PROPOSAL FOR ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT NEW COURSES

Transcription

1 PROPOSAL FOR ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT NEW COURSES SECTION 1 1. Name of Award Course MASTER IN STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS 2 Abbreviated Name MStratPR GradDipStratPR GradCertStratPR 3. Date of Introduction Semester Purpose of the Proposal The course has a central focus in professional public relations with two strands: a corporate communication strand and a political communication strand. Prospective students are required to take four core units of study, two from each strand. They can then take two elective specialisations in one or the other or two from both, or additional cross-listed units from Government, Sociology, English and Philosophy. The corporate communication strand focuses on public relations management including investor relations and financial relations, while the political communication strand focuses on political campaigning in theory and practice. The course has a media focus from the perspective of public relations rather than from journalism. Eight new units of study are proposed but the intention is to create two new units each semester.. The first two proposed units of study for Semester will be MECO 6906 and MECO 6907 followed in Semester 2 by MECO 6911 and MECO A full time student enrolling in Semester will take both corporate strand core units of study plus 2 electives, followed by both political strand core units of study plus 2 electives in Semester 2. Two core units of study will be introduced each semester from Semester All 8 new units of study will be operational by the end of Semester Proposed units are: Meco 6906 Strategy Selection in Corporate PR (core) (new unit)** Meco 6907 PR Management & Conflict Resolution (core) (new unit) Meco 6909 Corporate Public Relations Campaigns (new unit) Meco 6910 Investor Relations and Issues Management (new unit) Meco 6911 Meco 6912 Meco 6913 Meco 6914 Meco 6915 Meco 6916 Govt 6317 Govt 6157 Govt 6156 Political Public Relations (core) (new unit)** Public Opinion, Policy and the Public Sphere (core) (new unit) Political Communications Campaigning (new unit)** Quantitative Methods in PR (new unit) Dissertation I (new unit) Dissertation II (new unit) The Politics of Consultation (existing unit winter school)) Corporate Citizenship (existing unit summer school) Governance (existing unit) Page 1

2 Sclg 6909 Sclg 6901 Sclg 6902 Meco 6902 Meco 6901 Engl 6946 Engl 6912 Phil 6506 Phil 5927 Social Policy: International Perspectives (existing unit) Citizenship Rights & Social Movements (existing unit) Doing Social Research (existing unit) Writing for the Media (existing unit) Dealing with the Media (existing unit) Communication in Professional Contexts (existing) Issues in Mass Communication (existing) Habermas (existing) Personal Identity Agency, and Morality(existing) ** Proposed cross-listing with Econ/Bus Master of Public Policy An example of a full time program in 2005 might be: Semester 1: Meco 6906 Strategy Selection in Corporate PR Meco 6907 PR Management & Conflict Resolution Meco 6902 Writing for the Media Sclg 6909 Social Policy: International Perspectives Semester 2 Meco 6911 Political Public Relations Meco 6912 Public Opinion, Policy and the Public Sphere Meco 6901 Dealing with the Media Phil 5927 Personal Identity Agency, and Morality An example of a full time program in 2006 might be: Semester 1: Meco 6906 Strategy Selection in Corporate PR Meco 6907 PR Management & Conflict Resolution Meco 6909 Corporate Public Relations Campaigns Govt 6156 Governance Semester 2 Meco 6911 Political Public Relations Meco 6912 Public Opinion, Policy and the Public Sphere Meco 6913 Political Communications Campaigning Sclg 6901 Citizenship Rights & Social Movements An example of a part-time program in might be: Semester 1: Meco 6906 Strategy Selection in Corporate PR Meco 6907 PR Management & Conflict Resolution Semester 2 Meco 6911 Political Public Relations Meco 6912 Public Opinion, Policy and the Public Sphere Semester 3 Meco 6909 Corporate Public Relations Campaigns Meco 6915 Dissertation I Semester 4 Govt 6317 The Politics of Consultation Meco 6916 Dissertation II 5 Justification The course is intended for graduates with limited experience of academic studies in public relations, and for mid-career professionals either crossing to the profession from other areas such as law, international trade or agribusiness or those interested in redefining their skills in agency or corporate settings. Page 2

