Graduate Diploma of Public Relations

2025 Deakin University Handbook

Year	2025 course information
Award granted	Graduate Diploma of Public Relations
Deakin course code	A643
Faculty	Faculty of Arts and Education
Campus	Offered at Burwood (Melbourne)
Online	Yes
Duration	1 year full-time or part-time equivalent
Course Map - enrolment planning tool	This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2025. Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central.
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 8

Course sub-headings

Course overview

Grow your professional identity and develop advanced strategic communication skills by studying the Graduate Diploma of Public Relations. Work on industry-based projects and promotional plans that prepare you to be an adaptable public relations practitioner in a changing communications environment.

Ready to upskill into a leadership role in the public relations industry?

To thrive in a changing industry, you will need to develop new skills and new ways of thinking. The Graduate Diploma of Public Relations prepares you for the changing demands of employers and clients by combining traditional skills, such as writing, collaboration and project and campaign planning, with training in fundamental areas of public relations, such as crisis communications, digital communication and social media. Professionally accredited and designed in close consultation with industry, the course reflects current practice trends while setting you up for sustained career growth in an evolving landscape.

From strategy development and public relations writing to reputation and issues management, you will develop the practical skills to tackle the diverse challenges of the role. Through authentic, real-world assessment tasks like developing public relations campaigns, you will enhance your ability to influence behaviours, beliefs and attitudes through strategic communications across a broad range of channels.

Internships and work-integrated learning opportunities allow you to build even more practical experience. Work on briefs for real clients and discover what it takes to deliver campaigns to a deadline, while managing stakeholder expectations and dealing with unexpected events. Through these experiences, you will grow your professional identity and form valuable networks with other bright minds in the field.

The course also exposes you to the theories and models at work behind public relations practice, allowing you to critically analyse in-market campaigns and better understand the social, cultural and ethical implications of public relations activities.

While there are many exciting career pathways for graduates, there are also opportunities for further study upon successful completion of the course. If you want to continue building your expertise, you might like to articulate into Deakin’s Master of Communication.

Professional recognition

Students enrolled in the Graduate Diploma of Public Relations are eligible for course-accredited membership of the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA).

Career opportunities

This course equips you with the theoretical knowledge, advanced practical skills and industry experience to pursue senior and leadership roles in the public relations industry. Promising career opportunities exist for public relations graduates in:

public relations agencies
social and market research companies
government
educational institutions
hospitals
health and welfare organisations
special interest groups
community and cultural organisations
consumer affairs.

For more information go to DeakinTALENT.

Participation requirements

Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. More information available at Disability support services.

Mandatory student checks

Any unit which contains work integrated learning, a community placement or interaction with the community may require a police check, Working with Children Check or other check.

Pathways

This course can be a pathway to:

Master of Communication (A743)

Alternative exits

Graduate Certificate of Communication (A539)

Course Learning Outcomes

Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities	Analyse and critically evaluate theoretical approaches and issues relevant to public relations practice in the local, national and global context, including current social and legal norms, policies, and practices.
Communication	Effectively communicate analyses, findings and strategies in public relations to a range of audiences using written, digital and oral formats.
Digital literacy	Identify and utilise a range of generic digital communication technologies and specific digital technologies employed by public relations professionals to address communication needs for diverse audiences and to deliver reports and presentations to audiences within and outside the public relations field.
Critical thinking	Analyse and critically evaluate theoretical approaches to public relations practice and contemporary public relations strategies and tactics.
Problem solving	Employ specialised knowledge, initiative and creativity in conjunction with evidence-based communication methods to generate innovative approaches and solutions to complex, real-world issues within the professional public relations environment. Acquire expertise in the formulation, design, implementation and evaluation of public relations strategies and tactics.
Self-management	Act with autonomy, responsibility, accountability and a continued commitment to learning and skills development in the field of public relations.
Teamwork	Work and learn collaboratively in the field of public relations with colleagues and real-world (external) clients and others from different disciplines and backgrounds while still maintaining responsibility for your own learning.
	Analyse and address communication issues in a domestic and global context as a reflective scholar and practitioner, taking into consideration cultural and socio-economic diversity, social and environmental responsibility, and the application of the highest ethical standards.

Approved at Faculty Board November 2022

Course rules

To complete the Graduate Diploma of Public Relations students must pass 8 credit points and meet the following course rules to be eligible to graduate:

DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first study period
6 credit points of core units
2 credit points of course electives

Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements. See the enrolment codes and terminology to help make sense of the University’s vocabulary.

Course structure

Core Units

At least six credit points chosen from the list below:

ALR700

Public Relations Campaigns

ALR701

Writing for Brands

ALR710

Advanced Brand Communication

ALR704

Reputation Management: Crisis, Risk and Responsibility

ALR718

Public Relations, Activism and Social Change

ALR731

Public Relations Theory and Practice

ALR782

Public Affairs and Opinion Formation

ALR733

Advertising Theory and Practice

ACC700

Communication and Creative Arts Internship

ACA715

Creating Your Arts Business

Electives

Electives may be chosen from the remaining units above or from any other postgraduate course in the School of Communication and Creative Arts. Students who intend to move from the Graduate Diploma into the Master of Communication are strongly advised to take ACX701Communication Concepts for their two elective credit points.

Work experience

Elective units may provide the opportunity for Work Integrated Learning experiences.

Course duration

Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as failing of units or accessing or completing placements.

Further information

Student Central can help you with course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements.

Contact Student Central

Fees and charges

Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study, and their study discipline or your study load.

Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.

Estimate your fees

For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.