Journal of Creative Communications

http://crc.sagepub.com Public Relations as a Profession An Analysis of Curricular Content in the United States
Krishnamurthy Sriramesh and Lisa B. Hornaman Journal of Creative Communications 2006; 1; 155 DOI: 10.1177/097325860600100202 The online version of this article can be found at: http://crc.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/1/2/155

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Journal of Creative Communications 1:2 (2006) SAGE PUBLICATIONS New Delhi l Thousand Oaks l London DOI: 10.1177/097325860600100202

Public Relations as a Profession

An Analysis of Curricular Content in the United States
KRISHNAMURTHY SRIRAMESH AND LISA B. HORNAMAN
This study attempts to evaluate the efficacy of undergraduate public relations programmes in the United States. The study surveyed 155 public relations educators and practitioners to determine their impressions on factors such as whether students are being imparted the knowledge and experience to become public relations practitioners, the knowledge and skills respondents thought students ought to possess to become successful professionals, the skills new graduates should possess, and the characteristics of the public relations profession. Results revealed agreement among educators and practitioners about the subjects that should be taught in undergraduate public relations programmes, including the knowledge and skills recommended by the Commission for Public Relations Education. Respondents did not agree on the best career plan for future public relations professionals. However, a majority felt that majoring in public relations with a minor in business was the best thing for students who want to work in this field. Respondents felt that not all of the subjects they deemed important were currently being taught in all public relations programmes. Both practitioners and educators agreed that graduates were well trained in the use of new technologies for public relations. However, the percentage of practitioners who felt that graduates were prepared to enter the public relations profession was considerably lower than educators.

Contrary to the popular misconception among most segments of the general public and among many practitioners around the world as well, the scope of public relations is not, and ought not to be, limited to positive publicity or image building. When practised strategically, public relations can contribute greatly to organizational effectiveness. Strategic public relations practice goes beyond providing positive publicity. Scholars have offered various definitions of the term public relations, a synthesis of which tells us that public relations should be the strategic management of communication by organizations to build lasting and mutually beneficial relationships with their stakeholders. In other words, effective public relations should not only be driven by the interests of the organization (or the source of the message), but also by the needs, values and interests of organizational stakeholders. The question of whether public relations is a profession or a craft has been debated widely for almost two decades. Jackson (1988) contended that public relations has established itself as a profession, while many others (Agee et al. 1995; Bivins 1993; Cameron et al. 1996; Hainsworth 1993; Ryan and Martinson 1990; Sallot et al. 1998b; Wylie 1994) have argued that
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it has yet to be recognized as one. However, all agree that it is important for public relations to gain professional status because that would give credibility and reputation to the industry, increase the accountability and credibility of practitioners, enhance the quality of work produced by practitioners, and give practitioners greater opportunities to contribute organizational decision making. Scholars have proposed that in order to attain professional status, the public relations industry must meet criteria that are basic to all professions, such as maintaining a code of ethics, serving the public interest, ensuring that practitioners of the profession possess specialized technical skills, possessing a body of esoteric knowledge, providing specialized and standardized education to those who seek to enter the profession, offering a unique service, and establishing robust professional organizations (Cameron et al. 1996; Ryan and Martinson 1990; Saunders and Perrigo 1998; Wylie 1994). The research described here attempted to study the extent to which undergraduate college education in the United States prepares students to become professionals. Because the United States is considered the leader in public relations education and practice, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of that system is important. In order to do so, we surveyed a sample of public relations educators and practitioners (and those who identified themselves as professionals and scholars) to determine whether students are being imparted the knowledge and experience that is necessary for them to become public relations professionals. Respondents were also asked to identify the knowledge and skills critical for students to become successful professionals, the skills new graduates ought to possess, as well as what they considered were the characteristics that would elevate public relations to professional status. Therefore, the study attempted not only to get a better understanding of how education contributes to the profession, but also identify areas where public relations education can be improved to help prepare future professionals.

