ABSTRACT
The 1970s featured growth of public relations (PR) education programs in North America, especially in the US This chapter presents the emergence, growth, and direction of PR education (PRE), primarily in the US Especially important are the recommendations for strengthening PR education for undergraduate and graduate programs and what those recommendations portend for the further success of higher-ed PR programs. The expansion of PR education programs in higher education has continued since the 1980s, with more programs emerging precipitously that offer a fairly common core of courses with a variety of electives. In terms of graduate PRE, the Commission on PRE’s report presents the most-recent specific findings and recommendations for curricula leading to a master’s degree in PR. Again, using input from industry leaders, educators, hiring managers, and PR professionals, the content of this report addresses five dimensions: curriculum, admission standards, program delivery, necessary resources, and global graduate PRE standards.
