Should PR pros go to grad school?
The author, who did pursue an advanced degree, weighs the positives and negatives, as well as how one should proceed after taking the plunge.
PR pros often wonder whether grad school would be worth the time, money and effort.
If you’re on the fence about pursuing an advanced degree, here are a few suggestions:
1. Consider your long-term career goals.
If a master’s degree will help you attain a particular career objective, evaluate the different options (e.g., MBA, MS) and decide which is the best route.
Apply your long-term vision to everything you choose to do—from the classes you take to the topic of your thesis paper.
If you intend to stay in PR for your whole career, you don’t need an advanced degree. PR is more practice than theory, so you learn mainly from experience.
If you want to switch careers, grad school can be a way to demonstrate your seriousness in pursuing something else.
2. Be careful about which program you select.
Consider the business rationale behind PR. It’s not just media hits and social media posts; it’s the business impact they make. Higher education helps you to think differently about the issues and tasks we encounter.
When it comes to building skills and competencies, a grad school PR program will push you to advance what we do day to day.
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