knowledge and skills critical for students to become successful
professionals, the skills new graduates ought to possess, as well as what they considered were
the characteristics that would elevate public relations to professional status. Therefore, the
study attempted not only to get a better understanding of how education contributes to
the profession, but also identify areas where public relations education can be improved to
help prepare future professionals.
LITERATURE REVIEW
The Public Relations Profession
Not surprisingly, the literature reviewed for this study indicated general agreement among
most scholars, educators and practitioners that good public relations education has the poten-
tial to contribute greatly to establishing public relations as a profession. Scholars also have
provided a variety of suggestions for improving undergraduate college education in order to
help prepare students to become effective professionals. Further, many arguments have been
put forth by different practitioners and educators about the current status of public relations
Public Relations as a Profession 157
as a profession, the criteria necessary for it to become a profession, and the methods by
which public relations can gain professional status.
Our review of the literature only found one author (Jackson 1988) who claimed that public
relations had attained professional status. He argued that as a profession, public relations uses
psychology, sociology and other social sciences to build and influence relationships, serves
the public interest, and has a Body of Knowledge and a Code of Professional Standards.
However, the majority of the literature indicated that the field of public relations is not yet a
profession (Agee et al. 1995; Bivins 1993; Cameron et al. 1996; Hainsworth 1993; Ryan and
Martinson 1990; Sallot et al. 1 998b) . Some authors (Cameron et al. 1996; Ryan and Martinson
1990; Sallot et al. 1998b; Saunders and Perrigo 1998; Wylie 1994) discussed the criteria that
an occupation must meet in order to become a profession. Based on the literature review, we
identified eight criteria and evaluated the sentiments of a sampl e of scholars and professionals
on the presence of these criteria in current public relations curricula in the United States:
1. Maintaining a code of ethics and professional values and norms.
2. Commitment to serve in the public interest and be socially responsible.
3. Having a body of esoteric, scholarly knowledge.
4. Having specialized and standardized education, including graduate study.
5. Having technical and research skills.
6. Providing a unique service to an organization and the community.
7. Membership in professional organizations.
8. Having autonomy in organizations to make communication-related decisions.
Professionalism and Public Relations Education
Many authors have advocated the need for specialized training, college education and con-
tinuing education as essential to elevate the field to the status of a profession (Bissland and
Rentner 1988; Brownell and Niebauer 1988; Gaudino and Vanden Bergh 1988; Grunig 1989;
Turk 1989; White et al. 1992). For example, Grunig (1989: 23) contended that ‘the profession
of public relations requires specialized scholarship and education’. He argued that students
need education in public relations rather than journalism or another field in order to practise
more sophisticated public relations.
The literature reviewed offered a wide range of recommendations for improving public
relations education. However, the most commonly mentioned recommendations include
providing students with a broad liberal arts background; teaching management, research,
ethics and theory; teaching writing and technology; providing practical experience through
internships; having licensing or accreditation; having a balance of the genders in school and
158 Krishnamurthy Sriramesh and Lisa B. Hornaman
in the workforce; requiring students to have a minor (secondary specialization); having a separ-
ate public relations department within the college that houses it; and teaching public relations
from an integrated marketing communications (IMC) perspective. Before elaborating on
these criteria, we believe it is pertinent to discuss the need for consensus in curriculum content.
The Need for Consensus on the Public Relations Curriculum
The need for consensus among scholars, educators and practitioners about a uniform public
relations curriculum has been debated. Some authors have argued that because public relations
is a relatively new field, consensus has not yet been formed on the range and content of courses,
especially at the undergraduate level (Caudill et al. 1990; Sallot et al. 1997, 1998a; VanLeuven
1989a). Caudill et al. (1990) argued for consensus on teaching goals and the body of
knowledge. They contended that because public relations is a relatively new field and because
a number of undergraduate public relations courses are taught by journalism or com-
munication professors who are unfamiliar with the field, a consensus has yet to be reached
about what should be taught.
