This course takes an in-depth look at public relations as an integral part of successful business practice, providing you with an understanding of the strategic roles and functions of PR. You will learn the practice of public relations as a management function and you will acquire the strategic theoretical knowledge, tools and techniques needed to improve your decision-making and effectiveness.

You may have completed the CIPR and you could currently be working as senior publicist, a public relations officer or a communications manager. This course will ensure your expertise remains current.

You will be taught at one of the most respected centres for education and research in the field of public relations in Europe, and you will benefit from our full range of specialist resources and our Library with 24/7 access. Our regional, national and international links with industry will help you to develop professional relationships with potential employers.

Research Excellence Framework 2014
Research Excellence Framework 2014: twice as many of our staff - 220 - were entered into the research assessment for 2014 compared to the number entered in 2008.

Accredited by:

Our academics have substantial professional experience in public relations. The late Alan Rawel, who was Head of Education at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), described us as 'one of the leading university PR departments in Europe'. The bestselling textbook 'Exploring Public Relations' is edited by Professor Ralph Tench and Liz Yeomans (our previous and present subject group leaders) with chapters written by members of our subject group. It is now in its second edition and has been adopted as a standard text by many universities all over the world as well as by the CIPR Diploma.

Successful Alumni Simon Collister is Head of Non-Profit and Public Sector at the specialist social media agency, We Are Social. He is a member of the CIPR Advisory Panel on New Media and non-executive director with the Open Rights Group. He was previously Head of Digital at global PR agencies, Weber Shandwick and Edelman.

At Leeds Business School we're dedicated to supporting your professional development - that's why we offer a guest lecture programme. Past speakers include the CEO of the London Stock Exchange, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, past Chair and President of the Academy of Marketing, Chief Executive of the British Bankers Association, the Chief Economist of Yorkshire Bank and the Editor of Cosmopolitan. To see our full programme and to register for a lecture click here.

We understand that full-time study does not suit everyone. That’s why we offer courses which give you the opportunity to decide where, when and how you can get involved in learning. Studying a distance learning course offers the convenience and flexibility to make education work for you. Whether you’d like to fit your studies around childcare, develop your skills while working or, quite simply, want to learn from the comfort of your own home, we can help you gain a qualification at a time and pace that suits your lifestyle.

Like our students on campus, you will have the same excellent teaching and learning resources, however you’ll find these online instead of in a lecture theatre. Not only are all the modules taught online, but you will also have access to an online community and more than 140,000 books and journals in our online library.

To study this course, you will require broadband internet connection with a speed of 2mbps and working speakers. You will need Windows 7 / Mac OSX 10.8 or above and have access to Chrome v63 or higher (recommended), Edge v42+, Firefox v57+ or Safari v6+. Java and Adobe Acrobat Reader will need to be enabled and you will need a minimum screen resolution of 1024 x 768.

Visit our distance learning guide for a complete list of technical requirements.

Visit our Distance Learning Website