If you’re considering a career in public relations, you may be surprised at just how much you will learn outside of the classroom. Not to downplay the importance of the traditional public relations/communications course of study, but there are many majors that prepare a person for a fulfilling communications career. Especially if you’re changing careers and didn’t study communications, you may be able to use the major you obtained in school. If you hustle by getting a mentor, some valuable internship experience and work experience at a public relations agency, firm, or the communications department of a non-profit, you can probably make a career in public relations work without a public relations degree.
Here are a few degrees that I believe churn out great PR pros. This list is by no means exhaustive.
Criminology; See Kara Bussabarger
If you studied criminology, you’re a master of human behavior, which gives you great insights into understanding how people communicate, why people communicate and how to communicate effectively. I think this translates well in terms of the back-end knowledge needed to understand how to write and speak effectively and persuasively, as well as how to manage crises.
Psychology; See Colleen Moffitt
Like criminology majors, psych majors also master human behavior. This helps them understand many of the complex issues that come with public relations, like media relations, customer relations, and client relations. But I also think it helps them understand and predict the behavioral trends that influence both the public and the media.
Sociology; See Jacqueline Lara
Sociologists are the kings and queens of research. When crafting the perfect pitch, this innate skill can prove invaluable. I know of one former sociology major who enjoys “digging for a juicy statistic” to make her pitches shine. That’s a socy major, alright!
Radio-TV-Film; See Anne Williams and Marc Silverstein
Understanding the production process is key to communicating with today’s multimedia journalists. Two years ago, I would automatically named journalism as the number one lead-in career to PR (and it still can be) but for the era we’re in, digital and multimedia know-how coupled with journalism ethics trumps the basic understanding of the editorial process.
English and History; See Amanda Miller Littlejohn
Okay, so I just had to plug my own double major course of study. When I went to college, I contemplated journalism, but quickly decided against it and enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences. I became an English major during my first year and later bumped up my major count to two after wracking up so many history credits. English and history have served me well in PR; they’ve enabled me to observe a business problem, conduct research, and craft quick persuasive copy. The two majors together also help me to see the big picture (History) without losing sight of the details (English). Looking back, I don’t think I could have chosen a better two majors for what has evolved into an ever-changing career.
One more to consider: philosophy.
Studying philosophy teaches you to analyze a situation, identify issues, craft an argument, and effectively communicate complex ideas. My undergraduate degree in this field prepared me remarkably well for my career in PR.
Awesome post, by the way. I’m gratified to see liberal arts degrees recognized for the usefulness they do actually have. Critical thinking skills are way underrated.
Julia K. Wakefield
http://twitter.com/juliawakefield
Excellent post! As a PR professional, I have always been grateful for my undergraduate background as an English major from a small liberal arts college. My degree has always helped me with critical thinking, organized planning and both written and oral communication. Thanks for your insights!
Julia — I was also a philosophy major, which prepared me for the strategic thinking, planning and writing skills that have served me well for more than three decades in PR/marketing. Thank you, University of Wisconsin – Madison. Numen Lumen….
Great article! I majored in Spanish, which greatly improved my command of the English language. I also racked up triple minors in communications, political science and philosophy. I then went on to earn a master’s in public communications from a large university. I would recommend this kind of academic inverted triangle- start out broad, then narrow your interests- to anyone interested in communications or public relations.
Hi, I truly enjoyed reading your articles. You always offer wise advice on how to start a successful career in PR. Ever since, I graduate in 2007, I’ve been hustling my way in the business. So far, I haven’t had the anticipate success that I was hoping. Lately, I was wondering about strategy on how to get the momentum I need to make an impact. Do you have any advice the could be helpful?? I currently reside in Montreal,Canada. The market is somewhat different from the American one. But I am thinking more & more of trying an international career. Any advice would be consider as a plus thanks.
Well somebody has to speak for the journos. Took my undergrad degree in Journalism with a minor in 20th Century European History right into a bullpen at small afternoon daily paper. College provided me with the tools and ethical foundation, the daily grind provided me with the ability to gather information and write on deadline. Those skills have served me well right through jobs at newspapers and trade magazines and into a corporate communications career. My advice: Learn to ask the right questions, find out what’s motivating the person, remember that simple is better than complex, don’t lead with your chin and always let the boss take the credit.
@Julia-I knew I was going to double major in English and something and I *almost* picked philosophy instead of history so I completely understand! Loved it! Thanks for your comment. The only thing I wish I had done was maybe minored in business, because at my College of Arts and Sciences we were just floating around in academia, and all of the business smarts I had to learn in the real world. In retrospect, a business class or two would have been a good addition.
@Phyllis Thank you for your comment! I totally agree. My dad asked me what I was going to do with an English degree when I first declared my major. (He has a degree in engineering). He told me I was going to be the most well-spoken person working at McDonald’s!
That’s sounds like a great strategy. Thanks for your comment, Sara!
Hi Welker, thank you for your comment and compliment. Without knowing more about your situation, I couldn’t say. But I have your email address so we can communicate offline. I’m not sure about the professional organizations in your area, but IABC should have a chapter near you. I would also suggest you getting involved on the various LinkedIn Groups for PR professionals: there are dozens of PR groups with thousands of seasoned pros who are available to answer questions and you can probably find people in the Montreal area to give you targeted insights into that market.
I’m also building a community of Mopwater PR pros on Facebook so I hope you will join our fan page. Just search Mopwater in the Facebook search field.