Brian Lamb School’s online master’s program accepting APR for credit

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. —Purdue’s Brian Lamb School of Communication has received approval to accept the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) for six hours of credit toward their online Master of Science in Communication degree.

“For over 60 years, Purdue’s graduate programs in communication have emphasized the importance of tailoring plans of study to meet the professional and academic needs of individual students,” said Bart Collins, clinical professor and director of graduate studies in the Lamb School. “Our goal in recognizing the APR with six credits toward our MS degree is to allow students who already have demonstrated and documented expertise in public relations to better tailor their remaining graduate coursework to complement and enhance, rather than reproduce, what they already know.”

The APR is an industry-leading credential for professionals in the public relations field. Accepting the APR for credit aligns with the online master’s focus to offer a distinguished degree specifically tailored to working professionals with applied strategic curriculum.

“As an APR who appreciates the hard work it takes to earn this high water mark of professionalism in the public relations field, I commend the Purdue University Brian Lamb School for allocating six credit-hours toward graduate work,” said Matthew Charles, a graduate lecturer in the Lamb School, an academic unit within the College of Liberal Arts. “Not only do the APR and graduate work bring with them credibility, but also opens a far-reaching network on which one can call. These are invaluable in an ever-increasingly competitive industry where one needs to differentiate themselves.”

The Lamb School’s online Master of Science in Communication has four areas of concentration— strategic communication/public relations; integrated communication and advertising; communication and leadership; and health communication. The program also offers the ability for students to customize their own degree with industry specific knowledge.

Writer: Madison Sanneman, msannema@purdue.edu 

Source: Rachel Ravellette, rmrose@purdue.edu