Study Public Relations in Ireland

About Public Relations

A public relations specialist oversees developing and carrying out a PR plan, assisting a company or person to build a positive reputation using a variety of platforms and channels, such as the press, social media, and in-person interactions. In situations where their credibility is threatened, they may assist customers in defending their reputations. Importantly, the PR profession moves quickly and is constantly seeking out skilled recent graduates. The main employers in almost every company are PR consultants, which offer a specialized service to several client organizations and frequently work in highly diverse market segments. If a company cares about its reputation, it will probably invest in effective public relations, in which a PR expert works to highlight the brand's reputation, concept, products, or success. Furthermore, you could look for internships or work experience in PR firms representing numerous customers or in businesses with well-known brand sectors like fashion, automobiles, or cosmetics. At several undergraduate and graduate levels, including diploma, certificate, bachelor's, master's, and PhD degrees, students can study public relations. A bachelor's degree serves as the most common level of study and is typically completed in three or four years. These courses are normally provided as a BA, but if they also incorporate more analytical and mathematical aspects of marketing, some universities may designate PR degrees as a BSc.

Study Public Relations in Ireland

Ireland is offering attractive education opportunities for students from all around the world. Public Relations is among the most demanded courses by both national and foreign students since every organization can benefit greatly from PR professionals. PR graduates do not only advertise their products and services but also help to improve the reputation of both for-profit and non-profit organizations. Therefore, demand for PR graduates remain constant. Moreover, Ireland is currently offering undergraduate and graduate public relations courses to the students. You must acquire skill sets as an overseas student if you desire to be the top choice for any company. For instance, you need to improve your analytical, conceptual, public speaking, and writing skills. Fortunately, aside from the main framework, all these topics are the main focus of Irish business schools in Ireland’s PR courses.

Advantages of Study Public Relations in Ireland

There are several benefits of studying Public Relations in Ireland. Firstly, the existed demand for PR jobs has increased with highly infamous brands such as Apple, Google, Facebook. Hand in hand, PR jobs in Ireland are also increasing at 23% in each year which makes it quite possible to work in excellent companies. Moreover, Ireland’s PR employment rate is currently %98. It is important to highlight that this English-speaking nation is regarded as one of the most secure places on earth and is highly regarded for its achievements in the field of education. Additionally, if the student studies a master’s degree in PR in Ireland, it is possible to be eligible for permanent residency in just two years. 

Career Paths for Public Relations Degree 

Promotion of the brand and protection of the brand are the two fundamental duties of public relations professionals. Considering these two main branches, the career paths can be separated as well. 

1. Social media strategist: Social media strategists work with their clients to design social media plans and produce content for their social media channels. They organize and arrange material in advance, making sure that each piece is aimed at the right audience for their clients.
2. Content Creator: Being a content creator is another great PR career path. The content creator promotes to journalists the good stories which the content creator has created about their brand. Like a press release about a significant corporate deal, these stories can also attract journalists' attention on their own. 
3. Brand Ambassador: Public relations professionals need to represent the company’s image in the best way possible while creating creative advertisements to attract the clients’ interest. Thus, being a brand ambassador is another good option for public relations students. 
4. Account Manager: Managing several public relations operations is a specialty of PR account managers. They are employed by public relations agencies that look after the public image of numerous businesses or people.
5. Media Relations: The development of relationships with media, editors, personalities, and other influencers is the responsibility of media relations specialists. They make sure a product can reach the public through a variety of media, such as social media, television, newspapers, and journals.
6. Marketing and Advertisement Manager: They gather data on consumer perceptions of a brand and choose the most effective content to market goods and services to that target. To make sure that all advertising and marketing material is consistent with the company's image, marketing experts engage with other PR co-workers.
7. Crisis manager: Crisis managers deal with both governmental difficulties and problems that may affect a brand's reputation. They instantly come up with strategic plans for how a company can react to a situation and manage the public reaction.

What Skills Do I Need to Become a Public Relations Manager?

There are some essential skills to have which will help you to pursue a career in public relations. Firstly, public speaking is among the important skills in this field. The students need to be persuasive, confident, and appealing when speaking in front of an audience in class. You'll soon be assigned tasks at work that require public speaking in front of a camera or making a sales pitch during a meeting with co-workers to advance a person, a business, or an organization. The second skill is to be talented in writing.  Since, press releases, speeches, and advertising products are vital to the PR sector, you need to effectively convey your thoughts in writing. The third essential one is to have social media skills. The way people communicate with one another has completely changed because of social media. Thus, one of the most sought-after fundamental talents for PR professionals is understanding how to use social media as a platform for mass discourse.

Is Studying Public Relations Right for Me?

PR could be an interesting area to work in if you're eager to improve your communication abilities, thrive in a fast-paced environment, and learn something new on daily basis. Unlike the common though, being introvert or extrovert does not matter much. The essential key here is to influence people with your various abilities such as writing, advertising, or creating. Moreover, if you think that your communication skills are advanced and you are willing to be engaged with people, then studying public relations may be right for you. 

How Long Does It Take Studying Public Relations?

In Ireland, completing a bachelor’s degree in PR typically takes 3 or 4 years, while completing a master’s degree in PR either takes 1 or 2 years.

The Best Universities to Study Public Relations

Technical University (TU) of Dublin, Southeast Technological University (which is known for its old name Institute of Technology Carlow), and Dublin City University is the top ranked universities worldwide in public relations. While Dublin City University and Southeast Technological University are offering great undergraduate program, TU Dublin is offering qualified graduate programs to students. 

1. TU Dublin: The institution is the Ireland’s first technical university and its establishments dates back nineteenth century. The success rate of the Technical University of Dublin is among the highest in Ireland. TU Dublin is now offering MA (Master of Arts) Public Relations. The course is organized around fundamental ideas, real-world communication skills, and research that culminates in a dissertation on a subject of the student's choice that they develop in collaboration with an accomplished academic supervisor.
2. Southeast Technological University: South East Technological University is a public technological university located in Ireland. The bachelor’s program named Media and Public Relations (PR) is now available to students. For students pursuing in a career in public relations or the media, this three-year program offers both academic and professional certification.
3. Dublin City University: The MSc in Public Relations offered by DCU was created by consulting with Irish public relations professionals and seeking academic counsel from both Europe and the United States. Students having an undergraduate degree in a related field are the target audience by DCU. The curriculum equips students with knowledge of current trends and professional issues as well as public relations theory and practice.

Public Relations Admission Requirement

There are some certain requirements that public relations students need to meet. Firstly, some Irish Universities may require a degree that is comparable to the Irish Leaving Certificate or A levels (according to the UK system). Secondly, students are required to hold their Certificate of General Secondary Education with a minimum average of 80% or above to be eligible to study public relations in Ireland. Thirdly, a minimum score of 7.0 is required by some prestigious universities like TU Dublin. For master’s degree, bachelor’s degree with at least a 2.2, or equivalent along with a minimum score of 7.5 from IELTS with no component below 6.0 is required. However, it is important to note that the requirements may change depending on the university.