3 The course is aimed at local and international students who wish to take up, or already occupy, career positions in public relations where a tertiary qualification would significantly enhance their professional ambitions and prospects. The course is proposed in response to local and international demand for a postgraduate qualification in strategic public relations. In order to evaluate the opportunity to introduce such a course academic staff have discussed the proposal with professionals across the range of public relations including Public Relations Institute of Australia members, media career directors at major news organisations (News Corporation and John Fairfax), focus groups with former undergraduates (The University of Sydney, University of Western Sydney and Macquarie University), with practitioners in corporate, agency, government non-profit organisations, and finally discussion with academics in overseas universities who operate similar successful courses (United States). The program studies the theory and research practitioners need to direct organisations to communicate and strengthen relationships with their stakeholders. Emphasis is given to management issues relevant to products, services, image, and public policy issues. There are no similar courses at the same university level in NSW. Some Australian universities include public relations in generalist media degrees (University of Melbourne MA in Global Media Communications; the University of Queensland Master of Social Sciences [PR]; QUT Graduate Diploma in Public Relations; RMIT Graduate Diploma in Public Relations) but there is no equivalent opportunity for students with an interest in strategic public relations. There are several similar programs offered in the United States and the United Kingdom that are heavily subscribed. The proposed program has been formatively evaluated against existing programs in the United Kingdom and the United States. 6. Consultation and External References Consultation has taken place within the Faculty of Arts and with other Faculties, notably the Discipline of Government within the Faculty of Business and Economics. The new programs have been designed specifically to promote collaboration across Departments within Arts and across Faculties. The Discipline of Government has indicated a strong interest in cross-listing new units from within the proposed program. Three proposed new units have accordingly been designed with this cross-listing in mind. Positive consultation has taken place with the discipline of government postgraduate co-ordinator Dr Leanne Piggott, with Associated Professor Rod Tiffen, and Dr Lyn Carson. Professor Tiffen coordinates a unit of study called Media Politics while Dr Lyn Carson co-ordinates a proposed cross-list unit, The Politics of Consultation. The head of the discipline Associate Professor Deborah Brennan has been briefed on the proposal. Academic staff who will be teaching on the new programs have consulted the external board of the Media and Communications Program, as well as business and community members whose inquiries and needs have in part prompted the development of the proposed programs. The proposal has been discussed with the Head of the School of English, Art History, Film and Media, as well as among interested members of the Faculty of Arts and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The proposal has been discussed with the Dean of Graduate Studies. 7 Course Structure Students will undertake up to four core units of study. Remaining units will be chosen from a pool of electives taught within the Faculty of Arts or cross-listed from postgraduate Page 3

4 coursework programs in other Faculties. The core units provide specific knowledge and skills in corporate public relations and political public relations. Master Graduate Diploma Graduate Certificate 48 credit points (8 units x 6 credit points) comprising 4 core units and 4 elective units May be completed in a minimum of 2 semesters 36 credit points (6 units x 6 credit points) comprising 3 core units and 3 electives May be completed in a minimum of 2 semesters 24 credit points (4 units x 6 credit points) comprising 2 core units and 2 electives May be completed in a minimum of one semester 8. Proposed Teaching/Delivery Methods Units of study will be taught as 2-hour seminars, centred on analysis and problem-solving exercises. Students will be expected to prepare specific pieces of work, give oral presentations, work in small teams and focus on issues relmodes, including evening seminars on a weekly basis or in intensive block mode over onated to their professional contexts. Seminar groups will be expected to work in teams, using or similar webbased communication. Units of study will be offered in a variety of e working week. Each unit will be assessed by an oral presentation, a group assignment and a 4,000-word written assignment or equivalent combination of a media production exercise with written critical analysis. 9. Assessment Procedures The assessment requirements, the level of preparation expected for seminars, the requirement to collaborate outside class time and the technical content of each unit justify the postgraduate level of the proposed programs. Assessment in each unit of study will be equivalent to words of written work but may take the form of proposals, pitch documents, evaluation programs and other work. It is not expected there will be any parallel teaching of postgraduate and undergraduate students in any of the proposed courses. 10. Overall Student Workload The academic course load of 8 units of study for the Masters, 6 units of study for a Graduate Diploma and 4 units of study for a Graduate Certificate parallels the course load for other courses at the same level in the Faculty of Arts. Face to face hours for each units of study are planned at 2 and a student is expected to undertake an equivalent workload away from the classroom. Each department contributing to the course will be allocated the full student load for each unit of study for which they are responsible. If teaching within a unit of study were to be provided from more than one department, then load would be allocated on a pro rate basis to the contributing departments. However, this is not envisaged at this stage. The proposed unit structure is as follows: Master Graduate Diploma 48 credit points (8 units x 6 credit points) 4 core units, 4 electives 36 credit points (6 units x 6 credit points) Page 4