LITERATURE REVIEW
The Public Relations Profession

Not surprisingly, the literature reviewed for this study indicated general agreement among most scholars, educators and practitioners that good public relations education has the potential to contribute greatly to establishing public relations as a profession. Scholars also have provided a variety of suggestions for improving undergraduate college education in order to help prepare students to become effective professionals. Further, many arguments have been put forth by different practitioners and educators about the current status of public relations

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as a profession, the criteria necessary for it to become a profession, and the methods by which public relations can gain professional status. Our review of the literature only found one author (Jackson 1988) who claimed that public relations had attained professional status. He argued that as a profession, public relations uses psychology, sociology and other social sciences to build and influence relationships, serves the public interest, and has a Body of Knowledge and a Code of Professional Standards. However, the majority of the literature indicated that the field of public relations is not yet a profession (Agee et al. 1995; Bivins 1993; Cameron et al. 1996; Hainsworth 1993; Ryan and Martinson 1990; Sallot et al. 1998b). Some authors (Cameron et al. 1996; Ryan and Martinson 1990; Sallot et al. 1998b; Saunders and Perrigo 1998; Wylie 1994) discussed the criteria that an occupation must meet in order to become a profession. Based on the literature review, we identified eight criteria and evaluated the sentiments of a sample of scholars and professionals on the presence of these criteria in current public relations curricula in the United States: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Maintaining a code of ethics and professional values and norms. Commitment to serve in the public interest and be socially responsible. Having a body of esoteric, scholarly knowledge. Having specialized and standardized education, including graduate study. Having technical and research skills. Providing a unique service to an organization and the community. Membership in professional organizations. Having autonomy in organizations to make communication-related decisions.

Professionalism and Public Relations Education

Many authors have advocated the need for specialized training, college education and continuing education as essential to elevate the field to the status of a profession (Bissland and Rentner 1988; Brownell and Niebauer 1988; Gaudino and Vanden Bergh 1988; Grunig 1989; Turk 1989; White et al. 1992). For example, Grunig (1989: 23) contended that the profession of public relations requires specialized scholarship and education. He argued that students need education in public relations rather than journalism or another field in order to practise more sophisticated public relations. The literature reviewed offered a wide range of recommendations for improving public relations education. However, the most commonly mentioned recommendations include providing students with a broad liberal arts background; teaching management, research, ethics and theory; teaching writing and technology; providing practical experience through internships; having licensing or accreditation; having a balance of the genders in school and

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in the workforce; requiring students to have a minor (secondary specialization); having a separate public relations department within the college that houses it; and teaching public relations from an integrated marketing communications (IMC) perspective. Before elaborating on these criteria, we believe it is pertinent to discuss the need for consensus in curriculum content.
The Need for Consensus on the Public Relations Curriculum

The need for consensus among scholars, educators and practitioners about a uniform public relations curriculum has been debated. Some authors have argued that because public relations is a relatively new field, consensus has not yet been formed on the range and content of courses, especially at the undergraduate level (Caudill et al. 1990; Sallot et al. 1997, 1998a; VanLeuven 1989a). Caudill et al. (1990) argued for consensus on teaching goals and the body of knowledge. They contended that because public relations is a relatively new field and because a number of undergraduate public relations courses are taught by journalism or communication professors who are unfamiliar with the field, a consensus has yet to be reached about what should be taught. In two studies, Sallot et al. (1997, 1998a) found that educators and practitioners have distinct views on professional standards, which prompted them to argue that in order to improve education, they need to agree on professional standards and an appropriate public relations curriculum. A lack of consensus has made it hard to define exactly what public relations is and what (and how) it can contribute to organizations. The literature made specific recommendations for improving public relations curricula and the most popular ones will be briefly reviewed.
Providing a Broad Liberal Arts Background

