Course details

Summary

Postgraduate certificates provide the opportunity for continuing professional development in the same area as an original degree. A postgraduate diploma can often lead to a master's degree.

Postgraduate certificates are available to graduates who wish to build on an earlier degree, and who have appropriate practical, professional or scholarly experience. Some are available only on a part time basis. Waikato University offers specialist postgraduate certificates as well as postgraduate certificates.

Public Relations

The world of public relations is fast-growing and exciting. Get the public relations skills you need to help an organisation build trusted relationships with its key stakeholders and enhance its public reputation.

If you enjoy writing and talking to different people, and love framing ideas in imaginative and engaging ways, then a career in Public Relations may be right for you.

Public relations practitioners plan and implement communication campaigns to influence people’s attitudes and behaviour. They are effective networkers who work closely with journalists to manage media publicity, and act as a crucial link between an organisation and its publics, such as the community, customers and corporate shareholders.

Public Relations professionals are also involved with crisis and issues management, government relations, lobbying, events, sponsorship and fundraising, and employee relations.

Practical, hands-on learning

The assignments for this subject are highly practical. You’ll plan and deliver an innovative public relations campaign for a real client, take part in a mock media conference, build a website, use social media, create a range of advertisements, and write media releases for print, broadcast and online media. You'll also learn how to organise events, prepare corporate documents and deliver professional speeches.

Our students enjoy visits from a wide range of professional guest speakers in class, who will share their insights about what it's like working in the public relations industry.

If you choose to major in Public Relations for your degree, you'll take the exciting core papers Health Communication Campaigns, where you'll compete against other teams to develop a real-life campaign on behalf of a not-for-profit organisation. You'll then present your campaign results to a panel of experts to demonstrate your knowledge of effective public relations strategies.

Career opportunities

• Public relations manager
• Public relations account executive
• Communications advisor
• Internal communications manager
• Media relations adviser
• Event manager
• Community relations manager
• Sponsorship/fundraising manager
• Press secretary

Entry criteria

A recognized bachelor’s degree with a B/B+ grade average. You must also have a major in the relevant subject area with a B/B+ grade average.

English language requirements:

IELTS - 6.5 overall (no less than 6.0 in writing); iBT (internet based TOFEL) - 90 with a score of 22 in writing; Pearson PTE Academic- 65 with English language requirements no less than 58 for each communicative skill; From Waikato Pathways College - Successful completion of Level 8 with a B grade average in the Certificate of Attainment in Academic (CAAE) programme.