Continuing Studies at UVic wordmark
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Start your PR career with a strong foundation

Experience is the foundation for where all successful goals begin. Like the roots of a flourishing tree—stabilizing and full of potential—our program nurtures aspiring PR professionals with the foundational skills needed for a career in public relations. Gain practical, job-ready skills to enhance your resume and build credibility as you explore the core areas of PR in an immersive environment.

Grow your roots first to expand your future career opportunities.

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Description

Application and fees

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Program at a glance

Program description

The Micro-certificate in Skill Building for Public Relations is designed for new practitioners who want to boost their confidence, credibility and skills in the field of public relations. You will explore the fundamentals of public relations, such as communication planning, writing, social media, media relations, and the value of leadership skills in the public relations industry. This course will include hands-on activities, practical tools and templates, and real-world examples. Upon completion, you will possess job-ready skills and a deeper understanding of your career path within the public relations profession.

Program highlights

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Online Flexibility
This program is delivered online, allowing you to work independently within deadlines set by your instructor. With this format, you don't have to worry about travel or scheduling conflicts while you study. You can work at your own pace, on your own schedule and maintain a balanced lifestyle.
Credibility
The University of Victoria is one of Canada's leading universities, recognized for preparing students for careers in a wide range of disciplines. Upon successful completion of this program you will receive a micro-certificate.
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Short-term
This program is designed to provide you with the knowledge and tools necessary to achieve your professional goals in just 12 weeks.
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Experiential Learning
This program allows you to integrate theory with practice by engaging with your instructors and fellow classmates. You will be given the opportunity to practice through hands-on activities, practical tools and templates, and real-world examples.
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Stackable
This program will give you laddering opportunities into other micro-credentials or to non-credit programs.

Program outcomes

After completing the Micro-certificate in Skill Building for Public Relations you will be able to:

  • develop a communications plan based on research, analysis, strategy and evaluation
  • employ informative and persuasive writing and editing skills to communicate clearly, concisely, comprehensively and accurately
  • use strategic PR tools and techniques to communicate effectively with the media, community members, online audiences and employees
  • apply appropriate PR theories, models and practices to support strategic public relations activities
  • navigate a situation successfully using sound PR leadership and ethics
  • describe various PR career paths based on a thorough understanding of the role of the PR practitioner and profession

Who is this program for?

If you see yourself reflected in any of the following, this program could be a good match:

  • you are an emerging or junior professional in the public relations field
  • you are interested in pursuing a career in public relations
  • you want to obtain practical skills in this area
  • you are interested in public relations and want to know about this industry and how PR functions within an organization

Career options

Some of our learners pursue careers in the following roles:
  1. Public Relations Specialist
  2. Communications Officer
  3. Client Relations Officer
  4. Public Relations and Communications Manager
  5. Communications Advisor

By the numbers

Advertised Salaries

There are 182 advertised salary observations (58% of the 314 matching postings), with a median salary of $78.1K

Advertised salaries pullled from a variety of job postings for Public Relations positions shows the most common salaries range from $64K to $87K per year with some postings reporting a $104K range with a max of $125K. Source: lightcast.io
Source: lightcast.io

Canadian Trends

Industry summary for advertising, public relations and related services show 21.3% increasing trend through 2030.

This graph shows an upward trend of the number of jobs in public relations related services, trending up from 2001 and predicted to increase by 21.3% or 11,898 jobs between 2022 and 2030.
Source: lightcast.io

News and resources

READ ARTICLE: Public Relations Specialist in Canada - Labour Market Information

READ ARTICLE: 5 Predictions for the Next 5 Years of Public Relations

READ ARTICLE: The skills required for entry-level public relations

Application and fees

Admission requirements

Applicants whose first language is not English are expected to possess strong English language skills equivalent to TOEFL score of 90 on the online test or 575 on the paper-based test, with no section less than 20, or an academic IELTS score of 6.5, with no individual component less than 6.0.

How to apply

There is no application necessary for this program. Simply register for the one course below. When registering, you will be charged the Micro-certificate in Skill Building for Public Relations fee. Once you have completed the course, your certificate will be sent to you electronically. Certificates are sent approximately one month after the completion of the course.

Registration will open by October 1, 2024

Registration details

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Info you should know:

Continuing Studies statement on use of educational technology

This course will require the use of Zoom and may use other education technology such as internet-based applications, cloud services, or social media. In order to complete this course you will be required to either consent to the disclosure of your personal information outside of Canada to enable use of these technologies, or work with the Division of Continuing Studies to explore other privacy protective options (such as using an alias or nickname).

Questions?

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RELATED TOPICS: Public Relations

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