Bachelor of Public Relations

This is a two-year accelerated bachelor's degree in public relations, taught at Collarts in Melbourne. It sits in the Business & Management subject area, so you learn the commercial side of communications as well as the craft. Because it is compressed into two years rather than the usual three, the pace is brisk. You will be in classes with a small cohort and expected to produce work from early on, not sit through years of theory first.

What you actually study

The course covers the core of the profession: writing for media, social media strategy, campaign planning, media relations, crisis and issues management, and reputation. You will also study audience research, content production, and the legal and ethical rules that govern Australian communications work. Assessment leans on real briefs, pitching, planning campaigns, drafting releases and evaluating results, rather than exams alone. Collarts is a creative-industries institution, so expect input from people who have worked in agencies, media outlets and in-house communications teams.

How an Australian bachelor's degree works

Australian bachelor's degrees are built from units of study, each worth a set number of credit points. A standard full-time load is four units per semester and a full year is typically eight units. Institutions run either two semesters or three trimesters a year; an accelerated two-year degree usually means studying through more of the year, including some trimester or summer study periods. You need to pass a set number of credit points to graduate. Many degrees finish with a capstone unit where you pull everything together on a major project. Public relations is a field where work-integrated learning matters, so look for placement or industry-project units in the course structure. Confirm the exact unit list, credit points and study periods on the official Collarts page and the CRICOS register, where the course appears under code 113324G.

Skills you build

You graduate able to write clearly and quickly for different audiences, plan a campaign from brief to evaluation, handle media enquiries, manage a client relationship, and use analytics to show whether the work performed. You also learn to work in a team under deadline pressure, which is what the job actually feels like. Those skills transfer across agency, government, corporate and not-for-profit settings.

Who this suits

This degree suits someone who wants to work in communications and would rather start two years from now than three. It also suits career changers and school leavers who have a portfolio or genuine interest in media, writing or social media. If you are an international student, note the Student visa work rights: 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session. The Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream is available after graduation for eligible applicants, and the Department of Home Affairs sets its own English threshold for the visa, separate from the university's. Collarts publishes English requirements; IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the common undergraduate standard, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the institution's own English programmes accepted as equivalents. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register, check there and on the official Collarts page for current figures and entry details.

• Public relations officer or coordinator, agencies, corporate communications teams, government departments and not-for-profits across Australia.
• Media or communications adviser, ministerial offices, public sector agencies and large organisations.
• Social media and content producer, brands, publishers, sports clubs and arts organisations.
• Campaign coordinator, marketing and communications agencies, advocacy groups and events.
• Internal communications officer, banks, universities, health services and retailers.
• Account coordinator in a PR agency, the standard entry role in Australian agency life, working across several clients.
• Community engagement officer, local councils, infrastructure projects and community organisations.