Career options for Public Relations at Murdoch University

Our Degrees are changing.

In 2014, Part I (first year) units will be introduced with Part II (second year and higher) units becoming available in subsequent years. Detailed information about Part II will be available here from mid-2014.

Find out more about our new degrees, or to get in touch and ask us what this means for you head to AskMurdoch. Continuing students can still access information for degrees commencing 2013 and prior in the Course Handbook.

Career options

As a Murdoch Public Relations graduate, your employment outlook is enhanced, especially if you combine it with other disciplines. Depending on which skill combinations or specialisations you have, your Murdoch degree may lead you towards work and study opportunities in a number of areas. The following are some career options to consider and some information on complementary majors and minors that will improve your career prospects and help in achieving your goals.

Public relations officer
Organizes and coordinates a variety of activities for the organisation's key publics including event management, media liaison and production of the organisation's publications and online communications.

Corporate communication director
Establishes and enhances the corporate profile and image of the corporation with its key stakeholders through strategic management of communications campaigns aimed at building relationships between the corporation and its publics.

Community relations manager
Establishes, builds and maintains relationships with stakeholder groups in the community within which the organisation operates, through various forms of communications activities including managing communications campaigns and overseeing the production of publications and online communications.

Sponsorship and fundraising coordinator
Establishes and maintains relationships with key target audiences to stimulate public donations and support for the organisation and coordinates the receipt of financial or in-kind support in return for brand exposure.

Publicist
Responsible for the planning and delivery of publicity and communications campaigns which aim to generate media coverage for the organisation.

Public affairs manager
Liaises with the media, politicians, public servants and government-related agencies, who determine policy and legislation to effect change or maintain status quo, in the community in which organisation operates.

Majors and minors

The great thing about studying Public Relations at Murdoch is that you can combine your study with many other majors and minors from across the University.

All majors or minors from the School of Media Communication and Culture are designed to complement your PR major. Some combinations include PR and Journalism, PR and Screen and Sound or PR and our new major being introduced in 2010 called Online Communication and Production.

You can also combine majors and minors from other Schools such as the Murdoch Business School, the School of Social Sciences and Humanities or the School of Law. Complementary majors and minors include marketing, management, legal studies, history, politics, marketing and the media, hospitality and tourism management, english and creative arts, just to name a few.

We recommend that you talk to the Programme Chair if you need help with structuring your course.