Program Overview

Master of Arts in Public Relations

Overview

Public relations is strategic communications, working for an organisation or for the clients of a consultancy to engage with the audiences and stakeholders that matter to them. Whether it’s a product launch, media event, dealing with investors and financial markets, or coaching business leaders in social responsibility, strategic communications creates the dialogues that help build relationships and maintain reputation.

Our MAPR graduates understand not only what has to be communicated, but why – and the impact their communications have on the world around us. They operate at the intersection of business strategy, public policy and civic society using a range of tools and techniques to communicate purposefully and clearly.

The MAPR is the oldest public relations masters in Ireland, and the only PR course in the country recognised by the Public Relations Institute of Ireland, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (UK) and the Public Relations Society of America, giving our graduates additional recognition in industry.

Entry Requirements

• Applications are welcome from holders of an honours bachelor’s degree with at least a 2.2, or equivalent, in any discipline.
• Applicants in the final year of their degree are also welcome.
• The course welcomes applications from mature and other applicants who do not have an undergraduate degree and for whom recognition of prior learning, experience and career history will be taken into consideration.
• Applicants for whom English is not their first language and who have not undertaken their undergraduate degree through English, should have a minimum IELTS average score of 7.5 with no component below 6.0.

Career Opportunities

MAPR has become recognised by the Irish public relations industry as one of the most important sources for the recruitment of future public relations managers, and our graduates are highly in demand for their skills and attributes.

Graduates are equipped to take up full-time employment in Irish and international public relations consultancies, in-house public relations departments, and related strategic communications roles in Ireland and abroad. Recent graduates have assumed positions of responsibility in commercial and corporate public relations, as well as in public affairs where they specialise in political public relations or advocacy activities within the voluntary/NGO sector. Other specialist areas include public relations sectors as diverse as healthcare, entertainment and lifestyle, agriculture and sport. A number of our graduates have gone on to establish their own consultancies.

Course Content

The course is structured around core concepts, practical communications and research leading to a dissertation on a topic of the student’s choosing on which they work with an experienced academic supervisor.

Core Concepts

• Public Relations Theory & Practice 1 and 2
• Corporate Environment and Strategy
• Managing Public Affairs
• Society and Ethics
• Marketing Environment

Practical Communications Modules

• Digital Public Relations
• TV Production and Presentation
• Public Relations Writing

Research

• Research Methods
• Dissertation

Module Listing

Year One

Semester 1

• Dissertation [Mandatory]
• Electronic Public Relations [Mandatory]
• MAPR Research Methodology [Mandatory]
• Public Relations Writing [Mandatory]
• Strategic and Corporate Environment [Mandatory]
• Theory and Practice of Public Relations I [Mandatory]

Semester 2

• Electronic Public Relations [Mandatory]
• Marketing Environment [Mandatory]
• Public Relations Theory & Practice 2 [Mandatory]
• Public Relations: Society & Ethics [Mandatory]
• Public Relations Writing [Mandatory]
• Introduction to Video Production and Presentation [Mandatory]
• Managing Public Affairs [Mandatory]

Course Details

• TU Code: TU320
• NFQ Level: Level 9
• Award Type: Major
• Award: Master of Arts
• ECTS Credits: 90
• Duration: 1 Year
• Course Type: Postgraduate
• Mode of Study: Full Time
• Method of Delivery: On-Campus
• Commencement Date: September 2025
• Location: Grangegorman
• Fees: €7,400 Total Fee (EU), €13,500 Total Fee (Non-EU)