ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the expectations for those who would want to be professors of public relations (PR) from both an institutional and a student view and how to build the proper credentials and expertise to be a professor. The greatest repository of knowledge about PR exists in scholarship produced among professors and professors and professionals working collaboratively. In turn, that knowledge is applied in courses about defined topic areas that are essential for people studying to become PR professionals. For any PR professional who has decided to become a PR professor, the process for that decision likely has been a thorough one. Making a career move from professional to professor is not easy, but that challenge and triumph of change is what makes it worthwhile. It is an opportunity to reengage more deeply and in new, dynamic ways with the public relations field that are not possible outside of academe, especially because of the day-to-day pressure of business.