In two studies, Sallot et al. (1997, 1998a) found that educators and practitioners have dis-
tinct views on professional standards, which prompted them to argue that in order to improve
education, they need to agree on professional standards and an appropriate public relations
curriculum. A lack of consensus has made it hard to define exactly what public relations is
and what (and how) it can contribute to organizations. The literature made specific recom-
mendations for improving public relations curricula and the most popular ones will be briefly
reviewed.
Providing a Broad Liberal Arts Background
Many authors have discussed the need for public relations students to receive a broad liberal
arts education in addition to the more specific public relations curricula. These authors sug-
gested that public relations students ought to take courses in fields such as psychology, soci-
ology, social and behavioural sciences, business and humanities (Baxter 1993; Caudill et al.
1990; Falb 1992; Gibson 1992–93; Kruckeberg 1998; McInerny 1995; Schwartz et al. 1992;
VanLeuven 1989a; Wylie 1990). Caudill et al. ( 199 0) a rgu ed that public relations is a profession
‘requiring the broadest kind of education’ that provides them a broad perspective.
Other scholars have recommended courses in fine arts, government, law, sciences, eco-
nomics and history (Guiniven 1998; Heath 1991; Pincus and Rayfield 1992). Heath (1991)
offered an agenda for public relations education arguing that public relations practitioners
and scholars must be familiar with the humanities, fine arts, social sciences, government,
business management, law, and scientific and technical issues. Kruckeberg (1998) recom-
mended that public relations students should be able to use the knowledge and skills of
Public Relations as a Profession 159
journalism, mass communication and speech communication when they become public
relations professionals. Wylie (1990) suggested courses in mass communication, journalism,
and internal and external communication.
Teaching Management
The need for management education was one of the most widely offered recommendations
(Baxter 1993; Berkowitz and Hristodoulakis 1999; Caudill et al. 1990; Falb 1992; Gaudino and
Vanden Bergh 1988; Gibson 1992–93; Griffin and Pasadeos 1998; Grunig 1989; Guiniven
1998; Heath 1991; Hunt and Thompson 1988; Kinnick and Cameron 1994; Lordan 1996;
McInerny 1995; Petrook 1995; Pincus and Rayfield 1992; Sallot et al. 1998b; Schwartz et al.
1992; Sparks and Conwell 1998; Turk 1989; VanLeuven 1989a; Wakefield and Cottone 1992).
There is little doubt that public relations is becoming more management-based and strategy-
driven, which requires students to be conversant in both communication and business. If we
are to elevate public relations to a profession, it seems inevitable that it enjoy credibility within
organizations as a key management function that helps maintain an efficacious equilibrium
with their stakeholders. Scholars have also contended that in addition to public relations
students being taught about management and business, business students ought to be taught
about communication so that organizational managers can understand and appreciate the
contributions public relations can make to strategic management of organizations.
ETHICS
Several authors have rightly recommended the inclusion of ethics in public relations cur-
ricula (Gibson 1992–93; Grunig 1989; Guiniven 1998; Harrison 1990; Heath 1991; Lordan
1996; McInerny 1995; Pincus and Rayfield 1992; Pratt and Rentner 1989; Smethers 1998;
Turk 1989; Wakefield and Cottone 1992). Guiniven’s (1998) study found that ethics was among
the eight subjects recommended by practitioners for inclusion in the public relations cur-
riculum, the others being business, history, journalism, psychology, sociology and law. Pratt
and Rentner (1989: 53) contended that ‘high ethical standards in the practice are seen as
substantially contributing to the professionalization of the occupation’.
Theory
Another popular recommendation is that theory should not only be included in under-
graduate curricula, but should be the underpinning for all courses (Gibson 1992–93;
160 Krishnamurthy Sriramesh and Lisa B. Hornaman
Guiniven 1998; Hazleton and Long 1988; Heath 1991). Grunig (1989) stated that one of the
benefits of introducing students to public relations theory is that some of them might enter
graduate school and contribute to further develop the body of knowledge. Gaudino and Steele
(1988: 4) contended that a ‘theoretical or technical base and an educational system for its
dissemination are necessary conditions for recognition as a profession’.
