Public RelationsSubject regulations

Public relations is an exciting, fast-growing industry that involves using strategic communication to help an organisation maintain trusted relationships with its key stakeholders, seek to influence people's opinions or behaviour, and achieve its overall mission. If you enjoy writing and talking to different people, and love framing ideas in imaginative and engaging ways, then a career in PR may be right for you. It may also involve working with journalists, organising events, crisis/issues management, sponsorship and fundraising, government lobbying, and community/corporate relations.

Public Relations is available as a first major for the Bachelor of Business (BBus), the Bachelor of Climate Change (BCC), the Bachelor of Communication (BC) and the Bachelor of Management Studies with Honours (BMS(Hons))[1]. Public Relations may also be included as a second major or minor in other undergraduate degrees, subject to approval of the Division in which the student is enrolled.

To complete Public Relations as a single major for the BBus, BC or BCC, students must gain 135 points from papers listed for Public Relations, including 105 points above 100 level, and 60 points above 200 level. Students must complete PUBRL101, one paper from MRKTG101 or STMGT101; PUBRL201, PUBRL204, PUBRL205, PUBRL305, 30 points from PUBRL302, PUBRL303, or PUBRL304 and a Work Integrated Learning paper approved for the degree.

To complete Public Relations as part of a double major for the BBus, BC, BCC, or other undergraduate degree, students must gain 120 points from papers listed for Public Relations, including 90 points above 100 level, and 45 points above 200 level. Students must complete PUBRL101, one paper from MRKTG101 or STMGT101; PUBRL201, PUBRL204, PUBRL205, PUBRL302, PUBRL304 and PUBRL305.

To complete a minor in Public Relations, students must complete 60 points from the papers listed for the Public Relations major, including at least 30 points above 100 level. Students must complete PUBRL101.

NOTES:

[1] There will be no new enrolments into the BMS(Hons) from 2024. Students who commenced a BMS(Hons) in 2023 or prior should contact the Waikato Management School for programme advice.

Note:

Students are encouraged to contact the Waikato Management School for programme advice.

Other qualifications

Prescriptions for:

A Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma are available to graduates who have not included Public Relations at an advanced level in their first degree. The qualification regulations define the subject requirements for the Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma. There are no specified subject papers that must be completed for these programmes.
The qualification regulations define the subject requirements for the BBus(Hons), BCS(Hons), PGCert(PR), PGDip(PR) and MBus. There are no specified subject papers that must be completed for the BBus(Hons), BCS(Hons), and PGCert(PR) programmes.
PGDip(PR) students must complete LCOMM583, LCOMM584, PUBRL591.
MBus students must complete MNGMT581 and one of PUBRL591, PUBRL592, PUBRL593, PUBRL594, and 30 points from LCOMM583, LCOMM584. Students taking the 120 point MBus are required to complete at least 60 points from the papers listed for the subject. Students taking the 180 point MBus are required to complete at least 120 points from the papers listed for the subject.

Public Relations papers

Code and paper title	Points	Occurrence/Location The study locations.
MRKTG101Fundamentals of Successful Marketing This paper focuses on the role of Marketing in business, introducing students to marketing research, consumer behaviour, and analysis, as essential...	15	25A (Hamilton) & 25A (Online) & 25A (Tauranga) & 25B (Hamilton) & 25B (Online) & 25G (Hamilton) & 25VB (National Economics University, Vietnam) & 25X (Hangzhou City University, Hangzhou China)
PUBRL101Introduction to Public Relations This paper introduces students to various kinds of tools and expertise used by public relations practitioners in their effort to build relationships...	15	25A (Hamilton)
STMGT101Introduction to Management Managing in organisations, small and large, in changing local and international business environments requires knowledge, skills, and abilities of...	15	25A (Hamilton) & 25B (Hamilton) & 25B (Tauranga) & 25VA (National Economics University, Vietnam) & 25X (Hangzhou City University, Hangzhou China)

