Ok, so a very close friend of mine really wants to get her graduate degree in Public Relations. She has her undergrad in Communications. Anyway, she sent me links to the schools that she likes and asked me to help her pick the one with the best reputation and best classes. She's hoping to become a public relations specialist/publicist. She has employer tuition assistance so the price isnt a huge factor. She's just having a hard time with all the info online about top tier/good vs bad rep/public relations vs marketing vs mass communications degree, etc. So here are the choices. Any thoughts? Ball State University - Courses You Will Take Online Marketing and Communication Courses | Franklin University Graduate Studies - Master of Science in Public Relations Webster University: Online Programs Master
She must consider the M.A. in Strategic Communication from the the University of Missouri. It's from the Missouri School of Journalism, which is kind of a big deal.
I don't know this field at all but I have the sense that it's the sort of field where "connections" might play a key role in regards to career development. If that's true then you might want to see if one of the identified programs has some sort of internship option. I know that this goes against the DL grain but it's what came to my mind.
I saw this on the site from University of Missouri: "If you are a mid-career professional with at least three years of professional experience in a journalism-related field, the online master’s programs at the Missouri School of Journalism might be the best option for you." She's not a mid-career professional. She just finished her undergrad degree a few months ago. So I wonder, would she be able to do this degree?
Oh; that might rule her out. (And she might still have part-time, volunteer, etc. experience in roles that would relate, over a span of at least three years...)
Ok, so if the Missouri school is out, which school is the best out of the ones I linked? She's really bugging me about it. LOL
She looked at that one. I actually suggested it to her. But she said she spoke to whoever the admissions person was and he said the only online program was the Global Strategic Communication, not the PR program. So she ruled it out.