Research
Research is another subject that is often mentioned as an ingredient of good public relations
education (Gaudino and Steele 1988; Gibson 1992–93; Grunig 1989; Larson 1989; Pincus and
Rayfield 1992). Heath (1991) argued that respectability will come to the public relations
field if useful and accurate research that contributes to advancing the field is conducted. He
suggested, ‘Research and increased standards of performance have been the route to distinction
and respectability, whether the discipline was medicine, engineering, psychology, or business
administration’ (ibid.: 187).
Writing
Writing has commonly been viewed as one of the most important topics to be taught
to public relations students by educators and practitioners alike. Harrison (1989: 42) argued
that good writing skills are essential for success in the field, and that ‘a really first rate…public
relations person must know and master a wide range of writing skills’. Therefore, he recom-
mended that public relations students must receive specialized writing courses in the
communication field, particularly hard news writing. The author contended that writing
ability is essential for every student who wants to ‘advance beyond basic practitioner to man-
agement’ (ibid.: 43). Guiniven (1998: 55) contended that ‘writing should be, or continue to
be, emphasized across the curriculum’. Baxter (1993: 5) wrote that ‘writing is still the key to
effective practice’, and that strong education in writing is needed. He recommended that
students receive as many courses as possible in English, news writing, creative writing, per-
suasive writing, copywriting and speech writing. He also recommended that internships
provide students with practice writing.
New Media Technology
With the unquestioned need to use of new technologies for public relations purposes, several
authors have recommended that this be included in every public relations curriculum. Sparks
and Conwell (1998) recommended the integration of current technology into traditional
Public Relations as a Profession 161
teaching methods. Griffin and Pasadeos (1998) contended that more computer skills courses
were needed.
Professional Internships
Providing public relations students with internship opportunities is the final of the popular
recommendations. VanLeuven (1989a) argued that in order for university public relations
programmes to gain credibility, there should be internship opportunities for students and
professional exchanges for educators. Schwartz et al. (1992) suggested that the curriculum
ought to include career orientation for students by providing internship opportunities. Baxter
(1993) contended that students should have internships, and that these internships should
allow them to observe public relations practitioners in the roles of m anag er, st rategist, pla nner,
problem solver and counsellor to management.
Other recommendations for improving public relations education include requiring stu-
dents to also specialize in a ‘minor’ subject related to public relations, implementing licensing
or accreditation, having a separate public relations department within the college that houses
it, and teaching public relations from an integrated marketing communications (IMC) per-
spective. In sum, most scholars agree that public relations education is a key element in
advancing the industry towards professionalization. This literature review helped us identify
the following research questions for this study:
1. What is the current sentiment among public relations educators about the components
of a good public relations curriculum?
2. What is the current sentiment among public relations educators on the characteristics
of a good public relations professional?
3. What is the current sentiment among public relations professionals about the com-
ponents of a good public relations curriculum?
4. What is the current sentiment among public relations professionals on the character-
istics of a good public relations professional?
5. Do public relations educators feel that there are other characteristics of a good public
relations curriculum?
6. Do public relations educators feel that there are other characteristics of a good public
relations professional?
7. Do public relations professionals feel that there are other characteristics of a good
public relations curriculum?
8. Do public relations professionals feel that there are other characteristics of a good
public relations professional?
162 Krishnamurthy Sriramesh and Lisa B. Hornaman
METHODOLOGY
The Sample
A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather data from educators and professionals
in the United States. Based on similar studies done previously, an approximate response rate
of 25 per cent was anticipated, and because we wanted to gather data from at least 150 re-
spondents, an initial sample of 200 educators, 200 practitioners, and 200 public relations
professionals engaged in corporate (in-house) public relations was chosen. Because Public
Relations Society of America (PRSA) members may belong to different types of organizations
such as government agencies, non-profits and professional associations, a separate category
of respondents from corporate public relations was selected as a third category. We wanted
professionals of all levels of experience and expertise to be included in the sample so that we
covered a wide spectrum of professionals, including recent graduates who could give us feed-
back on how well prepared they were in the profession based on their university education.