Code and paper title	Points	Occurrence/Location The study locations.
PUBRL201Media Relations and Publicity This paper provides students with concepts and techniques that enable them to create and report news for traditional and social media and to...	15	25B (Hamilton)
PUBRL202Health Communication This paper explores the construction and evaluation of communication campaigns to address health issues in communities and organisations. The...	15	25A (Hamilton)
PUBRL204Contemporary Public Relations Writing Modern communications professionals write to represent organisations across many different audiences, purposes and contexts. PUBRL204 teaches...	15	25A (Hamilton)
PUBRL205Internal Communication and Organisational Change This paper introduces students to communication as central to organisational practices. It provides theoretical and practical insights to equip...	15	25B (Hamilton)

Code and paper title	Points	Occurrence/Location The study locations.
PUBRL301Stakeholder and Community Engagement This paper is designed to develop capacity in students to develop and facilitate ethical collaborative communication and relationship engagement...	15	No occurrences
PUBRL302Issues and Crisis Management PUBRL302 takes a case study approach to learning to understand and strategically adapt to a wide range of issues and to respond to crises that may...	15	25B (Hamilton)
PUBRL303Events Management This experiential paper draws together best practice in event management from a practical, business, and operational perspective. The paper covers...	15	25A (Hamilton)
PUBRL304Corporate Social Responsibility and Social License This paper introduces students to the concepts and practices of corporate social responsibility, and the associated need for organisations to...	15	25A (Hamilton)
PUBRL305Public Relations Campaigns Public Relations Campaigns is the capstone course in the public relations major. It develops students’ strategic approach to public relations...	15	25B (Hamilton)
WSOMM396Management Internship The Management Internship provides students with the opportunity to apply their management discipline-based knowledge to an authentic project within...	15	25A (Hamilton) & 25A (Tauranga) & 25B (Hamilton) & 25B (Tauranga) & 25C (Hamilton) & 25C (Tauranga) & 25VA (Internet National Economics University, Vietnam) & 25VB (Internet National Economics University, Vietnam)
WSOMM399Report of an Investigation This paper offers students the opportunity to complete a directed investigation of an approved topic relevant to an organisation or industry and in...	15	25A (Hamilton) & 25A (Tauranga) & 25B (Hamilton) & 25B (Tauranga)

Code and paper title	Points	Occurrence/Location The study locations.
LCOMM583Leadership, Communication and Transformation Our focus in this paper will be on leadership communication, or the ways leaders and followers interact and the ways leaders attempt to create and...	30	25A (Hamilton)
LCOMM584Sustainable Futures Individuals and organisations operate in contexts that are increasingly complex and uncertain. They face issues that are global in nature and which...	30	25B (Hamilton)
PUBRL591Public Relations Dissertation A report on the findings of a theoretical or empirical investigation.	30	25X (Hamilton)
PUBRL592Public Relations Dissertation A report on the findings of a theoretical or empirical investigation.	60	25X (Hamilton)
PUBRL593Public Relations Thesis An externally examined piece of written work that reports on the findings of supervised research.	90	25X (Hamilton)
PUBRL594Public Relations Thesis An externally examined piece of written work that reports on the findings of supervised research.	120	25X (Hamilton)

Code and paper title	Points	Occurrence/Location The study locations.
PUBRL800Public Relations MPhil Thesis	120	25X (Hamilton)

Code and paper title	Points	Occurrence/Location The study locations.
PUBRL900Public Relations PhD Thesis	120	25I (Hamilton) & 25J (Hamilton) & 25K (Hamilton) & 25X (Hamilton) & 25X (Tauranga)

2025 Catalogue of Papers information current as of 1 Apr 2025 01:00am

Public RelationsSubject regulations

Other qualifications

GradCert(PR) and GradDip(PR)

PGCert(PR), PGDip(PR), BBus(Hons), BCS(Hons) and MBus

Public Relations papers