Many authors have discussed the need for public relations students to receive a broad liberal arts education in addition to the more specific public relations curricula. These authors suggested that public relations students ought to take courses in fields such as psychology, sociology, social and behavioural sciences, business and humanities (Baxter 1993; Caudill et al. 1990; Falb 1992; Gibson 199293; Kruckeberg 1998; McInerny 1995; Schwartz et al. 1992; VanLeuven 1989a; Wylie 1990). Caudill et al. (1990) argued that public relations is a profession requiring the broadest kind of education that provides them a broad perspective. Other scholars have recommended courses in fine arts, government, law, sciences, economics and history (Guiniven 1998; Heath 1991; Pincus and Rayfield 1992). Heath (1991) offered an agenda for public relations education arguing that public relations practitioners and scholars must be familiar with the humanities, fine arts, social sciences, government, business management, law, and scientific and technical issues. Kruckeberg (1998) recommended that public relations students should be able to use the knowledge and skills of
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journalism, mass communication and speech communication when they become public relations professionals. Wylie (1990) suggested courses in mass communication, journalism, and internal and external communication.
Teaching Management

The need for management education was one of the most widely offered recommendations (Baxter 1993; Berkowitz and Hristodoulakis 1999; Caudill et al. 1990; Falb 1992; Gaudino and Vanden Bergh 1988; Gibson 199293; Griffin and Pasadeos 1998; Grunig 1989; Guiniven 1998; Heath 1991; Hunt and Thompson 1988; Kinnick and Cameron 1994; Lordan 1996; McInerny 1995; Petrook 1995; Pincus and Rayfield 1992; Sallot et al. 1998b; Schwartz et al. 1992; Sparks and Conwell 1998; Turk 1989; VanLeuven 1989a; Wakefield and Cottone 1992). There is little doubt that public relations is becoming more management-based and strategydriven, which requires students to be conversant in both communication and business. If we are to elevate public relations to a profession, it seems inevitable that it enjoy credibility within organizations as a key management function that helps maintain an efficacious equilibrium with their stakeholders. Scholars have also contended that in addition to public relations students being taught about management and business, business students ought to be taught about communication so that organizational managers can understand and appreciate the contributions public relations can make to strategic management of organizations.

ETHICS
Several authors have rightly recommended the inclusion of ethics in public relations curricula (Gibson 199293; Grunig 1989; Guiniven 1998; Harrison 1990; Heath 1991; Lordan 1996; McInerny 1995; Pincus and Rayfield 1992; Pratt and Rentner 1989; Smethers 1998; Turk 1989; Wakefield and Cottone 1992). Guinivens (1998) study found that ethics was among the eight subjects recommended by practitioners for inclusion in the public relations curriculum, the others being business, history, journalism, psychology, sociology and law. Pratt and Rentner (1989: 53) contended that high ethical standards in the practice are seen as substantially contributing to the professionalization of the occupation.
Theory

Another popular recommendation is that theory should not only be included in undergraduate curricula, but should be the underpinning for all courses (Gibson 199293;
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Guiniven 1998; Hazleton and Long 1988; Heath 1991). Grunig (1989) stated that one of the benefits of introducing students to public relations theory is that some of them might enter graduate school and contribute to further develop the body of knowledge. Gaudino and Steele (1988: 4) contended that a theoretical or technical base and an educational system for its dissemination are necessary conditions for recognition as a profession.
Research

Research is another subject that is often mentioned as an ingredient of good public relations education (Gaudino and Steele 1988; Gibson 199293; Grunig 1989; Larson 1989; Pincus and Rayfield 1992). Heath (1991) argued that respectability will come to the public relations field if useful and accurate research that contributes to advancing the field is conducted. He suggested, Research and increased standards of performance have been the route to distinction and respectability, whether the discipline was medicine, engineering, psychology, or business administration (ibid.: 187).
Writing

Writing has commonly been viewed as one of the most important topics to be taught to public relations students by educators and practitioners alike. Harrison (1989: 42) argued that good writing skills are essential for success in the field, and that a really first ratepublic relations person must know and master a wide range of writing skills. Therefore, he recommended that public relations students must receive specialized writing courses in the communication field, particularly hard news writing. The author contended that writing ability is essential for every student who wants to advance beyond basic practitioner to management (ibid.: 43). Guiniven (1998: 55) contended that writing should be, or continue to be, emphasized across the curriculum. Baxter (1993: 5) wrote that writing is still the key to effective practice, and that strong education in writing is needed. He recommended that students receive as many courses as possible in English, news writing, creative writing, persuasive writing, copywriting and speech writing. He also recommended that internships provide students with practice writing.
New Media Technology

