Setting objectives, planning, budgeting, recruiting and training staff, developing facilities - in short, managing the resources needed to perform all of the above. Examples of the knowledge that may be required in the professional practice of public relations include communication arts, psychology, social psychology, sociology, political science, economics, and the principles of management and ethics. In helping to define and implement policy, the public relations practitioner uses a variety of professional communication skills and plays an integrative role both within the organization and between the organization and the external environment. In 1964, PRSA established a voluntary Accreditation Program. Members with at least five years of professional experience may earn Accredited status by passing written and oral examinations.
Accredited status attests to a professional's competency in the practice of public relations.
Increasingly, job listings are specifying APR preferred. Senior public relations professionals have been outspoken in support of Accreditation. APR is a symbol of professionalism. It demonstrates that individuals have the knowledge, ethics and experience that set them apart. It also demonstrates that they care about their own profession and that they are dedicated to enhancing their own personal abilities.