Getting Started

OK, you want to earn accreditation. Where do you start?

• Take at look at PRSA's home page for accreditation and the study guide.


• Think about your overall strengths and weaknesses in your personal knowledge of public relations, based on what you know and your experience.


• For example, if you do not do research everyday, chances are you need to review the basics of research. Or perhaps you have forgotten your communications theory.


• What all candidates can study now is the Code of Professional Conduct. You should already be familiar with it. Now revisit the code and instead of memorizing the words, think about real practice applications of the code. I think of the code as good insurance -- something you hope to never need. So know when you would need the code and how it would apply in real situations.

That's enough for now. If you can find a current textbook on PR, such as Cutlip and Center's Effective Public Relations, scan it and review those parts of the practice where you have the least experience.

If you wish, share your PR challenges with others.