With the unquestioned need to use of new technologies for public relations purposes, several authors have recommended that this be included in every public relations curriculum. Sparks and Conwell (1998) recommended the integration of current technology into traditional

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teaching methods. Griffin and Pasadeos (1998) contended that more computer skills courses were needed.
Professional Internships

Providing public relations students with internship opportunities is the final of the popular recommendations. VanLeuven (1989a) argued that in order for university public relations programmes to gain credibility, there should be internship opportunities for students and professional exchanges for educators. Schwartz et al. (1992) suggested that the curriculum ought to include career orientation for students by providing internship opportunities. Baxter (1993) contended that students should have internships, and that these internships should allow them to observe public relations practitioners in the roles of manager, strategist, planner, problem solver and counsellor to management. Other recommendations for improving public relations education include requiring students to also specialize in a minor subject related to public relations, implementing licensing or accreditation, having a separate public relations department within the college that houses it, and teaching public relations from an integrated marketing communications (IMC) perspective. In sum, most scholars agree that public relations education is a key element in advancing the industry towards professionalization. This literature review helped us identify the following research questions for this study: 1. What is the current sentiment among public relations educators about the components of a good public relations curriculum? 2. What is the current sentiment among public relations educators on the characteristics of a good public relations professional? 3. What is the current sentiment among public relations professionals about the components of a good public relations curriculum? 4. What is the current sentiment among public relations professionals on the characteristics of a good public relations professional? 5. Do public relations educators feel that there are other characteristics of a good public relations curriculum? 6. Do public relations educators feel that there are other characteristics of a good public relations professional? 7. Do public relations professionals feel that there are other characteristics of a good public relations curriculum? 8. Do public relations professionals feel that there are other characteristics of a good public relations professional?

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METHODOLOGY
The Sample

A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather data from educators and professionals in the United States. Based on similar studies done previously, an approximate response rate of 25 per cent was anticipated, and because we wanted to gather data from at least 150 respondents, an initial sample of 200 educators, 200 practitioners, and 200 public relations professionals engaged in corporate (in-house) public relations was chosen. Because Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) members may belong to different types of organizations such as government agencies, non-profits and professional associations, a separate category of respondents from corporate public relations was selected as a third category. We wanted professionals of all levels of experience and expertise to be included in the sample so that we covered a wide spectrum of professionals, including recent graduates who could give us feedback on how well prepared they were in the profession based on their university education. The sample of public relations educators was drawn from the most recent membership directories of the PRSA Educators Academy and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). The sample of public relations practitioners was drawn from The Red Book: A Directory of the PRSA Counselors Academy (PRSA 1999) using a systematic sampling design (Babbie 1998). The sample of professionals from corporate public relations was drawn from the membership directory of the Arthur W. Page Society.
The Survey Instrument

An e-mail was sent to each of the 600 respondents describing the research and requesting them to go to a website1 to complete the survey questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed as an electronic response form and respondents were asked to read a consent form before deciding whether to participate. They were asked to enter a unique identification number (previously assigned by the researcher) in a text box so that the researcher could follow up with those who had not yet responded. The questionnaire had four sections. The first asked respondents how they felt about public relations education and their recommendations to improve education prescribed by the Commission for Public Relations Education (CPRE) in the report it submitted at the PRSA conference in October 1999. In the second section respondents were asked their views on what should be taught in a good undergraduate public relations programme, what they thought was essential training for public relations careers, and what skills current college graduates of public relations programmes have. In the third section nine criteria of the public relations profession were listed, with a brief description of each. Respondents were asked to
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rank them and add any others they felt were important. The fourth section asked for demographic information. Two months after the initial e-mail was sent, names of those who had responded were removed from the mailing list as were e-mail addresses for which a message was not deliverable. A follow-up e-mail was sent to the remaining non-respondents. A month later names of those who had responded to the follow-up were removed and a second follow-up e-mail was sent to the remaining non-respondents. After these three attempts, 155 responses were received for an approximate response rate of 25 per cent. Of these, 32.5 per cent were educators, 18.5 per cent practitioners and 21 per cent corporate public relations professionals. The data were analysed using SPSS.

