Strategic Public Relations Certificate Program

Formerly the Strategic Communications and Public Relations program.

We heard you. Based on participant feedback, CEPE’s Strategic Public Relations certificate program has been redesigned to better meet the needs of today’s professionals: 

• Now available year-round
• Mostly asynchronous and on-demand, allowing you to learn at your own pace
• Practical, relevant content designed to keep you engaged
• Personalized feedback on your final Strategic PR plan
• Dedicated one-on-one mentorship from an experienced PR professional

This new format reflects what you told us you value most: flexibility and meaningful interaction with industry experts. Registration opens in the Spring; sign up here to be notified when enrollment is available. 

I learned SO many new things -- how to prepare for, approach, and respond to PR crisis scenarios; researching target demographics to craft the right message and message medium; writing press releases and strategic communications plans. I'm using a lot of what I learned in my day to day work and my performance is better because of it.

- Adrienne Schutte

Who Should Attend

This program is for professionals who are seeking to understand modern public relations or transition into a PR role. Whether you're a career changer looking to pivot into public relations or communications; a marketing, HR, or operations professional who needs to integrate PR thinking into your current role; a small business owner or nonprofit leader managing communications; a junior to mid-level PR practitioner seeking to elevate your strategic capabilities; or an agency or corporate communicator looking to refresh your skills for the digital age, this program provides the foundation and credentials you need.
 

What You’ll Learn

Upon completion of this program, students will have gained the knowledge to:

• Build trust and credibility by understanding the current trust landscape and applying ethical PR principles to stakeholder engagement
• Use PR tools like SWOT and PESTLE, set SMART and SMARTER goals, understand the Barcelona Principles, and develop PR messaging frameworks
• Think strategically by conducting research, mapping stakeholders, setting measurable goals, and developing compelling message platforms
• Engage internal audiences through employee communications strategies that foster engagement, advocacy, and organizational alignment
• Navigate the modern media ecosystem by building relationships, crafting effective pitches, and leveraging digital storytelling
• Manage technology and risk through ethical AI use, social media crisis response, and reputation management
• Measure and prove impact using industry-standard frameworks to demonstrate ROI and communicate results to leadership
• Create a comprehensive Strategic PR plan that integrates research, strategy, tactics, and measurement

The certificate consists of the following modules:

Module 1: Foundations of Modern PR
This module lays the strategic foundation for PR, tracing its evolution from ‘spin’ to stakeholder engagement. Participants explore trust trends using the Edelman Trust Barometer and Reuters Institute research, learning why PR is vital in a fragmented media landscape. Core frameworks like RPIE and the PRSA Code of Ethics are introduced. Through case studies, participants differentiate PR from related fields, examine emerging media and influencer trends, and complete a trust audit for an organization, the first step toward their Strategic PR plan.

Module 2: Strategic Planning & Stakeholder Engagement
This module builds on foundational knowledge to enhance strategic thinking in communications. Participants learn to conduct environmental scans, map and prioritize stakeholders, set measurable objectives, and link research to strategy. The module covers audience analysis, message-platform development, stakeholder-engagement planning, and measurement using the Barcelona Principles framework. By the end, participants will have a stakeholder analysis, strategic objectives, and core messaging for their capstone project.

Module 3: Internal Communications & Employee Engagement
This module examines how strong internal communications build trust, drive employee engagement, and support organizational performance. Participants learn strategies for communicating change, explore employee advocacy and communication channels, and analyze case studies of effective (and challenged) internal communications. The module culminates in developing a tailored internal communications strategy with defined audiences, messages, and channels.

Module 4: Media Relations & Digital Storytelling
This module equips participants to navigate today’s evolving media landscape by building authentic relationships with journalists, crafting effective pitches, and creating impactful media materials. It expands beyond press releases to digital storytelling, thought leadership, and executive positioning, while addressing how AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini are shaping information discovery. Participants develop media relations assets and a targeted media list for their strategic plan.

Module 5: AI, Technology, Ethics & Crisis Communications
This module explores both the opportunities and risks of the digital age through two connected sections. The first covers ethical AI use in PR, showing how to use tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity for research and brainstorming while avoiding bias, misinformation, and data privacy issues. The second focuses on crisis preparedness, highlighting the “golden hour,” crisis teams, response protocols, and templates. Using real-world case studies, participants learn what drives effective crisis response and finish by developing a practical crisis communications plan with adaptable holding statements and social media guidelines.

Module 6: Measurement, Evaluation & Strategic PR Planning
This capstone module teaches participants how to measure PR impact using the Barcelona Principles framework, moving beyond vanity metrics to KPIs that demonstrate real business outcomes. Participants learn how to present results to executive leadership and translate communications data into business insights. The module culminates in a portfolio-ready Strategic PR plan that integrates strategy, communications, crisis preparedness, technology, and measurement into a single, comprehensive framework.