In most public relations programs at universities, there are certain classes that you have to take as a student. The first class in the major that you would take would be “Introduction to Public Relations” and then you would either go on to a writing course in Public Relations or Public Relations Strategies. But one of the other major requirements that most programs have is a class on Public Relations Research.
Most of my classmates both at Florida and USC considered Public Relations Research to be the hardest class by far that they have taken (besides the capstone class of PR Campaigns). Why is this you ask? Well, there are many reasons– first, it is a class that you have to do a lot of work in. From developing research proposals to running statistics to even implementing your own study– there is a lot of time and effort needed from the student. But this is what we need as public relations professionals– we need to have more research in the classroom and in the field.
I have heard many excuses from some PR students that say that they really don’t need to know how to do research because when they go out into the workplace, they will “hire someone to crunch the numbers.” I strongly disagree. PR Research is the key to success and progress in the field. If you don’t know the key elements of PR Research, how are you going to tell if the research that is being done for your client is actually reliable or valid? Makes you think. 🙂
Research allows public relations professionals to find out what works and doesn’t work for their client or campaign. It also provides public relations professionals with real data that they can use to make their strategies and tactics more effective among their key audiences.
At both Florida and at USC, I had the opportunity to take two Public Relations Research classes. My Public Relations Research class at USC was taught by Dr. Craig Carroll, who has recently been recognized for his research work in Public Relations and implementing new media in his classrooms at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Congratulations Dr. Carroll on receiving this honor! 🙂
Dr. Carroll in the press release stated the following about the importance of getting his students to conduct public relations research in his undergraduate classes:
“Public relations is increasingly a research-based profession. Hopefully this will help demystify a lot of the research these students will see in their professional lives. By having this program in an introductory course, we are emphasizing that research is not a nice-to-have in public relations—it’s a must-have.”
I have to agree with Dr. Carroll– research in the field of Public Relations should be the top priority for public relations professionals along with developing strategies and managing campaigns. Plus, research is a lot of fun! 🙂
I hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen 🙂
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