Why Study / Key Benefits

Massey’s Public Relations and Digital Promotion major develops skills for communicating strategically with different audiences and managing relationships between organisations and their stakeholders. Students learn interpersonal and inter-group communication, strategic thinking, planning, writing, research and digital communication.

Key benefits include:

• Learn to design and manage public relations campaigns.
• Develop strategic communication and reputation-management skills.
• Build skills for communicating with customers, employees, regulators, communities, investors and wider society.
• Learn to create digital and traditional content.
• Develop social media analysis and communication skills.
• Study risk and crisis communication.
• Develop culturally responsive and internationally relevant public relations knowledge.
• Gain workplace experience through the Communication Internship course, where applicable.
• Combine Public Relations and Digital Promotion with a second specialisation/minor to broaden career options.

Programme Structure and Subjects / Topics
Bachelor of Communication core

The refreshed Bachelor of Communication structure includes core courses such as:

• 154101 Media and Society
• 154110 Digital Content Creation
• 172131 Language and Communication
• 219102 Making Communication Matter
• 219103 Communicating Many Worlds: Culture-Centred and Community-Based Practices
• 299107 True Stories Told Well
• 219214 Big Data Society
• 219300 Communication Launchpad

The core provides students with communication theory, digital skills, writing, storytelling, cultural/community perspectives, data literacy and professional preparation.

Public Relations and Digital Promotion major

The current major requires 120 credits. The programme page currently lists the following major courses:

• 219209 Public Relations Campaigns – introduces public relations and its role in creating and maintaining relationships between organisations and publics, with emphasis on campaign planning.
• 219216 Social Media Analytics – develops practical methods for analysing social-media content, engagement and platform data.
• 219219 Public Relations and Culture – examines culturally diverse public relations practices in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally.
• 219303 Inside Organisations: Communication and Processes – examines internal, leadership and conflict communication in organisations.
• 219305 Public Relations Management – examines PR theory and strategic engagement with diverse publics, organisational relationships and reputation management.
• 219312 Risk and Crisis Communication – examines communication responses to crisis, disaster and risk situations.

The major currently requires students to choose 90 credits from the listed major courses, with the remaining 30 credits coming from specified choices within the programme structure. Course prerequisites and restrictions apply.

Related communication courses

Depending on the student's study plan, relevant supporting courses can include:

• 219101 Media Writing and Promotion
• 219105 Pitches and Presentations
• 154202 Advertising and Consumer Society
• 154250 Digital Media: Theory and Practice
• 219215 Data Storytelling
• 219235 Media Law and Ethics
• 219311 Communication Internship
• 219314 News Media and Society.

Disciplines / Specialisations

The current Bachelor of Communication has four refreshed majors:

• Creative Communication and Social Change
• Digital Media
• Journalism
• Public Relations and Digital Promotion.

For Public Relations and Digital Promotion, students study areas including:

• Public relations campaigns
• Strategic communication
• Reputation management
• Social media analytics
• Digital promotion
• Organisational communication
• Risk and crisis communication
• Public relations and culture
• Media writing
• Communication research
• Digital media
• Media law and ethics.

Programme Highlights

• Current major name: Public Relations and Digital Promotion.
• The supplied older “Public Relations” page has been refreshed for the 2027 Bachelor of Communication structure.
• 120-credit Public Relations and Digital Promotion major.
• 360-credit Bachelor of Communication.
• Wellington and distance/online study options.
• Strategic, creative and practical communication education.
• Social media and digital promotion are integrated into the current major.
• Risk and crisis communication is included.
• An internship course provides an opportunity for workplace experience.
• Massey says it was New Zealand’s first institution to offer university-level public relations courses.
• Massey’s Bachelor of Communication is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC), which the university describes as an international accreditation for journalism and communication education.
• Massey reports that its Communication and Media Studies subject is ranked #1 in New Zealand by QS/ShanghaiRanking, with QS placing it in the global top 150 and ShanghaiRanking placing it in the global top 100.

Career Outcomes

The major prepares students for communication-focused roles across private, public and not-for-profit organisations. Massey identifies potential roles including:

• Communication coordinator
• Communication consultant
• Content specialist
• Social media specialist
• Project manager
• Communication adviser
• Public relations practitioner
• Digital promotion practitioner
• Campaign roles
• Community engagement roles
• Reputation-management roles.

International Student Visa Requirements

International students travelling to New Zealand for on-campus study will generally need a Fee Paying Student Visa, subject to their individual circumstances.

Immigration New Zealand currently states that the Fee Paying Student Visa:

• Costs from NZ$850.
• Can allow a stay of up to four years.
• Has an 80% processing benchmark of within eight weeks.
• Requires an offer of place from an approved education provider.
• Requires sufficient funds to pay tuition fees or an appropriate scholarship.
• Requires sufficient funds for living expenses or an acceptable sponsor.
• Requires acceptable insurance.
• Requires the applicant to meet other immigration requirements.
• Allows full-time study in the approved New Zealand course.
• May allow work up to 25 hours per week during study and full-time during scheduled holidays, depending on the conditions of the visa.