"Why Advanced Degrees Matter For Millennials In PR"
Jonathan McGee, MBA
Economic Developer| Civic Leader| Development & Community Advisory Consultant| WVON&Ariel Investments 40 under 40 Gamechanger| Loyola Quinlan School of Business Distinguished Alumni Leadership Award Recipient
Most Millennial PR practitioners have probably asked themselves, and others, why do I need a master’s degree? Professional experience, robust networking, and professional development matters most, so why should anyone obtain an advanced degree, especially with the proliferation of certificates and executive education?
Well, in “PR Week’s” 2017 Annual Salary Survey, they noted that only 27%, of over 1,000 PR Professionals in the nation, had an advanced degree (PR Week, 2017). Also, majority of the professionals surveyed were over the age of 35. Therefore, in 10-15 years, it is safe to say that advanced degrees will increase. According to, “Inside Higher Education”, there was almost 2.25 million graduate applications submitted last year (Inside Higher Ed, 2017). Thus, if you want to remain competitive among a PR workforce that is more educated, and technologically savvy, then graduate school makes sense.
Eventually, every millennial will find themselves in a situation where they are competing for a job, their competition has an advanced degree, and they don't. In my opinion, no millennial should lose out on an opportunity, due to a lack of advanced education, which means graduate school should be in the cards eventually.
In conclusion, there are certain core components that a master’s degree should provide, which includes a applied-practical education, robust professional network, global access, and vigorous career opportunities. Furthermore, in my opinion, no PR millennial professional should pursue a master’s degree full-time, or not seek to obtain some external/internal financial support. The reason is that your educational experience should augment your professional experience, since professionals bring career level rigor to the classroom. Also, there are so many opportunities for financial support, including employer tuition benefits, fellowships/scholarships, tuition remission, and external financial stakeholders, that with the right strategy, anyone can obtain funding.
Ultimately, no matter what millennial PR professionals decide, an advanced degree will be advantageous, and beneficial in the field of PR.
Economic Developer| Civic Leader| Development & Community Advisory Consultant| WVON&Ariel Investments 40 under 40 Gamechanger| Loyola Quinlan School of Business Distinguished Alumni Leadership Award Recipient
5yThan you so much Jon-Michael Odean! Please share!
Salesforce Communications Analyst | MA,
5yI totally agree with you here--especially as someone in one of my gigs is on the other side of the admissions process for graduate to terminal level degrees and literally have this conversation many times over every week.
Marketing Professional - Experience in Retail, Beauty, Hospitality and Non-Profit
5yThanks for sharing this article... My under grade degree is in merchandising. I'm currently exploring masters programs. It's been on my mind heavy. Mainly I want to get it out the way while I'm still young and have energy. This was very informative and motivational.
Super!
Senator
6yGreetings Jonathan! You are really dynamic. I enjoyed my time in the MPM program and wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments of the article as a Millennial! I will heading President Barack Obama, #ObamaFoundation Summit in two weeks bringing together young leaders from across!