Majoring in communications typically means focusing on a particular specialty, such as public relations, journalism, editing, technical writing, film and video editing and creative writing. Most of these occupations have a common thread: the ability to take often complex topics and communicate them in a way that is understandable to others, whether it’s via the written word, images or video.

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Course Topics – Public Relations

In the popular Public Relations field, students usually earn at least a bachelor’s degree. Most of the coursework involves writing, editing, video publishing and some business management education. Students typically can expect to be asked to complete coursework in the following areas:

  • Advertising
  • Business administration
  • Public affairs
  • Public speaking
  • Political science
  • Creative and technical writing

Job Duties in Public Relations

Public relations specialists typically handle duties that involve writing press releases and preparing information for dissemination to the media, consumers and, in the case of public companies, investors. If a public relations specialist works for the government or for a specific public official, they may hold the title of “press secretary” and work to keep both the media and voters informed of government legislation and actions.

A key component of the job in both private sector and public sector roles is to respond to requests from the media for specific types of information, which often involves not only gathering that information but getting its release approved by managers. This work requires people skills and the ability to think on your feet, moving quickly to handle complex requests.

Public relations managers also work to identify the target audience for a particular company, and then develop strategies to get the company message to that audience. They also work to protect the image of a company, responding to negative press and attention when warranted.

Job Outlook in the Field of Public Relations

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the number of jobs in the public relations field is expected to grow by 21 percent between 2010 and 2020, faster than the average of most other occupations.

Part of the reason for the growth, according to the federal agency, is the speed at which communication travels via the Internet. This can cause public opinion to change quickly, meaning that more companies and organizations need public relations specialists to respond to those changes – whether good or bad – as quickly as possible.

The median pay for those who work in public relations was $91,810, according the BLS. The highest 10 percent of all earners made more than $166,400.