I have been asked by many about what it was like being a doctoral student in Public Relations. I would have to say that being a Ph.D. student encompasses so many different roles. We have to be up-to-date on the latest trends in the profession and have work experience in the field. We have to be good role models and teachers when we are interacting with our students in the classroom.
And of course, we have to be researchers. This means we conduct our studies– whether they are qualitative or quantitative based studies– and after completing the study, it is time to present the results to the scholarly community. From submitting to prestigious journals to attending fabulous conferences– both are great outlets to share research that will contribute to the body of knowledge in the communications and public relations fields.
At the end of the month, I will be presenting at the University of Tennessee Research Symposium. The theme for this year is “Power and Politics: Communication and Information.” I will be presenting a paper with my adviser Dr. Michael Palenchar titled “Practitioner or Academic Approach: The Current Direction of U.S. Undergraduate Public Relations Programs.” It is a first step in this research line for me– it was a great opportunity to look at the public relations profession from both a theoretical perspective (research) and a more applied perspective (practitioner) in public relations education. It was definitely a fun paper to write and a great learning experience. 🙂
The UTRS this year will bring in many students together to present their research papers (both Master and Doctoral students) as well as fellow faculty members from the University of Tennessee and other prestigious universities. I am really looking forward to hearing all of the presentations! 🙂
I will definitely keep you all posted on the research symposium and how it all goes! 🙂 Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
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