5 3 core units, 3 electives Graduate Certificate 24 credit points (4 units x 6 credit points) 2 core units, 2 electives Six credit points equals one unit of study. 11. Attributes of Graduates Graduates will be in a strong position to market themselves as senior corporate executives and senior political communicators in a variety of sectors including international corporations, global not-for-profit organisations, and transnational public relations agencies. Graduates will have a well developed body of knowledge in the field of strategic public relations; be capable of applying theory to practice in all types of public relations circumstances; be capable of rigorous and independent thinking; be strategic and creative thinkers; develop an interest in lifelong learning; apply experimentally-obtained results to new new situations; and apply test hypotheses experimentally. 12. Marketing and Recruitment The course will require a discreet level of marketing (advertising and publicity) both nationally and internationally prior to implementation. The course could effectively and profitably be marketed offshore or in distance learning mode or both. A preliminary investigation by academic staff in the Media and Communications Program reveals a strong interest in offshore delivery in China (Beijing and Hong Kong), Singapore and Korea. Offshore delivery would follow existing University of Sydney offshore programs and guidelines. The course lends itself to distance and online delivery, an examination of which is presently being undertaken by academic staff within the Media and Communications Program. 13. Course Administration The Media and Communications Program within the School of English, Art History, Film and Media within the Faculty of Arts will be responsible for the course, appointing a coordinator to administer it. There is no anticipated need for an interdepartmental or interfaculty committee. The course co-ordinator will liaise with other departments and faculties as required. 14. Plans for Monitoring and Evaluation The course will be closely monitored and evaluated by means of student evaluations, regular meetings of teaching staff, monitoring of assessment outcomes and levels of enrolments. There will also be continuing evaluation through consultation with client, industry and community groups. This is planned to occur every two years. The proposed program will seek accreditation from professional bodies such as the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA), the Australian Institute of Professional Communicators (AIPC) and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). 15. Planning and Support The proposed program has been sent to the Planning Support Office. 16. University Calendar and Proposed Resolutions Page 5

6 There are no anticipated new resolutions or proposed amendments to existing resolutions emerging from the proposal. SECTION Availability of Teaching and Support Staff The staffing requirements for the proposed course are covered in the recent recruitment of an additional academic staff member. The Media and Communications staff and the Faculty of Arts are well placed to provide the course. In addition to staff in Media and Communications with both academic and relevant professional expertise in public relations, the Faculty is strong in the proposed cross listed units of study of English, Sociology and Philosophy. 18. Availability of Teaching Space and Other Required Facilities There is a requirement for interactive teaching space to be identified prior to the course s starting date. This type of professional program requires interactive space equivalent to a boardroom setting in which proposals and pitches can be simulated at a corporate level. The Western Tower Room is a good example. 19. Timetabling Arrangements There are no perceived timetabling issues associated with the introduction of the proposed course. 20. Equipment (1) Computer Technology. The proposed course will make continuous use of existing computer laboratories within the Faculty. There is a requirement for funding a program web page within the existing Faculty website. (2) Other Equipment. There is a reasonable collection of books related to public relations in Fisher Library and an excellent collection of hardcopy journals and online subscribed journals. There is an immediate requirement for expenditure on expansion of the public relations book collection in Fisher Library. The estimated investment is $ Fees It is anticipated that the new courses will attract a strong level of full fee-paying international students. The cost of each unit of study will be the same as that currently charged for other postgraduate coursework units within the Faculty. Cross-listed units supplied by other Faculties will be charged at the rate set by those Faculties for international students. As with all postgraduate coursework programs in the Faculty of Arts, the proposed courses will be fee-paying for local students, and will conform to the current fee structure for local students in the Faculty. Cross-listed units provided by other Faculties will be charged at the rate set by those Faculties for local students. 22. Student Numbers (1) The courses will be introduced in 2005, subject to approval. Intakes will be in both first and second semesters. (2) No quotas have been sought for either the proposed courses or the units of study. (3) There is no expectation that introduction of the programs will cause any drop in enrolments in other postgraduate coursework programs in the Faculty of Arts as the programs offer a new area of study. Page 6

