George Mason University: London - Public Relations in London

In this two-week, fast track program, students will hear from senior management executives on how they meet the challenges of global PR in today’s social mediated, participatory environment.  Site visits will include several of the world’s leading public relations agencies, the British Broadcasting Corporation, a government public affairs office, the Churchill War Rooms Museum, an international corporate communication department, and an international nonprofit association!

Students will examine a wide range of current public relations issues and learn how agencies and in-house PR professionals manage and respond to them. Through this course, students will:

• Obtain a better understanding of the challenges and capabilities of today’s international public relations.


• Understand and apply communication theories and ethical principles in international public relations efforts.


• Study the impact of technology on public relations practices and the convergence of PR, advertising and marketing into integrated digital communication.


• Understand the pressure placed on PR today by the demand for original content, mobile communication, corporate social responsibility and sustainability.


• Learn how PR agencies and in-house PR departments function and the nature of the agency-client relationship, from both the agency and client perspective


• Hear from entry-level to senior management executives how to chart a career in public relations.

Students will stay in a hotel in downtown London and have the opportunity to explore various parts of this historic city in their spare time. All site visits are complemented by talks by local experts on a variety of topics. In previous years, the site schedule has included:

• H&K Strategies


• Ketchum


• Edleman


• Bell Pottinger


• LivePR


• Northrop Grumman


• US Embassy Public Affairs


• Royal Aeronautical Society


• Churchill War Rooms Museum


• The BBC


• The London Telegraph

This program has been one of our most successful and is sure to fill up, so act now to reserve your spot!

This program is open to undergraduate and graduate students with a cumulative GPA of 2.25. Students who do not attend George Mason University may also apply. 
Undergraduate students must have completed 60 credit hours by the start of the program.

1. Six credits out of the 60 hour total (two courses) must be COMM courses.


2. One of the COMM courses must include either COMM 204, COMM 330 or special permission of the Academic Director.