DEGREE GUIDE

Public Relations

What do Public Relations degrees involve?

Public Relations degrees teach you how to build, manage, and protect the reputation of brands, organisations, and individuals. You will explore key areas such as media relations, crisis communication, digital PR, branding, and campaign strategy. These courses help you develop strong writing, presentation, and strategic thinking skills while understanding how to craft compelling messages and engage with different audiences. You will also learn how to manage social media, analyse public perception, and work with journalists to shape news coverage. Through industry placements, live PR projects, and networking opportunities, you can gain the experience needed for careers in corporate communications, media relations, and brand management.

Example
Modules

Introduction to Public Relations: Understand how PR helps organisations manage reputation, communicate with the public and influence media coverage. Learn how to write press releases, identify key audiences and explore the strategic role of PR in society.

Strategic PR Planning: Learn how to plan and deliver effective campaigns by setting clear objectives, choosing the right channels, and shaping messages that meet the needs of organisations and the public.

Common Degree Names

💼 Placement years are commonly available in PR agencies, media, corporate communications or marketing.
🌍 Study abroad is offered at several universities.

BA (Hons) Public Relations
BA (Hons) Public Relations and Marketing
BA (Hons) Public Relations and Media
BA (Hons) PR and Communication
BA (Hons) Strategic Communication and PR

Level 3 (A-level / IB Diploma (HL) / Scottish Highers)

Public Relations is about managing communication between organisations and their audiences. You'll develop skills in writing, strategy, and understanding how to shape perceptions. Universities welcome students from many different subject backgrounds.

Subjects that can strengthen your application:

English Literature, English Language, or English Language & Literature – developing strong written communication
Media Studies – understanding of media landscape and communication
Business Studies – relevant for corporate communications
Sociology or Psychology – helpful for understanding audiences and behaviour
Politics or History – develops research and analytical skills
Modern Languages – valuable for international PR roles

✨ Any combination of subjects can work for Public Relations. What matters most is strong written communication skills and an interest in how organisations engage with the public.

Universities may also accept:

BTEC Extended Diplomas in Business, Media, or Creative Media Production
BTEC National Extended Certificates or National Diplomas alongside relevant A-Level subjects
T-Levels in Media, Broadcast and Production, Management and Administration, or Digital Data Analytics
IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) with at least two IB Higher Level subjects (ideally three) alongside your Career-Related Study; a Business pathway would be directly relevant

Many PR courses are accredited by or linked with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) and the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA), which can help with professional recognition. Always check specific course requirements.

Level 2 Qualifications (GCSE or equivalent)

Most courses ask for:

GCSE English Language (or equivalent) – essential for this communication-focused subject. Equivalents include Scottish National 5s, BTEC Level 2, or IB MYP certificates
GCSE Maths (or equivalent)

📋 Strong English skills are particularly important for PR. Some universities may require English at a higher grade.

💬 Interviews

Interviews are not usually required, but some universities may invite you for a short conversation, either online or in person, to learn more about your interest in the subject.

🔍 Work Experience

You don't need work experience to apply for Public Relations. If you have a school placement to fill, a marketing agency, charity communications team, local newspaper, or any organisation with a press or PR function gives you a sense of how organisations manage their reputation in practice.

✨ Personal Statement Tips

What interests you about how organisations communicate and manage their reputation? PR is about much more than social media; it involves understanding audiences, crafting messages, handling crises, and building relationships between organisations and the public. If you've noticed PR in action and thought about what makes campaigns effective or how organisations respond to challenges, reflect on what you observed. Following PR case studies, reading about communication strategy, or analysing how different organisations present themselves can show genuine engagement. Admissions tutors want to see you understand what PR professionals actually do and are curious about strategic communication, not just interested in being a spokesperson.

If your qualifications don't match the usual entry requirements, there are some other possibilities.

🌱 Foundation Year in Media, Communications or Business

Some universities offer a foundation year if you don't have the required subjects or grades. This adds an extra year but leads directly into the full degree.

🎓 Access to HE Diploma (Business, Media or Humanities)

Accepted by many universities offering Public Relations. Choose a pathway with communication or business-related content, and aim for Merits and Distinctions in your graded units.

💼 Level 3 Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships such as Public Relations and Communications Assistant or Marketing Assistant carry UCAS tariff points from 2026 and can support a university application. PR degrees are typically offered by universities with flexible admissions policies.

