Public relations courses

The exact topics you study will depend on the public relations course you choose, but you may explore: 

• Public relations theory and best practice 

• Stakeholder and audience management  

• Issues and crisis communications 

• Media relations 

• Marketing and brand awareness

The difference between public relations and marketing is the goal each discipline has.  

Marketing is about promoting a brand, product, organisation or person to consumers.

Public relations is about influencing public opinion. It can take a lot of different forms, including crisis and media management, brand awareness, consultation and engagement and more.

You should study public relations if you want to work in a creative field that combines storytelling, strategy, working with people and driving connections and relationships.  

If you’re interested in advertising, business, marketing, or even journalism, studying public relations can be a great way to expand your skill set.

Studying public relations online comes with many benefits. It offers you the flexibility to work towards your goals without disrupting other important areas of your life, like full-time work, caring responsibilities and family commitments.  

If you’re working in a related field, studying public relations online is a great way to upskill without impacting your employment. You can put what you learn into practice in real time.

It varies, so make sure you read the course page carefully for all the details. If you don’t meet the specified entry requirements, Open Universities Australia can help you apply for certain public relations courses without an ATAR.  

You can also study single subjects in public relations, communications and journalism without meeting entry requirements. Book a call with us today to learn more.

Studying public relations can open up a world of different opportunities. Here are just some of the sectors that hire public relations graduates:  

• Corporate brands and organisations  

• Music and entertainment brands 

• Publishing and arts organisations  

• Not-for-profits and charities  

• Government departments 

• Sporting teams  

• Event management organisations 

• Tourism boards and organisations

Here at Open Universities Australia, we make enrolling online as straightforward as possible. To get started, find the course for you by browsing the options on this page. You can also compare different qualifications using our handy comparison tool, or request help from one of our student advisors.

When you’ve made your choice, click ‘Apply now’ on the relevant course page and follow the prompts to begin your enrolment. We’ll ask you to supply some supporting documentation, including proof of your identity, your tax file number, and a unique student identifier (USI) during this process.

Your university will get in touch with you via email to confirm whether or not your application has been successful.

Please note that enquiries and applications for some courses are handled directly by the university. If this is the case, it will be indicated on the course listing page.  

For more information about enrolment, read our online self-service enrolling instructions. If you get stuck at any time, contact us and we’ll talk you through it.

You can try a single public relations subject without committing to a whole qualification if you'd like to give the field a test run.

Alternatively, if you’d like to widen your options, consider studying one of these related disciplines. They still cover public relations while also giving you other in-demand skills: 

• Marketing 

• Media studies 

• Journalism  

• Advertising 

Looking for guidance? Contact our friendly student advisors to get personalised one-on-one advice.