Date of Award

12-1-1993

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Communication

First Advisor

Dr. Robert E. Carlson

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate public relations practitioners' attitudes toward their educational background as it relates to media relations practice. A systematic, stratified sample of media relations practitioners was selected from the membership lists of Public Relations Society of America and the International Association of Business Communicators. A mailed survey was used to gather response data addressing the following research questions: 1. Do media relations practitioners express satisfaction with the undergraduate public relations education they completed? 2. Do media relations practitioners believe the undergraduate public relations education they completed prepared them for their roles as media relations practitioners? 3. Do media relations practitioners find it necessary to complete supplemental training beyond that offered in the undergraduate curriculum to gain competence in the field? 4. If responses from media relations practitioners indicate that the undergraduate public relations curriculum they completed did not effectively prepare them for the field, what components do they believe would provide an effective undergraduate public relations curriculum?

Comments

A Thesis Presented to the Department of Communication and the Faculty of the Graduate College University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree Master of Arts University of Nebraska at Omaha. Copyright Mary Kenny December, 1993

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