Tag Archives: master’s programs

Shaping Future Professionals: Industry Perspectives on Graduate Internships

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

Authors

headshot of Richard Waters

Richard D. Waters
Assistant Professor
Florida State University
Florida, USA
Email: rdw22@fsu.edu

headshot of Elizabeth Ray

Elizabeth C. Ray
Assistant Professor
Florida State University
Florida, USA
Email: eray@fsu.edu

headshot of Eldaneka Rolle



Eldaneka Rolle
Ph.D. Student
Florida State University
Florida, USA

ABSTRACT

For graduate students in public relations, internships are essential in translating theory to practice. Their supervisors often presume they will deliver on day one, due to the depth of knowledge and experience gained as advanced degree seekers. However, there is increasing criticism that colleges may not provide them with enough practical preparation, as many pause that development at the undergraduate level. To explore how graduate programs can better prepare advanced students for industry expectations, semi-structured interviews were conducted with public relations experts. Results indicated that professionals are concerned about graduate students’ writing, interpersonal and networking abilities. Suggestions for curriculum improvements are discussed, along with future directions and limitations.   

JPRE_2026_12(1)_Waters et alDownload

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

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