Professional Studies
Public Relations Diploma Program
Public Relations is one of the fastest growing professions in the world. The profession has experienced an enhanced change in status over the years. Today's public relations professional plays an important role in helping organizations reach their overall goals and objectives. The Public Relations Diploma Program (PRDP) will provide students with the high level of knowledge and the increased skills needed to succeed in this dynamic and expanding profession.
For current course scheduling, textbook information and more please visit www.dce.UWinnipegcourses.ca
THIS PROGRAM IS FOR INDIVIDUALS INTERESTED IN:
- Enhancing their career in public relations by furthering their existing knowledge and skills
- Exploring a change in employment focus or career transition
- Gaining a formal credential in the field to complement their work experience
- Managing the public relations function in their organization
- Moving into a public relations position
UPON COMPLETION OF THIS PROGRAM YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO:
- Identify, analyze and influence organizational objectives, communications strategies and key interest groups
- Guide management on key business and policy decisions
- Develop public relations strategies that create awareness and favourable perception, and/or promote your products and services and set measurable objectives from which to evaluate their effectiveness
- Build collegial and cooperative relationships with a variety of public interest groups, internal and external clients, and the media
- Design and implement a media relations strategy expanding your visibility in the community
- Master public relations communications writing template including: a well-tooled press kit, news releases, annual reports, newsletters, brochure content, and personality profiles
- Plan and direct the crisis and change management process
- Coordinate and prepare material for internal and external promotional publications, including planning articles, editing copy, supervising print preparation, distributing publications
- Gain an understanding of digital communication technologies, their impact in traditional approaches to public relations and marketing, and how to adapt print-based collaterals for this new medium
Public Relations Diploma Program Requirements
The Program consists of three components: Core Courses, Elective Course, and Professional Edge Seminars. Students may take courses in any order as long as they have the required prerequisite. Applicants to the program have up to five years to complete the 398 hours of study. Students may condense their program by taking more than one course at a time or participating in a full-time program.
To Graduate, You Must:
1. Complete all of the required Core Courses (255 hours)
- Learning Techniques (3 hours)
- Case Studies and Issues in Public Relations (36 hours)
- Effective Oral Communication (36 hours)
- Effective Written Communication (36 hours)
- Media Relations for Public Relations (36 hours)
- Public Relations Fundamentals I (36 hours)
- Public Relations Fundamentals II (36 hours)
- Writing for Public Relations l (36 hours)
2. Choose three courses from the following list (108 hours)
- Advertising Fundamentals (36 hours)
- Marketing Fundamentals (36 hours)
- Project Management 1: Fundamentals (36 hours)
- Understanding the Design Process(36 hours)
- Web Marketing Communications (36 hours)
- Writing for Public Relations II (36 hours)
3. Complete five Professional Edge Seminars (35 hours)
Complete five, one-day seminars (7 hours) or a combination of one- and two-day seminars (14 hours) for a total of 35 hours.*
*Note: The University Writing and Research seminar is a required Professional Edge seminar for all certificate and diploma students who do not hold an undergraduate degree.
For information on the Public Relations profession please visit Manitoba Job Futures
To apply for this program or for more information please contact Mekala Wickramasinghe at 204.982.1143 or Karen Warkentin at 204.982.1144.