Masters degree in PR--Is it worth it?

[Matt]

I guess I would go back a step on my previous post and question your motivation for doing a Masters in PR. If you have decided it's a ticket to Knowing More About The Profession, then I'd stay with the above advice of "No point. Get a job." Essentially by this point of your Journalism degree, you've got the comms undergrad theory stuff down, but in reality there's really not much of that that will help you the first time you stand in front of a room of thirty reporters and watch it all go horribly wrong, or the day that #yourcompanyblows goes viral....and reading more of it won't make you better prepared for that day either. That one will only be forged over the cruel crucible of experience, and the sooner you get away from the book and over the crucible, the sooner you will be the guy trying to stir the pot the other way.

However if your motivation for a masters was to hide out from harsh economies, I'd actually argue that you would be better off doing something non-PR. You have the undergrad journo thing anyhow, no one can take that away from you.

Your employability would be better aided by doing a Masters in a field unrelated but offering good new business opportunities for the PR firms, or for the PR departments of firms in [WHATEVER] industry. Comms grads are a dime a dozen. The PR firms are looking for people who understand healthcare, financial markets, IT. Pick something that you have at least a passing interest in, and that either common sense or economic data tells you that there is money in. Come out of that telling potential employers that your specialty is in one of these as well as communications, and suddenly you stand out from the other eleven CVs someone paid the aforementioned ten cents for. The reality of it is that the finance grads don't want to do comms - they all want to be in investment banking, and the comms grads spent too long reading about Gender Issues In Communications to learn anything that anyone would actually want to pay them for.

Social media came up above....and while I am absolutely not questioning its importance to my profession, I'm not sure that can really be studied...it changes so fast that by the time someone formulates a class on it, the reading list is already redundant. You will probably just know enough about it by growing up in and among it, and reading a few articles on it as you go, and giving The Meaning And Implications Of It All a good hard think. That said, if you can graduate right now with some piece of paper that says you know something about Social Media that All The Other Kids Don't Have, then you are golden as an employment prospect.

 

[Kvc06]

I work at the world's top PR firm, almost no one has a graduate degree. Experience is all that matters.

 

[Matt]

I'm guessing if you are in Chicago, and saying 'world's top PR firm', you work at the HQ of a company that starts with an 'E'

If so, tell Alan that Matt in Vietnam says hi

 

[Kvc06]

Your guess is quite correct!

I am just beginning my career here, but should I have a run-in with Alan (VM correct?), I'll be sure to tell him you said hi!

 

[pnutpug]



With a few exceptions masters degrees are pretty worthless.

I've seen lots of job postings where a master's degree is supposed to be mandatory for applicants. Teaching positions at community colleges, even assistant professorships at smaller four-year schools where they say doctorate preferred. Whether you actually learn anything at grad school, I don't know, but it does appear to perhaps be helpful in landing a job in some fields.

 

[JMarsh]

Thanks for all the advice everyone! I've been leaning towards not doing grad school anyways--mainly because of the student debt and I just want to start working--and I think this has definitely pushed me all the way off of the grad school path. Now I just hope I can get a job...

 

[Claghorn]

Don't be afraid to look for jobs outside the US.