Public Relations Certificate Courses

Creating Trust and Reputation: Ethics Within Public Relations is a four-week course that empowers communicators to build credibility through ethical, transparent communication. Participants will explore the role of trust in organizational success, the responsible use of AI, and frameworks for resolving real-world ethical dilemmas. By the end, students will be equipped to design long-term strategies that embed ethics into daily practice and foster lasting stakeholder trust.  

1. Identify ethical dilemmas within communication roles and demonstrate strategies to resolve them effectively
2. Critically evaluate ethical challenges artificial intelligence poses in communication and formulate ethical guidelines for its use
3. Differentiate between misinformation and disinformation, biases against each, and implement strategies to mitigate their spread in communication practices
4. Develop and apply a systematic approach to assess ethical issues and propose actionable solutions in real-time communication situations. 

Capstone Project 

This capstone project stretches across the six courses of the program.  The capstone aims to synthesize and apply the skills and knowledge acquired throughout the Public Relations Certificate Program. Students will design and present a comprehensive public relations/communication campaign addressing a real-world scenario. This project will demonstrate their mastery in areas such as strategic communication, social media management, PR ethics, writing, measurement, and integrated communication. 

Courses are designed for working professionals and delivered asynchronously for maximum flexibility. While lectures are completed on each student’s schedule, instructors are active in the classroom through discussion boards and personalized feedback that connect learning to real-world practice.

Powerful Storytelling for Contemporary Communicators will explore the art and science of digital storytelling, leveraging AI tools to craft compelling and strategic content for diverse audiences. Through hands-on activities, they’ll learn to write effective prompts, refine messaging, and apply persuasive techniques—key skills for today’s PR and communication professionals working in an AI-enhanced media landscape.

1. Craft effective AI-generated content by designing precise prompts that align with strategic goals
2. Tailor persuasive communication techniques to engage and influence diverse target audiences
3. Formulate key messages that address specific audience needs and align with organizational goals.
4. Adjust writing style and scope – either tightening or expanding content – based on strategic objectives and audience preferences. 

Capstone Project 

The capstone project stretches across the six courses of the program.  The capstone aims to synthesize and apply the skills and knowledge acquired throughout the Public Relations Certificate Program. Students will design and present a comprehensive public relations/communication campaign addressing a real-world scenario. This project will demonstrate their mastery in areas such as strategic communication, social media management, PR ethics, writing, measurement, and integrated communication.

Courses are designed for working professionals and delivered asynchronously for maximum flexibility. While lectures are completed on each student’s schedule, instructors are active in the classroom through discussion boards and personalized feedback that connect learning to real-world practice.

In Building Social Media Campaigns That Create Impact teaches you how to create social media campaigns that drive awareness, spark engagement and strengthen your organization’s reputation. Through real-world examples and hands-on projects, you will develop platform strategies, craft shareable content and measure the impact of your social campaigns.

1. Analyze and select the most appropriate social media platforms based on audience characteristics and campaign goals
2. Integrate best practices in content creation, timing, and platform-specific strategies to maximize campaign effectiveness
3. Design scalable social media processes that can be consistently applied across campaigns to increase efficiency and impact
4. Operate as a self-sufficient “news organization” by curating and creating content that resonates with audiences, ensuring timely and effective delivery
    

Courses are designed for working professionals and delivered asynchronously for maximum flexibility. While lectures are completed on each student’s schedule, instructors are active in the classroom through discussion boards and personalized feedback that connect learning to real-world practice.

In Increasing PR’s Power Through Marketing Communication, you will explore how we can strategically leverage the full spectrum of marketing channels – from owned assets to earned media we so diligently secure, the shared conversations we foster, and yes, even the paid opportunities that offer precision and scale.  

Our goal is to understand the unique strengths of these marketing channels, how they interplay, and ways to measure their impact to demonstrate the true value of our public relations efforts. The insights you will gain throughout this course will empower you to create more integrated, effective, and ultimately, more successful campaigns.  

1. Select and apply a combination of owned and paid communication tools to enhance and support PR campaigns
2. Design and implement effective internal communication strategies to align stakeholders with organizational goals
3. Tailor PR messages to suit the formats and objectives of various marketing communication tools, ensuring consistency, relevance, and appropriateness
4. Develop budgets for broad communication campaigns, ensuring resources are allocated effectively to maximize impact 

Capstone Project 

The capstone project stretches across the six courses of the program.  The capstone aims to synthesize and apply the skills and knowledge acquired throughout the Public Relations Certificate Program. Students will design and present a comprehensive public relations/communication campaign addressing a real-world scenario. This project will demonstrate their mastery in areas such as strategic communication, social media management, PR ethics, writing, measurement, and integrated communication. 

Courses are designed for working professionals and delivered asynchronously for maximum flexibility. While lectures are completed on each student’s schedule, instructors are active in the classroom through discussion boards and personalized feedback that connect learning to real-world practice.

Measuring Your Communication Effectiveness will explore how public relations professionals can plan, measure, and report the effectiveness of their campaigns. Through case studies, hands-on assignments, and industry-recognized frameworks, you’ll learn how to set SMART objectives, utilize internationally recognized tools and standards, build dashboards, evaluate outcomes, and turn communication data into strategic insight. This course provides a step-by-step process for connecting PR efforts to real business value.  

1. Identify and apply a variety of measurement methods to assess the success of communication efforts
2. Establish clear, measurable communication objectives and evaluate progress toward achieving them
3. Utilize relevant tools to assess the performance and impact of different communication channels and adjust strategies accordingly
4. Communicate the value and success of communication strategies through compelling data-driven storytelling.

Capstone Project 

The capstone project stretches across the six courses of the program.  The capstone aims to synthesize and apply the skills and knowledge acquired throughout the Public Relations Certificate Program. Students will design and present a comprehensive public relations/communication campaign addressing a real-world scenario. This project will demonstrate their mastery in areas such as strategic communication, social media management, PR ethics, writing, measurement, and integrated communication. 

Courses are designed for working professionals and delivered asynchronously for maximum flexibility. While lectures are completed on each student’s schedule, instructors are active in the classroom through discussion boards and personalized feedback that connect learning to real-world practice.

The capstone project stretches across the six courses of the program.  The capstone aims to synthesize and apply the skills and knowledge acquired throughout the Public Relations Certificate Program. Students will design and present a comprehensive public relations/communication campaign addressing a real-world scenario. This project will demonstrate their mastery in areas such as strategic communication, social media management, PR ethics, writing, measurement, and integrated communication.