Program Notes
- No GRE Required.
- Merit scholarships available, with no additional application required.
- Available full-time or part-time.
Why BU COM Is Among the Best Graduate Schools for PR
BU COM is among the best graduate schools for public relations—we regularly make the PR industry’s list of best higher learning institutions in the field. As the first university-run PR degree in the world, BU’s MS in Public Relations means something to employers.
Get personal mentorship from faculty with impressive PR experience and research—this program provides many opportunities for individual mentorship with award-winning faculty.
Intern with global organizations or try an agency environment—as a renowned program, our students secure some of the best PR internships available. Or try out agency life, supporting clients from within our PRLab, the longest-standing student-run PR agency in the US.
Customize your degree—study full time or part time. Study abroad. Select courses in corporate communication, crisis communication, public affairs, politics, health, marketing communication, media relations, social media, and more.
Shake Up the PR Landscape Alongside Successful Alumni
Among the best graduate schools for public relations, BU COM gives you access to a global alumni network. Our alumni are highly sought for top PR jobs with agencies and in-house teams in Boston and worldwide. Alumni work in brand promotion, content creation, and social media to crisis communication, media relations, community relations, reputation management, and marketing communications.
MS in Public Relations graduates regularly land positions with firms like Ketchum, FleishmanHillard, Converse, Brado, Hubspot, Burson, and more. They’ve gone on to serve as chief public relations officers of major corporations, as CEOs of leading PR firms, and in a variety of other impressive assignments throughout the exciting world of communication.
Example Alumni Employers
- Baldwin Boyle Group
- BCW Global
- Biogen
- Citi
- Dropbox
- Edelman
- Elevate 1850
- Guide to Iceland
- Hasbro
- Hencove Marketing
- KIND
- MPRM Communications
- Naked Group
- Ogilvy
- OneSignal
- Reality Labs, Tech at Meta
- Ruder Finn
- Signet Jewelers
- Sotheby’s
- Union Pacific
- Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor
- Weber Shandwick
- Wells Fargo
You’re Prepared for Diverse Roles in Public Relations
MS in Public Relations alumni hold jobs like public relations specialist or manager, marketing manager, market research analyst, writer, web developer, editor, and more, demonstrating the versatility of your degree in the job market. Furthermore, almost 90% of alumni are employed in their field of study. With a projected job growth of 7% over the next ten years, faster than the national average, public relations is a field with robust job prospects and ample opportunities.
You’re Skilled in Key Areas for Public Relations
Alumni are highly skilled in PR, research and communication, leadership, writing, press releases, event planning, marketing, editing, public speaking, media relations, social media, and more.
BU COM’s reputation as one of the nation’s best for PR and lengthy list of notable alumni are what initially caught my eye. . . . PRLab was one of the top reasons I ultimately chose BU. I also chose BU for the networking opportunities it offered and ultimately delivered — attending the Page Society Spring Summit and joining the PR Club of New England Board.
Clay Patrick, Alumnus and Public Relations Manager at Walker Sands
What You’ll Learn in the MS in Public Relations
The Boston University Master of Science in Public Relations balances theory with real-world examples, projects, and clients. You can enroll full time (three semesters) or part time to suit your professional needs. Explore our courses and curriculum.
In seven core courses, you’ll gain an overview of contemporary public relations, the nature of human communication, and the role of media in society. Learn how to write clearly and concisely in diverse media formats. Tailor your communication to targeted audiences. Develop media relations, financial, and professional management skills. Thrive in PR.
You’ll choose five electives to shape your future work in PR. Select from corporate communication, crisis communication, public affairs, politics, health, marketing communication, and more. From there, you can choose to study abroad, take an internship, join PRLab—the list goes on.
A World of Influence
Ask Barri Rafferty almost any question and she’ll give you a polished answer. Three decades in public relations has that…
Get Real Experience at the Best Graduate School for Public Relations
Hands-on experiences help place the MS in Public Relations among the best graduate schools for public relations.
Choose an Agency Setting
MS in Public Relations students intern with some of the most coveted agencies in the country, such as Edelman, Burson, Weber Shandwick, and FleishmanHillard. Ketchum regularly hires BU COM students as interns—and alumni as full-time employees.
You can also join PRLab, the world’s longest-standing student-run public relations agency. You’ll work collaboratively on account teams, creating real campaigns for real clients. You can work for entrepreneurial start-ups, nonprofits, and more.
With PRLab, you get to work directly with clients and enjoy a short commute for team and agency meetings—right on campus. PRLab also provides career development coaching. You walk away with experience, a CV, cover letter, references, online portfolio, LinkedIn profile, and more. Live that agency life.
PRLab
PRLab is the nation’s oldest student-run public relations agency. Founded in 1978, the award-winning agency gives Boston University students a hands-on…
Or Hold an In-House Internship
MS in Public Relations students are also in high demand with many media companies and marketing organizations. Internship employers are as varied as Amnesty International, Bank of America, Boston Red Sox, Fidelity Investments, the United Nations, and many more. Students typically earn credit for internships.
Opt to Study Abroad for an International Internship
Some MS in Public Relations students choose to spend their third semester abroad with the Boston University London Graduate Mass Communication Summer Program. Here, you can take courses such as British Media in the Digital Age and Global Marketing Communications. Hold an internship in London at the same time to help your résumé stand out.
London interns can work for PR and advertising agencies, start-ups, nonprofits, and more with a range of specialties: brand identity and digital marketing strategy, beauty and lifestyle, accessible and inclusive health tech, luxury interior decor, sustainable and equitable business, and beyond.
Interns develop skills in research, content creation, social media and influencer strategy and management, events, liaising with stakeholders and coordinating collaborations and partnerships, sales analytics, and website development.
Network and Compete
Build your professional network via professional trainings and a regional conference through the Edward L. Bernays Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) at Boston University. Or participate in competitions where BU students have seen much success. Since 2019, the program has had three winners in the Page Society Case Study Competition.
Learn from Experienced PR Professionals and Researchers
Learn from award-winning faculty at the only university in the nation with two endowed professorships in PR. MS in Public Relations professors include editor in chief of the Journal of Public Relations Research, a Distinguished Communicator of Color award winner (Diversity Action Alliance), a PR News Top Educator award winner, a two-time PR News Top Women in PR award winner, public relations executives from Fortune 200 companies, and more.
They’ve been admitted as members to the prestigious Arthur W. Page Society and have received Outstanding Educator Awards from the Public Relations Society of America. They are leaders in PR research. Instruction is personal and often individual. Professors become mentors, and mentors become lifelong friends.
Mentoring, teaching, and engaging students is a passion that I never even knew I had until I started doing it. In short, the lesson I learned is that no matter how old you are or how long you’ve been working in a particular job or industry, you might just be lucky enough to find something even more special that you didn’t even know existed.
Laura Hannon, Associate Professor of the Practice, Public Relations
Benefit from Boston
- Ranked among the most livable cities in the world
- America’s college town
- Top 10 US media market
- Boston Globe, WBUR public radio, GBH public radio and television, a statehouse news bureau service, and five commercial television newsrooms
- Respected PR firms
- PAN Communications, Inkhouse, Matter Communications, Reagan Communications Group, Racepoint Global, 360PR+, Walker Sands, and more
- Boundless opportunities for internships and careers
