Certificate in Public Relations and Communication Management

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McGill SCS Certificate in Public Relations and Communication Management

The Certificate in Public Relations and Communication Management provides a practical foundation in the strategic communication and public relations skills needed to engage audiences, build trust, and manage reputation. Designed for individuals looking to start or advance a career in communications, the program combines industry best practices with real-world applications and current communication research. Learners have opportunities to work with industry on evolving public relations cases, helping them connect theory to practice.

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Type: Certificate

Courses: 10

Credits: 30

Schedule: Full-time or Part-time

Time: Weekday evenings

Delivery: In-person

Unit: Global and Strategic Communication

Questions? studentsuccess.scs [at] mcgill.ca

Key Features

The Certificate in Public Relations and Communication Management combines strategic communication theory with applied public relations practice.

The program covers the core areas of public relations, including communication planning, media relations, corporate and internal communications, stakeholder engagement, event management, fundraising, and issues management.

A distinctive feature of the program is its professional orientation, which provides opportunities to work directly with industry on current public relations cases and communication challenges.

Learning Outcomes

This program will enable you to:

Develop communication strategies that engage audiences and support organizational objectives
Plan and support corporate, internal, and media relations initiatives
Manage public relations challenges and organizational reputation
Apply public relations principles and industry best practices to real-world communication situations
Conduct public relations research to inform communication approaches

Career Opportunities

Graduates of this program will be well-positioned for roles such as:

Communications Advisor
Public Relations Specialist
Media Relations Officer
Community Relations Coordinator
Event Coordinator
Social Media Manager
Fundraising Coordinator

Who Should Apply

This program is a good fit for you if you are:

Newly embarking on or advancing a career in public relations and communications
Strengthening your practical and tactical communication skills
Looking to add strategic communication expertise to your skill set

Program Courses

Public Relations and Communication Management (Cert.) (30 credits)

Offered by: Global & Strategic Comm.
Program credit weight: 30

Program Description

The field of Public Relations and Communications Management has been changing dramatically in recent years. Digital (including social media) is changing the way public and organizations communicate. Increased consciousness by companies of their social responsibility, and a need for greater accountability to stakeholders, have led to an awareness in both the corporate and the not-for-profit sector that organizations need to rely on the advice and services of well trained professional communicators. The program content is continually updated with best practices in industry. Students have opportunities to discuss real and evolving public relations cases directly with industry professionals.

Required Courses (30 credits)

Course List
Course	Title	Credits
CPRL 214	Applied Public Relations Methods 1.	3
Applied Public Relations Methods 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Context, resources, learning activities, and guidance to conduct comprehensive, primary and secondary public relations research, and assess, edit, revise and proofread public relations materials for print, electronic and digital media. See course page for more information
CPRL 220	Fundamentals of Fund-Raising.	3
Fundamentals of Fund-Raising. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Current status of fund-raising and philanthropy in Canada. Donor motivations, strategies for attracting support from different donor audiences, development of fund-raising campaigns for not-for-profits, charitable foundations, para-public and public-sector organizations. Role of donor organizations. Theoretical knowledge, technical skills and ethical considerations. See course page for more information
CPRL 223	Basics of Public Relations.	3
Basics of Public Relations. Terms offered: Fall 2026 An overview of public relations theory, principles and practice, including the development of the discipline and its role in society, its function in different organizations, and the techniques used in the different sub-specialties of the field. See course page for more information
CPRL 224	Applied Public Relations Methods 2.	3
Applied Public Relations Methods 2. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Analyze, plan, design and execute projects that extend and hone writing and presentation skills in a self-directed manner. See course page for more information
CPRL 225	Social and Traditional Media Relations.	3
Social and Traditional Media Relations. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Organizations must communicate with diverse publics against the background of a rapidly changing media landscape. With the increasing presence of digital (including social) media, publics are both fragmenting and coalescing in new ways. This course will cover the context, theory and best practices that are evolving as a result. See course page for more information
CPRL 226	Corporate Communications.	3
Corporate Communications. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Issues and conditions affecting the communication of corporate issues and identity will be examined including corporate branding, financial communications, social responsibility, the reciprocal effects of internal and external publics, and planning and production of corporate communication vehicles. See course page for more information
CPRL 227	Internal Communication.	3
Internal Communication. Terms offered: Fall 2026 An examination of how internal communication strategies are designed and implemented to ensure people within an organization work together effectively and efficiently to support the organization's business plan, including the definition and purpose of internal communications that add value, as well as the communication needs of internal stakeholders. See course page for more information
CPRL 228	Event Management.	3
Event Management. Terms offered: Summer 2026 Effective use of public and media events for communication and relationship-building with key stakeholders, including research, identification of publics, design, timelines, logistics, protocol, speeches and programs, and dealing with suppliers, as well as promotion and evaluation of the event. See course page for more information
CPRL 321	PR Issues Management.	3
PR Issues Management. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Mechanisms by which organizations participate in the public policy process will be examined through an understanding of the social and political contexts where public issues occur and the inherent communication processes at all levels and specifically dealing with the roles of lobbying, media relations and social responsibility. See course page for more information
CPRL 322	Cases in Public Relations.	3
Cases in Public Relations. Terms offered: Summer 2026 Preparation of communication plans for organizations and current situations will provide the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained throughout the program. In addition, recent developments and methods in key areas of practice will be addressed. See course page for more information

Admission Requirements

Applicants must hold a CEGEP diploma (DCS, DEC, or equivalent).
Applicants who do not have the required academic background for admission but are 21 years of age or older may be admitted as mature students.
Applicants between 18 and 21 years of age without a CEGEP diploma but with at least a high school leaving certificate may be accepted into a qualifying program.
Applicants must provide proof of English language proficiency.

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