Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Public Relations

Program Available At Hamilton and Tauranga Campus

The research, which must be the candidate's own work, is written up as a thesis and may include papers published or intended to be published. The thesis is required to present the case for the research, outline the research was undertaken and the findings and conclusions of that research. There is no course work for this degree.

If you enjoy writing and talking to different people, and love framing ideas in imaginative and engaging ways, then a career in Public Relations may be right for you.

Public relations practitioners plan and implement communication campaigns to influence people’s attitudes and behavior. They are effective networkers who work closely with journalists to manage media publicity and act as a crucial link between an organization and its publics, such as the community, customers and corporate shareholders.

Public Relations professionals are also involved with crisis and issues management, government relations, lobbying, events, sponsorship and fundraising, and employee relations.

Note:- International Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) students enrolled in recognized research programs at New Zealand universities may qualify for domestic student status. To hold domestic student status, international Doctor of Philosophy students must be resident in New Zealand during their study, except for temporary absences for the purposes of their research (conducting research and fieldwork appropriate to their course of study). The University defines a 'temporary absence' as no more than 12 months in total during the period of their candidature. A student enrolled in a New Zealand university but remaining resident overseas does not have domestic student status.