Public relations education in Australia - perspectives from educators in the higher education (HE) and vocational education and training (VET) sectors

This study, the first comprehensive national review of Public Relations education in Australia, is based on interviews with 51 Public Relations educators and records their insights and perspectives. It reveals that university PR courses are usurping the traditional and philosophical role of VET by mostly providing industry-focused vocational training designed to prepare graduates for work in the Public Relations industry. Its findings report a blurring of the sectors and include that if PR degrees do nothing more than take over the vocational training role then the status of Public Relations as an academic discipline is unlikely to improve.