Is this degree right for you?

Members can explore whether this degree fits who they are:

Skills you'd develop and whether they match your strengths
How this aligns with your interests, motivators and values
Career paths and where graduates end up

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Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

Use the tabs to explore the kind of person that this would be a good fit for. Do you share the Interests, Motivations, Values, Work identity and skills that people who thrive in this course tend to have?

Not sure what these things are? Explore your Identity Tree with us first.

Interests that connect well with a Public Relations degree

Students who enjoy this degree often share these interests. You don't need to feel strongly about all of them, and interests develop over time. If one or two catch your curiosity, or sound like something you'd like to know more about, that's a good sign.

Brands, Media & Influence: PR is the craft of building and protecting reputation. You'll learn how campaigns are planned, how brand identity is shaped, how organisations work with the media, and how reputation is managed when something goes wrong.

Language, Stories & Writing: PR depends on knowing how to write for an audience and a purpose. You'll learn to write press releases, craft brand stories, shape messaging across social and digital channels, and find the words that cut through when reputation is on the line.

Students who thrive in a Public Relations degree are often motivated by

Building and Sustaining Relationships

You feel energised by work where the people you work with aren't passing strangers but become known to you across years: clients, patients, students, customers. Forming new connections matters, but the deeper energy comes from the slower work of staying present, remembering the small details, picking up where you left off. You come most alive when someone you've known for years is back in front of you, and you take up the conversation as if no time had passed.

Influencing and Persuading

You're energised by convincing others of your ideas, selling a vision, or motivating people to take action. Whether it's through a well-crafted argument, a compelling presentation, or a one-to-one conversation, you find energy in changing someone's mind or getting buy-in for something you believe in. The challenge of working out what will actually land with this person, in this moment, is part of what makes it satisfying.

Trends and Pattern-Spotting

You're energised by noticing what's changing before others do, whether that's emerging cultural trends, shifts in data, new technologies gaining traction, or patterns in behaviour. You find energy in predicting what's coming next and understanding why things are moving in a particular direction. You're drawn to the signals others overlook, and you'd rather be early to the question than late to the answer.

Storytelling and Communication

You're excited by crafting a compelling narrative, whether that's writing a script, performing a speech, producing content, or simply finding the perfect way to explain something complex. You notice when stories are told well and when they fall flat. Shaping how people understand and feel about a topic gives you real energy, and you're always thinking about how to land a message.

Creativity and Innovation

You're energised by the act of creating something new or finding a fresh way to approach a problem. Whether it's designing, writing, building, or experimenting, you feel most alive when you're generating original ideas rather than following established methods. The possibility that something has never been done before excites rather than intimidates you.

Decision-Making and Responsibility

You're energised by being the person who makes the call: weighing up options, choosing between difficult alternatives, and standing behind the decision once it's made. You don't need to manage people to feel this; what you want is to be making consequential choices yourself rather than executing other people's. The weight of being the decider, including when things go wrong, feels like a challenge you rise to rather than a burden you avoid.

What makes Public Relations click for the students who love it?

There is a story behind everything an organisation does, and they want to be the one shaping it. They like finding the angle that gets noticed, then telling it so it reads the way they meant. Reading the public mood matters too, sensing where a story will travel and bringing people round. Some calls carry weight, what to say and when, knowing it cannot be unsaid, and they want to make them. The work runs on trust and relationships, and they like that it is judged by what it achieves, not by how slick it sounds.

These are the skills that students who love this degree tend to enjoy using. You don't need to be great at them already, but if they sound like you, that's a good sign.

Skill Name

Skills that suit this degree

You don't need to be great at these already — but if you enjoy using them or want to get better at them, that's a good sign.

Do you enjoy writing clearly and persuasively — choosing the right words to get a message across to the right people?
Do you find yourself naturally reading situations and figuring out how to influence what people think or feel?
Do you like building relationships with different kinds of people — and feel comfortable reaching out to people you don't know well?
Do you care about honesty and doing things the right way — especially when it comes to how information is shared publicly?

Careers a Public Relations degree could lead you to

Public Relations

What do Public Relations degrees involve?

Example Modules

Common Degree Names

Is this degree right for you?

Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

Careers a Public Relations degree could lead you to

Example
Modules