Master’s in Public Relations

The public relations industry is changing faster than ever. As one of the first and most prestigious public relations programs in the nation, we are, too.

Male professor stands at front of classroom and listen to student's answer.

About the Newhouse School Master’s in Public Relations

In 13 months at the Newhouse School, you’ll learn the theory, concepts, processes and practices of public relations.

From there, you will spend your year developing critical and strategic thinking, as well as learn how to interact effectively with both clients and the news media. You will learn the knowledge and skills you need to be a well-rounded PR practitioner. This public relations master’s program allows you to specialize in your preferred areas of study and earn skills-based and technical certifications that are in demand by top employers.

Choose from three program options:

What Will I Learn in the Public Relations Master’s Program?

In this graduate program, you will learn about the different types of public relations: crisis communication, strategic communications, media relations, community relations, internal communications, public affairs, and online and social media.

You will develop the know-how to manage the image and reputations of companies, nonprofits, governments and people. You will learn cutting-edge brand and image management techniques and develop a well-rounded knowledge of public relations practices.

You will learn how to come up with a strategic communications plan for an organization. Monitoring social media and analyzing the public sentiment will help you determine what messages to send and when. You will learn about crafting community-oriented messaging.

Not only will you know how to create a crisis communications plan and how to preserve reputations after an issue or emergency, but you will learn how to create social responsibility public relations plans, which help improve the relationship and build trust between your client/company/organization and the public through actions such as donating profits or shifting to a carbon neutral footprint.

Public trust and credibility are an important factor in public relations. You will learn how to create strong public relations strategies while keeping the best interest of the public and your client in mind. All Newhouse students are versed in communications law and ethics, which is essential for advising and working with future companies and clients.

Who Should Apply to the Public Relations Graduate Program?

If you are already working in the public relations industry, this program will give you a competitive edge in your career. If you are involved in adjacent industries such as marketing, journalism, communications or product marketing, the Newhouse PR master’s program can give you a strategic advantage in making the move to public relations.

If you are new to public relations, this program will give you the skills and theoretical underpinnings of the profession necessary to succeed in the field.

What if I Am Interested in Sports Communications?

The television, radio and film graduate program has a Sports Media and Communications (SMC) track run by the Newhouse Sports Media Center. This track includes sports PR and athlete advocacy, pitching sports media, play-by-play (radio and TV), television sports anchoring and reporting, sports writing, sports documentary production and more.

Application Deadline

Application materials must be submitted by January 15 for priority consideration. Applications continue to be reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the spring if space is available.

For more information about the M.S. Program Public Relations, contact Professor Soo Yeon Hong (sohong@syr.edu), Program Director.

For more information about graduate studies at the Newhouse School, contact Martha Coria (macoria@syr.edu), Assistant Director of Graduate Programs.