7 (4) The initial intake will be approximately 25 students in the first year, rising to 35 in the second year and to a total of 60 in the third year. These estimates are based on the available resources to run the program. (5) There is no fixed proportion of full-time to part-time students but the anticipated proportion is approximately 40% full-time and 60% part-time in the first two years of the programs. (6) There is no difference in the structural details of the programs for international students and for local fee-paying students. The normal length of candidature for the Masters course will be two semesters for fulltime students and four semesters for part-time students Library Statement The library, in conjunction with Media and Communications staff, is in the process of determining the level of resources required to sustain the proposal. 8. DRAFT RESOLUTIONS RESOLUTIONS OF THE FACULTY OF ARTS MASTER IN STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS 8.1 Award of the Master, Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate in Strategic Public Relations The Master in Strategic Public Relations shall be awarded in two grades, namely Pass and Pass with Merit; the latter grade will be awarded if the candidate has achieved a Distinction average across the 8 units of the degree The Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate in Strategic Public Relations shall be awarded in one grade only, namely Pass. 8.2 Eligibility for Admission An applicant for admission to candidature for the Master, Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate in Strategic Public Relations shall normally (a) be a graduate of the University of Sydney or another recognised institution, as provided for in Chapter 10 of the by-laws and (b) have completed a Bachelors degree at a standard acceptable to the Faculty of Arts. An applicant may be admitted to the Graduate Certificate without a Bachelors degree if deemed by the Faculty to have at least five years professional experience in the field of public relations Method of Progression A candidate for the degree of Master in Strategic Public Relations shall proceed mainly by coursework, with provision for a maximum of two units undertaken by a research dissertation A candidate for the Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate in Strategic Public Relations shall proceed mainly by coursework Requirements for the Diploma and Certificate To be eligible for graduation with a Master in Strategic Public Relations, a candidate must complete 8 units, including 4 core units and up to 4 elective units, where each unit represents 6 credit points for a teaching period of one semester or equivalent. Page 7

8 8.4.2 To be eligible for graduation with a Graduate Diploma in Strategic Public Relations, a candidate must complete 6 units of study, including 4 core units and 2 elective units, where each unit represents 6 credit points for a teaching period of one semester or equivalent To be eligible for graduation with a Graduate Certificate in Strategic Public Relations, a candidate must complete 4 core units of study, where each unit represents 6 credit points for a teaching period of one semester or equivalent A candidate who has completed the requirements for the Graduate Certificate in Strategic Public Relations may proceed to the next level of qualification without taking the original qualification A particular unit can not be counted more than once towards the Degree, Diploma or Certificate Enrolment in units additional to course requirements is subject to Faculty permission Probationary admission A candidate may be accepted by the Faculty on a probationary basis for a period not exceeding 12 months. On completion of the probationary period the Faculty shall review the candidate s work and shall either confirm the candidate s status or terminate the candidature In the case of a candidate accepted following a probationary period, the candidature shall be deemed to have commenced from the commencement of the probationary period Time Limits A candidate shall be enrolled in The University of Sydney, either in full-time or in part-time study, for not less than 12 months for the Master and Graduate Diploma in Strategic Public Relations and not less than 6 months for the Graduate Certificate A full-time candidate shall complete the requirements for the Master within 2 years from the first date of enrolment, within one year for the Graduate Diploma and within one semester for the Graduate Certificate A part-time candidate shall complete the requirements for the Master within 4 years from the date of first enrolment, within 3 years for the Graduate Diploma, and within 2 years for the Graduate Certificate In special circumstances the Faculty may extend these periods Progress A candidate shall, on the basis of examinations and assessments at the end of each semester of candidature, satisfy the Faculty that the candidature should proceed Assessment The Program Director shall be responsible for overseeing assessment and examinations in all units counted towards the Degree, Diploma and Certificate The Director will report to the Postgraduate Matters Committee of the Faculty of Arts, which shall determine the results of the final assessments in each unit of study Termination The Faculty may call upon any candidate to show cause why that candidature should not be terminated, by reason of unsatisfactory progress towards completion of the Degree, Diploma or Certificate Where, in the opinion of the Faculty, the candidature does not show good cause, the candidature may be terminated Availability The Faculty reserves the right to impose quotas on the admission to the Degree, Diploma or Certificate, or to any units that count towards them The Faculty reserves the right not to offer particular units in any one semester. Page 8

9 In determining quotas and availability of units, the Faculty will take into account University policies on quotas; availability of resources, including space, library and computing facilities; availability of staff; and level of enrolments In considering applicants for admission to candidature where quotas apply, the Faculty shall give preference to applicants judge on merit according to the eligibility requirements in Section 2 above. Page 9