If you are currently a member of PRSSA, or a full-fledged member of PRSA, you may already be familiar with the organization’s APR designation. If you are not a member of our esteemed professional society, shame on you! Just kidding. Seriously, though, there is a great deal of confusion among PR practitioners, young and old alike, regarding the APR designation offered by PRSA, and how it may benefit professionals like you — now, and in the future. As a current APR candidate, I would like to offer my personal perspective on this very important certification program.

For starters, let us begin with some very simple questions and answers provided by PRSA:

What is APR Accreditation?
Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) is a voluntary certification program for public relations professionals, administered by the Universal Accreditation Board. The APR Accreditation is the only professional certification program open to public relations professionals.

Who administers the Accreditation program?
The Accreditation program is administered by the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB), a consortium of 10 leading industry organizations, including PRSA.

Who can pursue the APR?
Any PRSA member in good standing can take on the challenge of earning Accreditation. However, it is recommended that candidates have at least five years’ experience in the full-time practice or teaching of public relations, and who have earned either a bachelor’s degree in a communication-specific field (e.g., public relations, journalism, mass communication) or have equivalent work experience, which includes public relations principles, public relations writing, public relations campaigns, research, ethics and law and internship (practical experience under supervision).

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Ashley Imsand’s postcard from Spain sparked a lively discussion about attitudes to the United States and US citizens abroad. It’s an important question; it also relates very directly to public relations. Let’s unpick some of the themes.

1. Public relations is a US export. Though it’s possible to see examples of PR-like behavior in early civilizations, the public relations industry as we know it originated in the United States. Perhaps the two greatest names in the promotion and development of twentieth century public relations thinking were Edward Bernays and James Grunig, both from the US. ‘Not invented here’ is a problem for others, who often gather and plot patricide in order to reclaim public relations as a home grown practice.

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