FINDINGS
The purpose of this study was to determine the contributions that undergraduate college education makes to public relations by preparing students as future professionals. Some respondents had identified themselves as both educators and practitioners, therefore, in reporting the findings, we have split the sample into public relations educators, practitioners and educator-practitioners. The survey revealed similarities and differences in opinion between the three groups. As discussed in the literature review, a greater degree of agreement among these groups is useful in advancing the public relations profession.
Knowledge Components of Graduates

Based on the literature review, respondents were first asked about the importance of the 12 knowledge components of undergraduate public relations education. The results indicated that there was consensus among educators, practitioners and those calling themselves educator-practitioners about the importance of most of these. Most respondents in each group indicated that 11 of the 12 knowledge components were important or very important. Only one knowledge component, public relations history, was viewed to be somewhat less important by all three groups. The knowledge component communication and persuasion concepts and strategies seemed to draw the most commonality, with 94 per cent of educators, 90 per cent of practitioners and 92 per cent of educator-practitioners deeming it important. While 94 per cent of educators and 80 per cent of educator-practitioners found multicultural and global issues to be important, only 67 per cent of practitioners thought so. Given the rapid globalization that is turning much of organizational communication international, it was a little surprising that practitioners did not deem this component as being

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important. A similar difference of opinion among practitioners was seen in the organizational change and development component, with 86 per cent of educators and 88 per cent of educator-practitioners indicating that this knowledge was important, while only 60 per cent of practitioners found it important. So although all three groups generally agreed that 11 of the 12 knowledge components were important, there was some variation. Overall, the 12 knowledge components can be organized from most important to least important by totalling the percentages of respondents in all groups who felt the component was important or very important. Although the items at the end of the list were seen to have less importance, it must be noted that they were still considered to be key by most respondents. The ranked list of the knowledge components is presented in Appendix A.
Skill Levels of Graduates

The three groups of respondents indicated that 19 of the 20 skills listed were important or very important. The percentage indicating that the skills were important usually fell between 75 per cent and 97 per cent of the respondents in each group. There were some exceptions, however. For example, a lower percentage of practitioners (52 per cent), felt that the skill participation in the professional public relations community was important, while educators (83 per cent) and educator-practitioners (77 per cent) considered it important. A similar trend was seen with the skill applying cross-cultural and cross-gender sensitivity. While educators (86 per cent) and educator-practitioners (77 per cent) rated this skill as important, a slightly lower percentage of practitioners (67 per cent) rated it so. Interestingly, we observed that a slightly higher percentage of educators ranked each skill as important and a slightly lower percentage of practitioners did so. However, it was clear that some skills were highly valued by all three groups. Mastery of language in written and oral communication was deemed important by 97 per cent of educators, 95 per cent of practitioners and 98 per cent of educator-practitioners. In addition, the three groups agreed that informative and persuasive writing was important with 92 per cent of educators, 95 per cent of practitioners and 96 per cent of educator-practitioners identifying this skill as important or very important. Although there were some differences of opinion, there appeared to be general agreement among all three groups about the importance of the skills. Although the items further down the list (Appendix B) were seen to have less importance, it must be noted that they were still considered to be important by the majority of respondents.
Undergraduate Courses

As with the knowledge and skill components, the eight course components were viewed to be important by the majority of respondents. All eight courses were considered important except directed electives, which was deemed important only by 69 per cent of educators,
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55 per cent of practitioners and 71 per cent of educator-practitioners. The rest of the courses were considered to be important by 77 per cent or more of each group. Although there were some minor differences in opinion, there tended to be a general agreement among all three groups about the importance of the courses. Overall, the eight courses can be ordered from most important to least important by totalling the percentages of respondents in all groups who felt the component was important or very important. Again, although the items at the end of the list were seen to have less importance, they were still considered as being important by most respondents (Appendix C). The data also revealed that a high percentage of respondents felt that other courses should be included in the public relations curriculum although their proposals for such courses varied widely. The most common recommendation was for a course in accounting and finance, which was recommended by 22 respondents. Other recommendations included technology and the Internet, journalistic writing, marketing, history and business management being recommended by eight or more respondents.
Courses to be Taught

