DIPLOMA: PUBLIC RELATIONS AND DIPLOMA: PUBLIC RELATIONS (EXTENDED)
Entrepreneurship & Professional Development of Students
Learners graduating from this three orfour year qualification, holding a Diploma in Public Relations Management, will be able to seek employment as a Public Relations professional or start up a Public Relations agency. Membership of professional organisations, such as the Institute for Public Relations and Communication (PRISA) or the South African Communications Association (SACOMM) is encouraged for the purpose of further professional career development
Career Opportunities
What can a diplomate do in this career?
This qualification is intended to develop the skills and knowledge required by a person who wishes to pursue a career as a Public Relations/ Communication Practitioner, Assistant Manager or a Private Consultant in the Public Relations Department and practice as a Public Relations Practitioner. Diplomates can work in the following areas in Public Relations.
- Public Sector
- Private Sector
- Public Relations Agencies
- Non-Governmental Organisations
Who will employ a diplomate?
Public sector – national, provincial and provincial governments. Private sector - both national and multi-national organisations, Public Relations Agencies, non-governmental organisations, parastatals, research organisations, tertiary education institutions.
Purpose of the Qualification
Public Relations provides a service for the organization by helping to give the public and the media a better and more complete understanding of the company. The main goal of a Public Relations programme is to enhance the reputation of the organisation both internally and externally. Public Relations gives an organisation or an individual exposure to their audiences. The function of such a person is to manage those tasks and activities that would lead to effective service delivery in a Public Relations office, section or department.
Exit Level Outcomes of the Programme
The programme’s exit level outcomes are aimed at providing graduates with the following attributes, skills and competencies:
- Ability to communicate within the Public Relations environment.
- Be able to manage individual and organisational activities.
- Manage Public Relations tasks and projects.
Programme Information
Minimum Admission Requirements
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National Senior Certificate (NSC) |
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Minimum statutory NSC requirements (or equivalent) for Diploma entry (c.f. Guidelines In General Prospectus). In addition to the above, two languages, English, Xhosa or Afrikaans. Preference will be given to prospective entrants who obtain a minimum C (Level 50) for the two languages. |
Public Relations Management |
Minimum statutory NSC requirements for the Diploma must be met. Applicants are required to participate in National Benchmarking Tests |
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Grade 12/Matric |
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Senior Certificate Requirement: A D-symbol for both English and IsiXhosa or Afrikaans on the Higher Grade |
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TVET Colleges |
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National Certificate Requirement: An N3 certificate with C-symbols for a at least two languages including English and IsiXhosa or Afrikaans National Certificate (Vocational) Level 4: Applicants with a National Certificate (Vocational Level-4) must meet the statutory requirements for entry into a Diploma programme. Certificate with level 4 for English. |
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Recognition of prior learning (RPL) |
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RPL may be used to demonstrate competence for admission to this programme. This qualification may be achieved in part through recognition of prior learning processes. Credits achieved by RPL must not exceed 50% of the total credits and must not include credits at the exit level. The provision that the qualification may be obtained through the recognition of prior learning facilitates access to an education, training and a career path in Public Relations/Communication and thus accelerates the redress of past unfair discrimination in education, training and employment opportunities. Evidence of prior learning must be assessed through formal RPL processes through recognised methods. Any other evidence of prior learning should be assessed through formal RPL processes to recognise achievement thereof. Learners submitting themselves for RPL should be thoroughly briefed prior to the assessment and will be required to submit a Portfolio of Evidence (PoE) in the prescribed format to be assessed for formal recognition. While this is primarily a workplace-based qualification, evidence from other areas of learning may be introduced if pertinent to any of the Exit Level Outcomes (ELOs). The structure of this non-unit standard based qualification makes RPL possible, if the learner is able to demonstrate competence in the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes implicit in this first stage Public Relations/Communication qualification. Learners who already work in the Public Relations/Communication industry who believe they possess competencies to enable them to meet some or all of the ELOs listed in the qualification will be able to present themselves for assessment against those of their choice. |
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International Students |
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Applications from international students are considered in terms of: HESA/Institutional guideline document, “Exemption Requirements: Foreign School Qualifications”. |
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Institutional equivalence reference document. (Where required) submission of international qualification to SAQA for benchmarking in terms of HEQF |
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Mature Age Endorsement |
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Refer to requirements as per WSU’s General Rules & Regulations – Section 1.6 |
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Curriculum Structure
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Course |
Code |
Credit |
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Public Relations I |
EUR11P0 |
20 |
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Media Studies I |
EST11P0 |
20 |
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Marketing and Advertising |
EAK11P0 |
15 |
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Language: English (Module 1 & 2) |
ENL11P0 |
15 |
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Computer Literacy |
EOL11P0 |
15 |
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Academic Literacy |
ECL11P0 |
20 |
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Personal and Interpersonal Skills |
EIN11P0 |
15 |
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Total credits for this period |
120 |
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Public Relations I (Credits from extended) |
PUBR11P0 |
20 |
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Communications Science I |
COMS11P0 |
20 |
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Media Studies I (Credits from extended) |
MSTU11P0 |
20 |
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Social Psychology |
SOPS1P0 |
15 |
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Language: IsiXhosa or Afrikaans |
XLGS1P0 or ALGS1P0 |
15 |
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Language: English |
ELGS1P0 |
15 |
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Introduction to Word Processing |
WORP1P0 |
15 |
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Total credits for this period |
120 |
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Public Relations II |
PUBR2P0 |
20 |
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Communication Science II |
COMS2P0 |
20 |
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Media Studies II |
MSTU2P0 |
20 |
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Marketing and Advertising (Credits from extended) |
MAKT1P0 |
15 |
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Vidology |
VIDE1P0 |
15 |
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Business Studies |
BUPR1P0 |
15 |
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Law for Public Relations |
LAPR1P0 |
15 |
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Total credits for this period |
120 |
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Public Relations III |
PUBR3P0 |
30 |
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Communication Science III |
COMS3P0 |
30 |
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Public Relations Practice |
PEEL1P0 |
60 |
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Total credits for this period |
120 |