APR

APR (Accredited in Public Relations) is a voluntary professional certification for public relations practitioners designed to identify professionals with demonstrated competency and experience. Practitioners holding the credential may use the letters “APR” after their names.

The credential was created by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) in 1964, motivated by a desire to enhance the professional image of the field. It required passing oral and written examinations and a minimum of five years' public relations experience. Since public relations has no mandatory entry standards such as educational exams or licensing, practitioner accreditation provided a way to distinguish highly competent practitioners from others and offered some form of quality assurance to potential clients and employers. Today, the APR certification is recognized as an important step in the evolution of public relations toward professional status.

The APR program is the largest certification program for public relations practitioners in the United [Page 41]States and has been most successful in producing accredited members. As of 2003, 21 percent of PRSA's members were accredited. According to PRSA, the average pass rate over the five years between 1998 and 2003 was 62 percent. Other organizations in the United States and abroad offer similar certification programs. Most notable in the United States is the International Association of Business Communicators' Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) designation. Internationally, a number of public relations professional organizations, including those in Australia, South Africa, and Great Britain, offer accreditation programs with criteria similar to those of current U.S. programs.

In the early 1980s, leaders of several public relations organizations in the United States began advocating for “universal accreditation”—the consolidation of accreditation programs that had sprung up among a number of public relations associations. A unified accreditation program would help to standardize professional expectations for public relations practitioners, as well as the consequences for accredited practitioners who violate codes of ethics. Competing interests among professional organizations stymied these efforts for nearly two decades. Eventually, PRSA and eight smaller public relations bodies forged a partnership called the Universal Accreditation Program (UAP).

In 1998, oversight for APR certification was transferred from PRSA to the new consortium. UAP partners include PRSA, the Agricultural Relations Council, the National School Public Relations Association, the Religion Communicators Council, the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development, and several state and regional public relations associations. A governing board composed of representatives from these organizations develops and maintains the accreditation examination and related policies, reviews appeals, and grants the APR accreditation. Day-to-day operations are administered at PRSA headquarters in New York.

Eligibility for accreditation is limited to members of UAP partner organizations who have at least five years of paid, full-time experience in the practice of public relations or in the teaching of public relations courses in an accredited college or university. Nonmembers who belong to member organizations of the North American Public Relations Council and who meet the same employment requirements as members are also eligible. Candidates must pay a fee of several hundred dollars and complete an application form. They may access a study guide, online self-study course, and instructions for preparing a portfolio from the Universal Accrediting Board.

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