Manchester Metropolitan University MSC Public Relations

Please provide here the course structure of the MSC Public Relations course of the Manchester Metropolitan University as I want to know about this course ?

[Kiran Chandar]

As you like I am here providing you course structure of the MSC Public Relations course of the Manchester Metropolitan University.

Course structure:

Students will study 4 units of 30 credits each, plus the Research Project or Dissertation(60 credits) to achieve the Masters qualification with 180 credits. You can study the course full time over 1 year or part time over 2 years.

The number of units you study will depend on if you choose the PgCert (60 credits), PgDip (120 credits) or MSc (120 credits of units + 60 credit dissertation).

The units are as follows:
Public Relations Theory, Strategy and Planning (PRTSP)
Strategy and Planning for Digital and Social Media Communications (SPDSMC)
Public Relations Skills & Specialisms (PRSS)
Investigating Business Practice (IBP) and Research Methods (RM)
Research Project or Dissertation

Public Relations Theory, Strategy and Planning

This unit aims to provide you with an understanding of the basic PR and communications concepts and theories underlying modern public relations practice, as well as some of the broader key theories of strategy and planning which underpin PR as an academic subject and practical career path. It examines the way organizations use communication and PR in building relationships with their various stakeholder groups and examines the development and management of effective PR campaigns. It also examines the range of techniques available to practitioners, and the ways in which these techniques can be employed to address a variety of different issues /problems.

The unit covers three key areas:
Communications Theory: Models of linear communication; persuasive communications; identifying stakeholder groups and defining publics; network theory.
Public Relations Strategy: PR audit and determination of issues; defining objectives, defining audience and message themes.
Campaign Planning: Planning structure and format; integrating communications planning; campaign scheduling and budgeting; researching and evaluating campaign effectiveness.

Strategy and Planning for Digital and Social Media Communications

The digital skills gap is widely recognized as a major barrier to organizations maximizing the benefits of successful digital marketing and communications. This unit integrates digital and social media into organisational communication campaigns. It reviews emerging techniques and assesses their impact within integrated media communication. Learn from digital marketing specialists – each with active practitioner experience in their fields, such as email marketing, search, social media, mobile. This unit is taught by MMU on professional marketing courses, including the pioneering MSc qualifications offered by Econsultancy. On completion you should be able to spot challenges, opportunities and key factors in the successful planning of a successful digital marketing and social media communications strategy.

This unit covers three key areas:
Digital & Social Media Communications Strategy: Customer acquisition strategy; Developing the digital and social media proposition; user experience, customer effectiveness, experience design and usability.
The Digital and Social Media Channel: Search Engine Marketing and PPC; Affiliates; email marketing, mobile applications and mobile futures; approaches to social media marketing. Contemporary and best practice tool use and management
Digital & Social Media Communications Campaign Planning: Acquisition and retention planning; Developing digital and social relationships, customer retention and value analysis; managing digital and social media customer value; digital and social analytics, engagement, ROI, ROE, campaign evaluation.

Public Relations Skills and Specialisms

This unit covers a number of the most important skills needed by the public relations practitioner, including writing and media relations. Effective writing skills are a prerequisite for a career in public relations, and the unit will explore how to create effective messages and write well and clearly for a variety of target audiences. Media relations are central to PR activity and the media has a powerful impact on public opinion and decision making. You will gain a clear understanding of the range of media available to PR practitioners and how to work effectively with them. As public relations is a diverse and exciting career, offering graduates a plethora of specialist areas, industries, sectors and organisations to work in, you will also explore a variety of contexts which a career in public relations can involve and develop a clearer idea of which areas you may wish to work in and how to access them.

This unit covers three areas:
Writing Skills for Public Relations: Writing press releases; planning and writing feature articles; writing for social media content; developing online content and SEO; developing press packs; legal considerations
The PR Media Landscape: Media forms; UK media and news management; developing media relations and working with the media; role and techniques for media training; working with online media; influencing bloggers
Developing Approaches in Specialist Sectors: Understanding stakeholder perspectives in sectors; effective PR in government and public affairs, the arts, fashion, sports, charities and the public sector; key skills and employability in specialist sectors.

Investigating Business Practice (IBP) and Research Methods (RM)

Most employers want students who have a range of business, research and professional skills and knowledge, including experience in the workplace and of working with clients. This unit covers two key areas. ‘Research Methods’ will develop your critical thinking, reflective writing and other study skills, including analysis and referencing, in order to successfully study at Masters level. In particular, it will introduce you to general research methods needed to successfully develop a dissertation proposal or research brief.

‘Investigating Business Practice’ will enable you to work with a client on a live brief with other students. The brief normally requires you to work as a PR Account Team to produce a public relations campaign in response to key issues an organisation may face. This is a challenging project which brings you into contact with real life clients, learning client relationship management skills and with emphasis on team work. It supports the development of professional and employability skills, and involves applying a problembased learning approach to develop your project management and project design skills. Students have worked on a range of PR briefs with external clients including The Vegetarian Society, Cheshire Dogs Home, Bolton Council, The Church of England, The ME Association, Mancunian Way (youth charity) and The Cooperative. Experience gained here will be invaluable in the workplace and a number of students have continued to work with clients they have been involved with in this project.

This unit covers two key areas:
Research Methods: Developing a research strategy; qualitative research methods; quantitative research methods; planning a research project
Investigative Business Practice: A public relations research & consultancy project.

Research Project or Dissertation

A Master’s research project or dissertation is intended to test your ability to produce a substantial, original, and independent piece of scholarly work. It should also demonstrate your awareness and understanding of the relevant theories and schools of thought associated with the chosen topic, and demonstrate your ability to identify relevant sources of information and to analyse their value in relation to the topic being investigated.

Manchester Metropolitan University Business School recognizes four approaches or orientations for a Master’s research project or dissertation: empiricallybased, librarybased, enterprisebased and consultancybased.

It is also worth noting that we advise students to think carefully before selecting a research topic. As well as researching an area you are very interested in, the research project or dissertation also provides an opportunity to position yourself as an ‘expert’ in a particular field which you will have researched indepth and where you have (usually) collected primary data. It is an excellent way of demonstrating to employers not only your research and analysis skills and ability to work independently on a major piece of work at an advanced academic level, but that you hold valuable and original knowledge about a key area of public relations practice.