Public Relation is a field that deals with the communication aspect of an organization. They focus on strategic communication, managing, and designing business-to-business or business-to-client campaigns. PR professionals are also known as Reputation Managers, at the time of crisis, it is the PR Professionals who help navigate opinions towards an ideal reputation of the brand. It focuses on creating organic media relations which prove to be a great asset in the long run. There are a number of institutions in India providing Public relations courses.

When we talk about public relations courses available in India, we can divide them into three broad categories  –  Short Term Courses, Diploma Courses, and Degree Courses. 

Below is the way these courses are structured and a few examples of the particular courses.

Short Term Public Relations Courses

These public relations courses are mostly available on online platforms and are in the form of pre-recorded videos. According to your requirements, you can pay for the topic you want to learn about and watch the videos. These are structured accordingly to specific topics related to PR. These videos are made by professionals in the field with decades of experience in Public Relations.

Examples of such courses are :

Udemy  – This course will equip you with everything you need to become an expert public relations professional. It’s packed full of case studies, statistics, checklists, templates, and practical activities that bring the theory to life.

LinkedIn – This course includes topics like PR to PR Expanded, Today’s Consumers, The Integrated Approach to PR Planning, When Crisis Strikes, PR Writing Today, etc.

Coursera – This specialization is ideal for learners interested in how to practice public relations and branding communication. You will learn how to use different tools to manage your company’s reputation. Learners will create tools used in public relations, including a press release, story pitch, media contact list, and crisis communication plan. Knowledge gained throughout each course will guide learners to create and refine the basic tools used every day in public relations practice.

Diploma Courses in Public Relations

These are the next category of public relations courses available in India. Post Graduate Diploma in Public Relations is a 1-year Diploma level program. The eligibility criteria is a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 50% marks in any stream from a recognized university. Admission to Post Graduate Diploma in Public Relations is based on merit. However, some colleges conduct their entrance exam followed by a personal interview and a group discussion round for admission. They offer specialized courses that are structured according to the current trends and requirements of the PR Industry. They are intensive courses focused on Public Relations and its related aspects.

Examples of  such courses are:

SCoRe – A PG Programme built by PR Professionals for the PR professionals. The SCoRe has collaborated with PRCAI and is being supported by many reputed PR companies for curriculum, mentoring, internships & jobs. The 10-month Post Graduate Programme in Public Relations by SCoRe is designed to create the most powerful public relations professionals in India for the coming years.

IIMC – IIMC has a Post graduation diploma course in Advertising & Public Relations. The Entrance Exam is a university-level test conducted by the Indian Institute of Mass Communication for admission. Indian Institute of Mass Communication is an Indian media center of learning and civil service training institute for the Indian Information Service Cadre funded and promoted by the Government of India in New Delhi. 

St Xavier’s College  – The Corporate Communication and Public Relations Courses is a 10 month full-time, Diploma Programme. It is a training discipline for professional knowledge and skills in communication, applied to corporate management, in Institutions of government, commerce and Industry non-profit agencies, and academia. The course comprises 32 modules, seminars, and workshops.

IIM Calcutta – This is a 6 months  Executive Programme in Communication Strategies for Corporate Leaders. Working managers with an experience profile of 8 years or more, who are at least graduates (10+2+3) in any discipline with 50% marks.

• Candidates would be shortlisted on the basis of assessment of background and motivation based on the application form submitted and performance in a personal interview.

Post Graduate Degree in Public Relations

These are Post Graduation Master’s programs for Public Relations offered by Colleges. They are 2 years-long public relations courses that offer a degree program in PR. The structure of these public relations courses is similar to these colleges, the main difference is that in the first year there are general subjects of Communications as a whole and it is in the 2nd year that the specialization such as PR is taught in-depth.

Examples of  such degree courses are as follows:

Mudra Institute of Communications (MICA) – MICA Ahmedabad, the school of ideas is known for its 2 years of management programs in the Communication and Innovating Marketing field. Candidates are required to take up the MICA Admissions Test for the PGDM-C program. This examination assesses the candidates on thinking ability, written communication, awareness of social and industry-related issues, and analytical and verbal abilities. MICA’s flagship program is the Postgraduate Diploma in Management–Communications (PGDM-C), a two-year full-time program, deemed equivalent to an MBA. 

Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication (SIMC) – SIMC, Pune, is ranked among the top media and communication colleges in the country, offering courses in MA (Mass Communication) and MBA (Communication Management). SIMC’s MBA program, which offers courses in marketing, advertising, market research, and digital communication as common subjects, provides the students choice of selecting major and minor specializations from the four specializations of Brand Communication, Media Management, Public Relations, and Marketing & Media Analytics.

University of  Mumbai – This 2 years program combines both theory and practical training that will help students learn and practice the important aspects of Public Relations in the media world. The learning will also involve practical in each subject so as to help students gain practical experience in the field of Public Relations. 

These were some of the public relations courses available in India, that offer programs on Public Relations.

Similar Reads:

Who Should Join a Public Relations Course

Post Graduate Diploma in Public Relations – 5 Reasons Why You Should do one

– Anisha Singh

Anisha is a student of the School Of COmmunications and REputations (SCoRe) – Class of 2022 – Spring Batch. She comes from a beautiful city, Shillong, which is also known as the Scotland of the East. She enjoys participating in outdoor activities and She is an ex- NCC cadet. She has completed her graduation in Bachelor of Business Administration, from St Anthony’s College, Shillong. She can be reached on Twitter as @anisha907 and on LinkedIn as Anisha Singh