The sample of public relations educators was drawn from the most recent membership
directories of the PRSA Educators’ Academy and the Association for Education in Journalism
and Mass Communication (AEJMC). The sample of public relations practitioners was drawn
from The Red Book: A Directory of the PRSA Counselors Academy (PRSA 1999) usin g a sy stem-
atic sampling design (Babbie 1998). The sample of professionals from corporate public rela-
tions was drawn from the membership directory of the Arthur W. Page Society.
The Survey Instrument
An e-mail was sent to each of the 600 respondents describing the research and requesting
them to go to a website1 to complete the survey questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed
as an electronic response form and respondents were asked to read a consent form before
deciding whether to participate. They were asked to enter a unique identification number
(previously assigned by the researcher) in a text box so that the researcher could follow up
with those who had not yet responded.
The questionnaire had four sections. The first asked respondents how they felt about public
relations education and their recommendations to improve education prescribed by the
Commission for Public Relations Education (CPRE) in the report it submitted at the PRSA
conference in October 1999. In the second section respondents were asked their views on
what should be taught in a good undergraduate public relations programme, what they
thought was essential training for public relations careers, and what skills current college
graduates of public relations programmes have. In the third section nine criteria of the public
relations profession were listed, with a brief description of each. Respondents were asked to
Public Relations as a Profession 163
rank them and add any others they felt were important. The fourth section asked for
demographic information.
Two months after the initial e-mail was sent, names of those who had responded were
removed from the mailing list as were e-mail addresses for which a message was not deliverable.
A follow-up e-mail was sent to the remaining non-respondents. A month later names
of those who had responded to the follow-up were removed and a second follow-up e-mail
was sent to the remaining non-respondents. After these three attempts, 155 responses were
received for an approximate response rate of 2 5 per cent. Of the se, 32. 5 per cent were educators,
18.5 per cent practitioners and 21 per cent corporate public relations professionals. The data
were analysed using SPSS.
FINDINGS
The purpose of this study was to determine the contributions that undergraduate college
education makes to public relations by preparing students as future professionals. Some
respondents had identified themselves as both educators and practitioners, therefore, in
reporting the findings, we have split the sample into public relations educators, practitioners
and educator-practitioners. The survey revealed similarities and differences in opinion be-
tween the three groups. As discussed in the literature review, a greater degree of agreement
among these groups is useful in advancing the public relations profession.
Knowledge Components of Graduates
Based on the literature review, respondents were first asked about the importance of the
12 knowledge components of undergraduate public relations education. The results indicated
that there was consensus among educators, practitioners and those calling themselves
educator-practitioners about the importance of most of these. Most respondents in each
group indicated that 11 of th e 12 kno wledge components were ‘important’ or ‘very important’.
Only one knowledge component, ‘public relations history’, was viewed to be somewhat less
important by all three groups. The knowledge component ‘communication and persuasion
concepts and strategies’ se emed to draw the most commonality, w ith 94 per cent of educators,
90 per cent of practitioners and 92 per cent of educator-practitioners deeming it important.
While 94 per cent of educators and 80 per cent of educator-practitioners found ‘multi-
cultural and global issues’ to be important, only 67 per cent of practitioners thought so.
Given the rapid globalization that is turning much of organizational communication inter-
national, it was a little surprising that practitioners did not deem this component as being
164 Krishnamurthy Sriramesh and Lisa B. Hornaman
important. A similar difference of opinion among practitioners was seen in the ‘organizational
change and development’ component, with 86 per cent of educators and 88 per cent of
educator-practitioners indicating that this knowledge was important, while only 60 per cent
of practitioners found it important. So although all three groups generally agreed that 11 of
the 12 knowledge components were important, there was some variation.
