Annenberg creates new public relations program

The Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism announced a new master’s program in public relations and advertising last month. The new program will replace the strategic public relations master’s program beginning Fall 2020 and will adapt to changes in the industry.

“Today’s students are much more used to this new and emerging media environment and don’t even think in terms of the somewhat outdated silos that exist in corporations, such as public relations, advertising and marketing,” said Burghardt Tenderich, associate director of the USC public relations studies program. “Our students naturally take a much more holistic approach.” 

The new program will continue to evolve its curriculum to keep up with changes in the media industry, but it will focus more on research and analysis.

The program will also be offered as a progressive degree. Students can begin the coursework in their senior year and complete the master’s program over the course of two more semesters.

Tenderich, who leads the new program, said its core aim is to be completely media- or channel-agnostic; it will not focus on one specific media mechanism, which differs from traditional public relations programs that focus on the media.

“We want to make sure that our students are prepared for the jobs of today, tomorrow and in five years from now,” Tenderich said. “Taking this much broader, more holistic approach toward public relations and advertising is the way to go.” 

Tenderich said Annenberg faculty wanted to build a program that follows a researched, strategy-based methodology. One of their new courses doubles down on quantitative data analysis, while another focuses primarily on qualitative data.

“We think that the best public relations practitioners always begin at a point of research, and research then leads to critical thinking, to the development of strategy,” Tenderich said. “We think that is the best methodology and something we frequently [don’t] see in industry, where companies come up with publicity tactics that are clearly not based on research, critical thinking and strategy.” 

The program’s practice-oriented methodology sets it apart. Many part-time instructors are accomplished industry executives, and those in the program will work closely with the industry on job placements and internships, Tenderich said. Additionally, it will be working with the Annenberg Media Center, as the degree will have two core multi-platform content production courses that have Annenberg Media Center elements. According to Tenderich, students will also be encouraged to volunteer for Media Center work.   

The impetus for this new program originated from Annenberg Dean Willow Bay’s installation speech in August 2017, in which she said it was the opportune time to review the public relations program and address a changing public relations industry and its future. 

In a recent interview with the Daily Trojan, Bay said Annenberg plans to expedite the development of new graduate programs, which was a process that was already underway in August 2017 and has since continued. 

“I believe all of our graduate programs are responsive and adaptive, and that we add new classes frequently and refresh existing classes every single semester,” Bay said. “We integrate industry professionals as faculty to bring in current thinking and the best current practices, and to help us identify emerging trends and changes. That’s a standard part of everyday operations at Annenberg.”

A council of advisers composed of Annenberg faculty and senior executives in the public relations, advertising and influence relations fields was created to help implement the program. The council is looking for an entry-level candidate that is able to think critically, analyze and translate data into action, have a level of economic literacy and be able to create multi-platform content. 

It took nearly a year since the creation of the advisory council in Spring 2018 to complete all the research, which was split into primary and secondary research, according to Tenderich. The primary research included informal focus groups with public relations and advertising executives, a following review with members in the industry and of related programs and additional market research. Secondary research included reviewing industry studies, academic literature and press articles in various industry publications. 

Those who gave input  included the public relations curriculum council, the Center for Public Relations Board of Advisors and Bay. Other contributors included Gordon Stables, clinical professor of communication and director of the Annenberg School of Journalism, and Josh Kun, professor of communication, chair in cross-cultural communication and director of the Annenberg School of Communication. The team spent several months more to build the curriculum and submit it to USC for approval. 

Anthony Baca, a graduate student studying strategic public relations, said many students are still unsure about what the new program will bring.

“[We’re] not really quite sure what’s gonna come about with it but I think it’ll bring a lot more knowledge and perspective into the degree program,” Baca said. 

Fred Cook, director of the USC Center for Public Relations, said the program exists to prepare students to work in different areas in communication and public relations by broadening the traditional curriculum. Cook, who was on the committee to create the program, said it will teach students the skills that will allow them to succeed as leaders in their future careers.

“Reflective of a trend in the industry, where all these marketing disciplines are merging, we think that the students in the future have to be able to understand every aspect of marketing and advertising and public relations branding in order to be successful,” Cook said. “We’re broadening the scope of what we teach to make sure that they can take advantage of all these different industries when they graduate and have a lot of different opportunities across different sectors.”

Tenderich said current and prospective students, practitioners and executives have given the program and its creators overwhelmingly positive and encouraging feedback. 

“We hear from our constituencies that this is the right move at the right time,” Tenderich said. “We’re excited about that and we think that this new program will build on the success of the previous one.”