How long is the BSc in Public Relations?

Three years full-time, with part-time and accelerated online routes. The BSc in Public Relations schedules cohort calls across UK and APAC time zones for distance learners.

Can the BSc in Public Relations be studied online?

Yes. The BSc in Public Relations runs fully online, on-campus in London and by distance learning, all assessed against the same live client briefs and integrated-campaign capstone.

Is the BSc in Public Relations recognised by UK employers?

Yes. The BSc in Public Relations is a UK honours degree aligned with the CIPR chartered-practice framework and the PRCA agency-practice standard, credentials London agencies and corporate press offices engage with.

What are the entry requirements for the BSc in Public Relations?

BBC at A-level (or IB 28, BTEC DMM), GCSE English at grade 5 and Maths at grade 4, plus IELTS 6.5 for international applicants. Mature applicants may enter on portfolio and short interview.

How much does the BSc in Public Relations cost?

Tuition varies by route and domicile. Contact LSIBM admissions for the current schedule and bursary eligibility for the BSc in Public Relations.

BSc in Public Relations | LSIBM London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The BSc in Public Relations at the London School of International Business and Management (LSIBM) is a three-year UK honours degree producing PR practitioners for UK agencies, corporate communications functions and public-sector press offices. Sitting in the Marketing, Media & Digital Business faculty, this degree covers strategic communications, corporate reputation, crisis PR, media relations, digital PR and a final-year integrated campaign capstone defended in front of a CIPR-accredited practitioner.

You will complete a UK placement year in year two at a London PR agency, corporate press office or public-sector communications team, work on live client briefs from cohort year one, and finish with an integrated-campaign capstone. The BSc in Public Relations is available on-campus in central London, fully online with cohort calls scheduled across UK and APAC time zones, and by distance learning from 2026. The programme is reviewed against the CIPR Code of Conduct, the PRCA professional standard and the IPA guidance on integrated campaigns — the standards a UK PR graduate is expected to work to in agency and in-house roles.

Undergraduate teaching runs across three years in small tutor-visible cohorts with weekly seminars, module lectures delivered by working senior practitioners, a fortnightly practitioner clinic, a structured placement route in year two and a final-year dissertation with a dedicated supervisor. Every route is reviewed against UK professional-body competencies so graduates leave with a credential UK recruiters, City firms, PLCs and public bodies engage with. Online cohorts share the same intake calendar and receive the same tutor allocation and dissertation supervision as the on-campus route.

Key Features

Curriculum aligned with the CIPR chartered-practice framework and the PRCA agency-practice standard.
Three study modes — central London campus, fully online with UK / APAC cohort calls, or distance learning.
UK placement year in a London PR agency, corporate press office or public-sector communications team.
Live client briefs from cohort year one.
Capstone integrated-campaign dissertation defended in front of a CIPR-accredited practitioner.
One-to-one graduate-agency and in-house application coaching in the final year.
Structured route toward CIPR Foundation Membership and PRCA associate-level recognition.
Assessment combines rolling live-campaign portfolios with a final-year dissertation and a summative crisis-communications case defence.

What You Will Learn

The degree teaches PR as a UK strategic craft — from writing a press release journalists will read, to running a crisis holding statement at 6am, to defending an integrated campaign at a UK board committee.

Strategic communications planning — the RACE and PESO frameworks.
Corporate reputation management — stakeholder mapping, reputation-risk analysis.
Media relations — pitching UK trade and national press.
Crisis PR and issues management.
Digital PR — SEO PR, influencer engagement, thought-leadership.
Public affairs basics — Whitehall stakeholder engagement.
Internal communications — engagement, change and leadership comms.
Measurement and evaluation — AMEC framework and beyond AVEs.
Ethics and regulation — CIPR Code, PRCA Code, PECR and UK GDPR for comms.
Dissertation methodology and defence.
Planning and delivering a full UK-facing PR campaign to CIPR practice standards.
Writing a CIPR-compliant crisis-communications plan for a UK organisation.
Producing a stakeholder-mapping and media-list pack a UK PR agency would recognise.
Applying UK GDPR and Advertising Standards Authority disclosure rules to media relations.
Writing a defensible final-year dissertation on a UK PR-and-communications topic.

Who This Course Is For

A-level leavers targeting UK PR agency and corporate communications graduate schemes.
International students seeking a UK honours PR degree.
Higher Diploma or HND communications holders progressing to a top-up final year.
Career changers on the portfolio route with UK journalism, marketing or comms experience.
Public-sector officers moving into UK press-office graduate routes.
Mature applicants entering on the portfolio route from a UK journalism or communications background.

Career Pathways

Graduates typically progress into UK PR graduate schemes at London agencies, corporate press offices, public-sector communications teams and consultancies. The degree supports applications but does not by itself confer CIPR chartered status. Typical destinations include:

PR Assistant (agency)
PR Account Executive
Corporate Communications Executive
Press Officer (public sector)
Digital PR Executive
Internal Communications Executive
Graduate PR Account Executive
In-house Communications Officer

The BSc in Public Relations is the natural step onto a taught MSc in Communications or a CIPR chartered-practitioner route.

BSc graduates step onto CIPR Foundation Membership routes, PRCA associate recognition, or the LSIBM MSc in Business Administration for a senior communications track.

Entry Requirements

Three A-levels at BBC or above, or equivalent UK / international qualification (IB 28+, BTEC DMM, Access to HE, Foundation Year pass, or a relevant Higher Diploma with confirmed credit transfer).
GCSE English Language at grade 5/C and Mathematics at grade 4/C (or equivalent).
IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
A personal statement showing genuine curiosity about UK communications (extended reading, media consumption, campaign write-ups) — mature applicants (21+) may enter with a portfolio and a short interview.

Why Study at LSIBM

The London School of International Business and Management (LSIBM) is a specialist business-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. Undergraduate cohorts sit in small groups so every student is visible to their tutor, run a single intake schedule students can rely on, and every degree route is reviewed against UK professional-body competencies — ACCA, CIMA, CIM, CIPD, CMI, CIPS, CFA UK and IOE&IT — so graduates carry a credential that City recruiters engage with.

London puts the City, Canary Wharf, Whitehall, Companies House, the FCA, the Bank of England and the West End within a short tube ride of every classroom. Undergraduate students access a fortnightly practitioner clinic, at least one industry-careers day per academic year, a structured placement route and one-to-one application coaching in the final year.

Apply for the BSc in Public Relations

Launch your UK career with the BSc in Public Relations. Click Enrol Now and admissions will reply within one working day with UCAS guidance, intake dates and the current fee schedule. LSIBM undergraduates receive structured placement and application coaching in every final year.