Overall, the 12 knowledge components can be organized from most important to least
important by totalling the percentages of respondents in all groups who felt the component
was ‘important’ or ‘very important’. Although the items at the end of the list were seen to
have less importance, it must be noted that they were still considered to be key by most re-
spondents. The ranked list of the knowledge components is presented in Appendix A.
Skill Levels of Graduates
The three groups of respondents indicated that 19 of the 20 skills listed were ‘important’ or
‘very important’. The percentage indicating that the skills were important usually fell between
75 per cent and 97 per cent of the respondents in each group. There were some exceptions,
however. For example, a lower percentage of practitioners (52 per cent), felt that the skill
‘participation in the professional public relations community’ was imp ortant, while educators
(83 per cent) and educator-practitioners (77 per cent) considered it important. A similar
trend was seen with the skill ‘applying cross-cultural and cross-gender sensitivity’. While
educators (86 per cent) and educator-practitioners (77 per cent) rated this skill as important,
a slightly lower percentage of practitioners (67 per cent) rated it so.
Interestingly, we observed that a slightly higher percentage of educators ranked each skill
as important and a slightly lower percentage of practitioners did so. However, it was clear
that some skills were highly valued by all three groups. ‘Mastery of language in written and
oral communication’ was deemed important by 97 per cent of educators, 95 per cent of prac-
titioners and 98 per cent of educator-practitioners. In addition, the three groups agreed that
‘informative and persuasive writing’ was important with 92 per cent of educators, 95 per
cent of p ractitioners and 96 per cent of e ducator-practitioners identifying this skill as ‘import-
ant’ or ‘very important’. Although there were some differences of opinion, there appeared to
be general agreement among all three groups about the importance of the skills. Although
the items further down the list (Appendix B) were seen to have less importance, it must be
noted that they were still considered to be important by the majority of respondents.
Undergraduate Courses
As with the knowledge and skill components, the eight course components were viewed to
be important by the majority of respondents. All eight courses were considered important
except ‘directed electives’, which was deemed important only by 69 per cent of educators,
Public Relations as a Profession 165
55 per cent of practitioners and 71 per cent of educator-practitioners. The rest of the courses
were considered to be important by 77 per cent or more of each group. Although there were
some minor differences in opinion, there tended to be a general agreement among all three
groups about the importance of the courses. Overall, the eight courses can be ordered from
most important to least important by totalling the percentages of respondents in all groups
who felt the component was ‘important’ or ‘very important’. Again, although the items at the
end of the list were seen to have less importance, they were still considered as being important
by most respondents (Appendix C).
The data also revealed that a high percentage of respondents felt that other courses should
be included in the public relations curriculum although their proposals for such courses
varied widely. The most common recommendation was for a course in accounting and
finance, which was recommended by 22 respondents. Other recommendations included tech-
nology and the Internet, journalistic writing, marketing, history and business management—
being recommended by eight or more respondents.
Courses to be Taught
When respondents were asked to rate the importance of 30 subjects in preparing students
for public relations careers, their responses varied—a departure from their general agreement
regarding knowledge, skill and course components. As a result, other than grouping the
subjects from most to least important, it was hard to determine any other trends. Overall,
the 30 subjects were ranked by totalling the percentages of respondents in all groups who felt
the component was ‘important’ or ‘very important’. We then divided the subjects into three
groups by totalling the percentage of respondents in each group (for a maximum total of
300 percentage points) and labelling the subjects that received 200 points or more as the
‘most important’, those receiving 100 points or more as ‘somewhat less important’, and those
receiving fewer than 100 points as the ‘least important’. The ranked list of the courses deemed
‘most important’ are indicated in Appendix D.
Where Should the Public Relations Departments be Housed?