When respondents were asked to rate the importance of 30 subjects in preparing students for public relations careers, their responses varieda departure from their general agreement regarding knowledge, skill and course components. As a result, other than grouping the subjects from most to least important, it was hard to determine any other trends. Overall, the 30 subjects were ranked by totalling the percentages of respondents in all groups who felt the component was important or very important. We then divided the subjects into three groups by totalling the percentage of respondents in each group (for a maximum total of 300 percentage points) and labelling the subjects that received 200 points or more as the most important, those receiving 100 points or more as somewhat less important, and those receiving fewer than 100 points as the least important. The ranked list of the courses deemed most important are indicated in Appendix D.
Where Should the Public Relations Departments be Housed?

Most respondents stated that the public relations department should be housed in the schools of journalism and communications. Fifty-three per cent of educators, 65 per cent of practitioners and 59 per cent of educator-practitioners felt that this was the best home for public relations. Business colleges was the second choice with 14 per cent of educators, 20 per cent of practitioners and 18 per cent of educator-practitioners. Only 17 per cent of educators responded that speech communications schools were the best place for public relations departments. The choice of college for a public relations department is important
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because, among other things, it affects how public relations is taught, the educational background of professors who teach it, and the financial support the department receives. It is important to note, however, that some scholars feel that if public relations is housed in journalism schools, students receive too much journalism and not enough public relations education.
How Prepared Public Relations Graduates Are

Respondents who had worked with, or supervised, public relations graduates were asked to rate the extent of preparation of these graduates. There was general agreement from all three categories of respondents that graduates were well-trained to use new technologies. Respondents also indicated that most graduates were moderately prepared in presentation and speaking and ethics, with a few being well prepared in these subjects. On the other hand graduates were perceived to be prepared moderately in management skills, but respondents tended to indicate that some graduates were a little less prepared in this topic. For the rest of the topics, approximately a third of the respondents felt that graduates were very prepared, moderately prepared and not prepared. Overall, the sentiment seemed to be that graduates were moderately prepared in everything except new technology, in which they were well prepared.

DISCUSSION
Overall, the survey results indicated that public relations educators and professionals do not differ greatly on the various aspects of education and professionalism analysed in this study. There was clear consensus among educators and practitioners about the importance of knowledge components, skill components, the courses that should be taught in public relations programmes, and the best home for the public relations department. Although consensus was not as obvious on how many subjects are currently taught and the best career plan for students, there was general agreement on these aspects as well. The area with least consensus involved the ranking of the nine criteria of the profession, though there was still some agreement among educators and practitioners about the importance of the criteria. If the survey instrument had asked respondents to rate each one of the criteria instead of putting them in order from most to least important, perhaps opinions would have been clearer. That may be useful information for a future study. It is heartening to note that educators and practitioners generally agree on what is important for undergraduate public relations students because that is crucial in developing a good model for public relations education.
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The Importance of Subjects and the Extent to Which They are Taught

To compare the importance of subjects and perception among respondents on how often they are taught, we looked for further trends in the data. As discussed earlier, there were 10 subjects on which it was clear that educators, practitioners and educator-practitioners agreed. All three groups indicated that every public relations curriculum should include courses that increase students knowledge about the mass media, publicity techniques, liberal arts and journalism. Most respondents from the three groups felt that six subjectsfinance/ budgeting, statistics, international public relations, political communication and filmmakingwere not adequately being taught. This finding is similar to the critique of public relations education proposed by Sriramesh (2002).
Preparedness of Public Relations Graduates

Respondents indicated that public relations graduates were only moderately prepared for the profession. This may be because their curricula were either not rigorous or they did not learn much even after attending a good programme. We also ought to recognize that the learning continues when they enter the profession as they are likely to learn much on the job. To try to determine why respondents felt students were moderately prepared, a comparison was made on some subjects between how much respondents felt subjects were being taught, and how well graduates were prepared in those subjects. An interesting difference between educators and practitioners was that on every subject except new technology, the percentage of practitioners who felt that graduates were well prepared was considerably lower than educators who felt the same. These data suggest that educators think they are doing a good job of educating students, whereas practitioners feel that graduates are not educated enougha chasm that needs to be further explored and bridged.
The Criteria of Public Relations Profession

