Category Archives: Volume 12

Public Relations Practitioners’ Expectations for Graduate Education

Editorial Record: Submitted May 14, 2025. Revised and accepted November 20, 2025. 

Authors

headshot of Marlene Neill

Marlene S. Neill
Professor
Baylor University
Texas, USA
Email: Marlene_Neill@baylor.edu

headshot of Patrick Merle

Patrick Merle
Professor
Florida State University
Florida, USA
Email: pmerle@fsu.edu

headshot of Anni Qiang

Anni Qiang
Student
Baylor University
Texas, USA

ABSTRACT

Members of the Commission on Public Relations Education (CPRE) surveyed U.S. practitioners to assess needs for graduate education, specifically desired knowledge and skills. This study updates findings from an October 2012 report, particularly how the global pandemic and technology developments in the areas of Artificial Intelligence and video conferencing affect PR practitioners’ perceptions. The new study reveals the most desired areas of knowledge were crisis comunication and issues management, strategic communication in a digital environment, and ethics. The most desired skills included written and oral communication, strategic planning, and interpersonal communication. Results revealed lukewarm perceptions regarding the value of advanced degrees among lower-level and top managers, but some support for professional certifications, particularly in leadership and AI. Implications for graduate education are provided.  

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To Degree or Not Degree: The Unclear Expectations of Public Relations Graduate Education

Editorial Record: Submitted August 7, 2025. Revised and accepted November 4, 2025. 

Authors

headshot of Stephanie Madden

Stephanie Madden
Associate Professor
Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania, USA
Email: szm962@psu.edu

headshot of Chelsea Woods

Chelsea Woods
Associate Professor
Virginia Tech University
Virginia, USA
Email: clwoods@vt.edu

headshot of Kathleen Rennie

Kathleen Rennie
Chair and Clinical Assistant Professor
New York University
New York, USA
Email: kathleen.rennie@nyu.edu

headshot of Karla Gower

Karla K. Gower
Behringer Distinguished Professor
University of Alabama
Alabama, USA
Email: gower@apr.ua.edu

ABSTRACT  

Over the last 25 years, scholars have periodically analyzed public relations graduate program websites to understand how these programs present themselves and structure their curricula. This body of research has consistently highlighted a lack of program uniformity across programs, despite recommendations such as those provided by the Commission on Public Relations Education’s (CPRE) 2012 report, Standards for a Master’s Degree in Public Relations: Educating for Complexity, which was its most recently published report focused on graduate public relations education. Building on this research, our study analyzes how public relations graduate programs currently present their curricula on their websites, with a focus on assessing alignment with the 2012 CPRE curricular report and identifying the various required and elective course offerings, as well as cumulative experiences. The findings reiterate the lack of curricular uniformity, suggest that the growing diversity in course offerings and titles may blur expectations for public relations graduate programs, and offer implications for a recommended core curriculum.  

JPRE_2026_12(1)_Madden et alDownload

In the Lineup or on the Bench? Searching for PR in Sports Management Master’s Programs

Editorial Record: Submitted August 7, 2024. Revised and accepted November 28, 2025.  

Authors

headshot of Betsy Emmons

Betsy Emmons
Associate Professor
University of Nebraska, Lincoln 
Nebraska, USA
Email: eemmons3@unl.edu

Elizabeth S. Cox
Assistant Professor
University of Kansas 
Kansas, USA
Email: escox@ku.edu

ABSTRACT

Sport management master’s programs are young and increasingly popular graduate programs at many United States universities. As public relations is a key employment area within sport organizations, this research reviewed whether public relations is taught at sport management master’s programs, and if so, what strategies and tactics were presented. Results indicated that a majority of sport management master’s programs included at least one course with public relations learning outcomes. However, PR management, strategy, and tactic presentation were inconsistent among programs, and some programs reported only an ancillary address of PR. Implications for more consistent and pedagogically-grounded PR learning outcomes are discussed, along with opportunities for curricular development bodies in PR to play more active roles in advising non-PR master’s programs on PR education. 

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Appreciative but Battered: The Bittersweet Experiences of Former Black Public Relations Graduate Students

Editorial Record: Submitted August 8, 2024. Revised and accepted December 10, 2025.  

Authors

headshot of Candice Edrington

Candice L. Edrington
Assistant Professor
University of South Carolina
South Carolina, USA
Email: candicee@mailbox.sc.edu

headshot of Damion Waymer

Damion Waymer
Professor
University of South Carolina
South Carolina, USA
Email: dwaymer@mailbox.sc.edu

headshot of Maryam Goli

Maryam Goli
Ph.D. Student
University of South Carolina
South Carolina, USA
Email: mgoli@email.sc.edu

headshot of LaTonya Taylor

LaTonya Taylor
Ph.D. Candidate
University of Alabama
Alabama, USA
Email: ltaylor12@crimson.ua.edu

ABSTRACT

This study extends the scholarly literature that addresses diversity issues in public relations graduate education by focusing on the lived experiences of former Black graduate public relations students (all of whom were practitioners before full-time or part-time university teaching). By conducting in-depth interviews of nine participants, we assess the experiences they had in their graduate programs as well as how those experiences manifest in the relationships that they have (or had) with their Black graduate students. Results from this study provide practical insights that have the potential to assist public relations graduate programs in the recruiting and retaining of Black graduate students.   

JPRE_2026_12(1)_Edrington et alDownload

GIFT: Graduate Instruction with Purpose: Theory Building and Community Engagement in Quantitative Methods Courses

Editorial Record: Submitted August 5, 2024. Revised and accepted December 4, 2025.

Author

Virginia Harrison

Virginia Harrison
Assistant Professor
Clemson University
South Carolina, USA
Email: vsharri@g.clemson.edu

ABSTRACT

This class-tested GIFT demonstrates the value of service-learning in an academic master’s degree quantitative methods course. Students in small groups developed a theory-driven research project to help a local nonprofit understand donation motivations among the undergraduate student body. The assignment required them to build public relations and communications theory while developing meaningful takeaways for the partner nonprofit. Students reported feeling less intimidated by quantitative methods, learning principles of scholarly research, and feeling good about helping their community. The nonprofit partner also said they valued the data collected by the students for their fundraising planning. The GIFT illustrates how a quantitative research assignment with a real-world application may serve a classroom of communication students who express different goals—either pursuing a Ph.D. or entering the profession—while benefiting town-gown relations. 

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GIFT: Demonstrating Course Competencies and Student Expertise through a Thought Leadership Assignment

Editorial Record: Submitted August 6, 2025. Revised and accepted December 1, 2025.

Author

Laura Willis

Laura Willis
Associate Professor
Quinnipiac University
Connecticut, USA
Email: Laura.Willis@quinnipiac.edu

ABSTRACT

This teaching brief presents an end-of-course essay assignment that tasks graduate students to share their expertise publicly through a thought leadership-style article. Through stepping out of the role of “learner” and into the role of “expert” and publishing their articles on LinkedIn, students face the heightened stakes of sharing their insights beyond the classroom walls. By highlighting key knowledge, skills, and abilities they have gained through their graduate education, students can demonstrate the unique perspective and value they offer future employers while further developing their own professional brand. This assignment was developed for a course focused on accessibility, diversity, and inclusion on social media; however, the thought-leadership style essay can be adapted to fit the learning outcomes of many public relations courses.  

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