Most respondents stated that the public relations department should be housed in the schools
of journalism and communications. Fifty-three per cent of educators, 65 per cent of
practitioners and 59 per cent of educator-practitioners felt that this was the best home for
public relations. Business colleges was the second choice with 14 per cent of educators,
20 per cent of practitioners and 18 per cent of educator-practitioners. Only 17 per cent of
educators responded that speech communications schools were the best place for public
relations departments. The choice of college for a public relations department is important
166 Krishnamurthy Sriramesh and Lisa B. Hornaman
because, among other things, it affects how public relations is taught, the educational back-
ground of professors who teach it, and the financial support the department receives. It is
important to note, however, that some scholars feel that if public relations is housed in
journalism schools, students receive too much journalism and not enough public relations
education.
How Prepared Public Relations Graduates Are
Respondents who had worked with, or supervised, public relations graduates were asked to
rate the extent of preparation of these graduates. There was general agreement from all three
categories of respondents that graduates were well-trained to use new technologies.
Respondents also indicated that most graduates were moderately prepared in ‘presentation
and speaking’ and ‘ethics’, with a few being well prepared in these subjects. On the other
hand graduates were perceived to be prepared moderately in ‘management skills’, but re-
spondents tended to indicate that some graduates were a little less prepared in this topic. For
the rest of the topics, approximately a third of the respondents felt that graduates were very
prepared, moderately prepared and not prepared. Overall, the sentiment seemed to be that
graduates were moderately prepared in everything except new technology, in which they
were well prepared.
DISCUSSION
Overall, the survey results indicated that public relations educators and professionals do not
differ greatly on the various aspects of education and professionalism analysed in this study.
There was clear consensus among educators and practitioners about the importance of kno w-
ledge components, skill components, the courses that should be taught in public relations
programmes, and the best home for the public relations department.
Although consensus was not as obvious on how many subjects are currently taught and
the best career plan for students, there was general agreement on these aspects as well. The
area with least consensus involved the ranking of the nine criteria of the profession, though
there was still some agreement among educators and practitioners about the importance of
the criteria. If the survey instrument had asked respondents to rate each one of the criteria
instead of putting them in order from most to least important, perhaps opinions would have
been clearer. That may be useful information for a future study. It is heartening to note that
educators and practitioners generally agree on what is important for undergraduate public
relations students because that is crucial in developing a good model for public relations
education.
Public Relations as a Profession 167
The Importance of Subjects and the Extent to Which They are Taught
To compare the importance of subjects and perception among respondents on how often
they are taught, we looked for further trends in the data. As discussed earlier, there were
10 subjects on which it was clear that educators, practitioners and educator-practitioners
agreed. All three groups indicated that every public relations curriculum should include
courses that increase students’ knowledge about the mass media, publicity techniques, liberal
arts and journalism. Most respondents from the three groups felt that six subjects—finance/
budgeting, statistics, international public relations, political communication and film-
making—were not adequately being taught. This finding is similar to the critique of public
relations education proposed by Sriramesh (2002).
Preparedness of Public Relations Graduates
Respondents indicated that public relations graduates were only moderately prepared for
the profession. This may be because their curricula were either not rigorous or they did not
learn much even after attending a good programme. We also ought to recognize that the
learning continues when they enter the profession as they are likely to learn much on the job.
To try to determine why respondents felt students were moderately prepared, a comparison
was made on some subjects between how much respondents felt subjects were being taught,
and how well graduates were prepared in those subjects.
An interesting difference between educators and practitioners was that on every subject
except new technology, the percentage of practitioners who felt that graduates were well
prepared was considerably lower than educators who felt the same. These data suggest that
educators think they are doing a good job of educating students, whereas practitioners feel
that graduates are not educated enough—a chasm that needs to be further explored and
bridged.
The Criteria of Public Relations Profession
The ordinal ranking of the nine criteria of the public relations profession made it difficult to
analyse the data from respondents. Based on the data, the only clear conclusion that can be
drawn is that most respondents do not like the idea of public relations practitioners being
certified by the state. Two respondents even pointed out that such certification would be a
violation of the First Amendment to the US Constitution that guarantees freedom of speech
and expression. The literature supports this finding. Very few scholars proposed or believed
that public relations should be licensed or certified by the state. Perhaps, a s some respondents
noted, the nine criteria are all fairly important to the public relations profession, and the
ordinal ranking of the criteria only served to provide the researcher with confusing data.