The ordinal ranking of the nine criteria of the public relations profession made it difficult to analyse the data from respondents. Based on the data, the only clear conclusion that can be drawn is that most respondents do not like the idea of public relations practitioners being certified by the state. Two respondents even pointed out that such certification would be a violation of the First Amendment to the US Constitution that guarantees freedom of speech and expression. The literature supports this finding. Very few scholars proposed or believed that public relations should be licensed or certified by the state. Perhaps, as some respondents noted, the nine criteria are all fairly important to the public relations profession, and the ordinal ranking of the criteria only served to provide the researcher with confusing data. Further research might be able to provide a better understanding of sentiments on these.
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CONCLUSION
The findings indicated that all three groups surveyed agreed about the importance of knowledge, skills, courses and subjects that are taught in undergraduate public relations education. The three groups also tended to agree about the extent to which certain subjects were taught, the best home for the public relations department, and the best career plan for the student who wants to work in public relations. Less agreement was seen regarding the nine criteria of the profession, but that could have resulted from the ordinal design of the study instrument. An obvious conclusion that can be drawn is that public relations education is helping the industry grow into a profession. The first step appears to have been accomplished, with agreement among public relations educators and practitioners about these important educational issues.
The Future

The next step in studying and possibly improving public relations education might be to analyse whether different public relations programmes actually teach the courses that the CPRE recommends. In addition, more research could be done to determine if subjects and courses other than those recommended by the CPRE are needed to prepare public relations students for a successful career. Sriramesh (2002) had argued that the CPREs recommendations did not give sufficient importance to multiculturalism and international issues, which is much needed in a rapidly globalizing world.

APPENDIX A
What public relations graduates ought to know (ranked according to findings): 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Communication and persuasion concepts and strategies Communication and public relations theories Ethical issues Relationships and relationship building Use of research and forecasting Societal trends Marketing and finance Management concepts and theories Legal requirements and issues Multicultural and global issues Organizational change and development

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APPENDIX B
Skills levels of graduates: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. Mastery of language in written and oral communication Informative and persuasive writing Problem solving and negotiation Strategic planning Ethical decision making Research methods and analysis Public speaking and presentation Working with a current issue Management of information Management of communication Issues management Message production Audience segmentation Sensitive interpersonal communication Community relations, consumer relations, employee relations, other practice areas Managing people, programmes and resources Technological and visual literacy Applying cross-cultural and cross-gender sensitivity Participation in the professional public relations community

Only one skill component, fluency in a foreign language, was not seen to be as important as the others.

APPENDIX C
Undergraduate course to be taught: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Public relations writing and production Supervised work experience in public relations (internship) Public relations planning and management Public relations research, measurement and evaluation Introduction to public relations Public relations campaigns Case studies in public relations

Again, only one course, directed electives, was considered somewhat less important by all three groups.

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APPENDIX D
The list of subjects considered most important:
l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l

Critical thinking and problem-solving skills Knowledge about mass media New PR technologies (computers, Internet, Web design, etc.) Public opinion concepts/research (surveys, focus groups, etc.) Setting goals/objectives Long- and short-term strategic planning General liberal arts knowledge (English, history, etc.) Knowledge about crisis management Courses in marketing Leadership skills Publicity techniques Courses in journalism Courses in management/organization behaviour General social science knowledge (sociology, psychology, etc.) PR law/privacy/defamation/copyright/product liability/financial disclosure, etc.

Krishnamurthy Sriramesh is Associate Professor, School of Communication and Information, Nanayang Technological University, Singapore 637718. E-mail: tksriramesh@ntu.edu.sg. Lisa B. Hornaman owns Communigraphics, 8668 SW Tropical Ave, Stuart, FL 34997, USA. E-mail: lisa@communigraphics.biz.

NOTE
1. http://www.foosion.net/survey/index.htm

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