A PR degree – is it REALLY worth it?
Time to read: 2 minutes
As our junior’s three year PR degree draws to an end and the student loan looms large, she asks: Was it really worth it?
Ultimately only time will tell (although I would
like to think YES) as I am yet to graduate and secure a job in the industry.
However, I can still look back on my time studying PR at UAL and pick out the positves and negatives.
Studying in London helps
Firstly, I do think studying in London brings such an advantage to any student, particularly a PR student. After all, your university is at the doorstep of some of the biggest PR agencies in the UK. Additionally, my university has fantastic connections with various PR professionals from different backgrounds.
Consequently, every week we received a guest lecture from somebody different. Each would provide insight into their experience in the PR industry and
advice to those wanting to take a similar path. This has been one
of the highlights of my PR degree experience. The talks have opened my eyes to the different paths, sectors, and opportunities that working in the industry has to offer.
The opportunity the university provides to be exposed to different PR professionals allows you to be proactive and make connections. If it hadn’t been for Sam being one of my guest lecturers in my second year, I wouldn’t have landed an internship at the tech PR agency Hotwire in the summer of 2017. This led to my landing my junior role for The Comms Crowd.
Is a PR degree worth it?
Honestly, I’d struggle to say yes. This is simply because I feel as though the duration of three years is far too long for the work that you do. Obviously, this differs depending on where you study. However, my course has been primarily theory-based. It has been interesting to unveil the theories and history behind PR. Although I feel it could be argued whether having this knowledge to succeed in the PR industry is necessary.
So, despite obtaining a lot from studying a PR degree, I feel three years is too long. I also believe it is not essential if you want to go into the industry. In my experience, PR internships are not too hard to come across, once you
have gained the necessary experience. If you are hard
working, passionate and approachable, securing a role in PR without a PR degree is possible.