Further research might be able to provide a better understanding of sentiments on these.
168 Krishnamurthy Sriramesh and Lisa B. Hornaman
CONCLUSION
The findings indicated that all three groups surveyed agreed about the importance of know-
ledge, skills, courses and subjects that are taught in undergraduate public relations education.
The three groups also tended to agree about the extent to which certain subjects were taught,
the best home for the public relations department, and the best career plan for the student
who wants to work in public relations. Less agreement was seen regarding the nine criteria of
the profession, but that could have resulted from the ordinal design of the study instrument.
An obvious conclusion that can be drawn is that public relations education is helping the
industry grow into a profession. The first step appears to have been accomplished, w ith agree-
ment among public relations educators and practitioners about these important educational
issues.
The Future
The next step in studying and possibly improving public relations education might be to
analyse whether different public relations programmes actually teach the courses that the
CPRE recommends. In addition, more research could be done to determine if subjects and
courses other than those recommended by the CPRE are needed to prepare public relations
students for a successful career. Sriramesh (2002) had argued that the CPRE’s recommend-
ations did not give sufficient importance to multiculturalism and international issues, which
is much needed in a rapidly globalizing world.
APPENDIX A
What public relations graduates ought to know (ranked according to findings):
1. Communication and persuasion concepts and strategies
2. Communication and public relations theories
3. Ethical issues
4. Relationships and relationship building
5. Use of research and forecasting
6. Societal trends
7. Marketing and finance
8. Management concepts and theories
9. Legal requirements and issues
10. Multicultural and global issues
11. Organizational change and development
Public Relations as a Profession 169
APPENDIX B
Skills levels of graduates:
1. Mastery of language in written and oral communication
2. Informative and persuasive writing
3. Problem solving and negotiation
4. Strategic planning
5. Ethical decision making
6. Research methods and analysis
7. Public speaking and presentation
8. Working with a current issue
9. Management of information
10. Management of communication
11. Issues management
12. Message production
13. Audience segmentation
14. Sensitive interpersonal communication
15. Community relations, consumer relations, employee relations, other practice areas
16. Managing people, programmes and resources
17. Technological and visual literacy
18. Applying cross-cultural and cross-gender sensitivity
19. Participation in the professional public relations community
Only one skill component, ‘fluency in a foreign language’, was not seen to be as important as
the others.
APPENDIX C
Undergraduate course to be taught:
1. Public relations writing and production
2. Supervised work experience in public relations (internship)
3. Public relations planning and management
4. Public relations research, measurement and evaluation
5. Introduction to public relations
6. Public relations campaigns
7. Case studies in public relations
Again, only one course, ‘directed electives’, was considered somewhat less important by all
three groups.
170 Krishnamurthy Sriramesh and Lisa B. Hornaman
APPENDIX D
The list of subjects considered most important:
lCritical thinking and problem-solving skills
lKnowledge about mass media
lNew PR technologies (computers, Internet, Web design, etc.)
lPublic opinion concepts/research (surveys, focus groups, etc.)
lSetting goals/objectives
lLong- and short-term strategic planning
lGeneral liberal arts knowledge (English, history, etc.)
lKnowledge about crisis management
lCourses in marketing
lLeadership skills
lPublicity techniques
lCourses in journalism
lCourses in management/organization behaviour
lGeneral social science knowledge (sociology, psychology, etc.)
lPR law/privacy/defamation/copyright/product liability/financial disclosure, etc.
Krishnamurthy Sriramesh is Associate Professor, School of Communication and Information,
Nanayang Technological University, Singapore 637718. E-mail: tksriramesh@ntu.edu.sg.
Lisa B. Hornaman owns Communigraphics, 8668 SW Tropical Ave, Stuart, FL 34997, USA.
E-mail: lisa@communigraphics.biz.
NOTE
1. http://www.foosion.net/survey/index.htm
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