Different websites have made available many free online public relations courses. You can even find nearby schools or programs using your electronic gadget like a smartphone, tablet, or PC to search online.
The sweet thing about some of these free online public relations courses is that you get certificates after completing your studies.
So many students have leveraged on several free online courses platform to learn, grow and connect, so you shouldn’t be left out.
However, exploring free online public relations courses with certificates of completion can open up a whole new world of management, business, and career opportunities for you.
Public opinion is the most powerful and influential factor in determining whether or not any business or organization will succeed. The same is true across private and public sectors alike. Public opinion can make or break a brand in record time.
For instance, just as public solid opinion can propel a business to succeed instantly, a poor reputation can have the opposite effect.
So, as a profession, public relations is challenging, rewarding, and fulfilling in equal measures. Along with practical experience and a particular set of character traits, it takes a solid educational foundation to build a life-long career in PR.
It’s super-easy to do, and you can start from the list of free online public relations courses with certificates we’ll share in this article.
Below is a comprehensive list of free online public relations courses with certificates you can enroll in for now. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by.
So, before we continue let’s go through the table of content.
Table of contents
- Why Choose Free Online Courses?
- How To Take An Online Courses
- Which Of The Universities Offer Free Online Courses?
- List Of The Free Online Public Relations Course Websites
- List Of Free Public Relations Online Courses
- 1. Public Speaking
- 2. Introduction To Public Relations – Revised
- 3. Diploma In Public Relation – Revised
- 4. Public Relations: Best Practices and Ethics- Revised
- 5. Public Relations: Optimize Systems Theory and Stakeholder Management Practices – Revised
- 6. Foundations of Business Strategy by Coursera
- 7. Introduction To Public Relations
- 8. Public Relations: Optimize Systems Theory and Stakeholder Management Practices
- 9. Public Relations: Best Practices and Ethics
- 10. Diploma In Public Relations
- Benefits Of An Online Public Relations Certificates
- FAQS
- CONCLUSION
- REFERENCES
- RECOMMENDATIONS
Why Choose Free Online Courses?
The current challenges facing traditional colleges and universities include higher tuition, budget cuts, and course shortages, which cause many students to search for alternatives.
However, here are the reasons for free online courses:
1. Variety of programs and courses:
From regular four-year universities to fully online career colleges, higher education today offers different types of options for students.
This means that no matter what students study, from nursing to neuroscience, they can find the courses or programs they need online.
Also students can earn every academic degree online, from a career certificate to a doctorate.
2. More comfortable learning environment:
Having a good learning environment is very important. So, students listen to lectures and complete assignments sent to them electronically, with no need to fight traffic, leave work early for class, or miss necessary family time.
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3. More interaction and more remarkable ability to concentrate:
While still thinking about the rate of online student participation versus participation in traditional courses, one thing remains certain: Online courses offer shy or more reticent students the opportunity to participate in class discussions more easily than face-to-face class sessions.
Some students even report better attention in online classes due to the lack of classroom activity.
4. Career advancement:
Students can take online courses and even complete entire degrees while working, in-between jobs, or taking time to raise a family.
So, earning a degree can show ambitiousness to prospective employers and a desire to remain informed and prepared for new challenges.
5. Convenience and flexibility:
Online courses allow students to plan study time around the rest of their day instead of the other way around. In other words, students can study and work at their convenience.
How To Take An Online Courses
If you’re considering taking online college courses (or already enrolled in a program), the tips and advice below can help you know how to take an online course.
1. Treat an online course like a “real” course
When it comes to online classes, you need the discipline to sit down and say, “I am going to work on this,” as well as the dedication to follow through. Though you can be flexible when completing your work during the week, you can’t put it off indefinitely.
Even though it is free, one of the easiest ways is that you must “show up” if you’re going to get real value out of your class. Treat your online classes the way you would a face-to-face class or, better yet, a job, and you’ll be off to the right start.
2. Hold yourself accountable
Set goals at the beginning of the semester, and check in with yourself weekly. In a traditional classroom setting, you’ll often receive verbal or visual reminders of an assignment’s upcoming due date.
But without someone actively reminding you, it’s up to you to ensure you’ve allotted enough time to complete the work so you’re not starting an assignment the day before it’s due.
But if you are having a problem holding accountability for yourself, you can pair with your classmate or ask for help from your friend to check in as your accountability partner.
3. Practice time management
The flexibility in creating your schedule is often one of the biggest appeals of taking online classes.
But that freedom can also be detrimental if you do not have solid time management skills. Without them, you might easily cringe before classes or completing compiled assignments.
Though how you manage your time will depend on your schedule, learning style, and personality, here are some tips that will help you improve your time management skills.
- Look at the syllabus at the start of the semester and make a note of significant assignments: Mark them on a calendar and regularly check so you know what workload is coming in the weeks ahead.
- Create a weekly schedule you follow by designating specific hours of each week to read, watch lectures, complete assignments, study, and participate in forums.
- Check in periodically throughout the term, and look at how you’re spending your time. Ask yourself: How much time am I dedicating to course reading and assignments? A little self-reflection and adjustment can go a long way.
4. Eliminate distractions
From Netflix to social media, you’ll face many distractions that can quickly derail your studies. The best online students know how to lessen these distractions and set aside time to focus.
5. Figure Out How You Learn Best
Once you’ve established where you’ll learn, think about when and how you accomplish your best work. If you’re a morning person, make time to study the first thing.
More of a night owl? Set aside an hour or two after dinner to cozy up to your computer. Do whatever you need to get into the zone and down to business.
6. Actively participate
Participate in the course’s online forum to help you better understand course materials and engage with classmates.
This might involve commenting on a classmate’s paper on a discussion board or posting a question about a project you’re working on. Also, if you have any questions, you can ask for clarification.
Which Of The Universities Offer Free Online Courses?
Top universities around the world are offering free online classes that include recordings of lectures to interactive courses with assignments and final projects.
These types of learning opportunities can be an excellent way for job seekers to boost their skill set, gain valuable knowledge, and enhance their likelihood of career progression.
However, the common term that defines these free classes is MOOC, which stands for Massive Open Online Courses.
Many of these universities offer free classes via a MOOC platforms, such as Coursera, edX, and Udemy.
So, here are some of the Universities that offer free online courses.
1. Carnegie Mellon University
The university is located in Pittsburgh. It was founded in 1848 by Andrew Carnegie as a technical school and merged with the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research in 1967 to become its current iteration.
Through its Open Learning Initiative, CMU offers low-cost courses and an “Open and Free” section allowing students to access the course material for free.
These courses are self-guided, meaning no instructor or grades are assigned, along with no credit. “Evidence-Based Management,” “Introduction to Programming in Java,” and “Spanish I” are just a few of the courses available. Click on the school website for more information
2. Harvard University
Harvard is the oldest higher education institution in the U.S. The Ivy League school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Online learning website edX hosts Harvard’s free courses. These self-paced courses are accessible on an audit basis, but a certificate can be awarded for a fee.
Each course will provide information on how much time is required, the difficulty level, and information on instructors. You can click on the school website for more details.
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3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
MIT is a Cambridge, Massachusetts- based school known for its academic focus on engineering and computer science. In 2001, the institute placed nearly all of its course content online.
The site is known as OpenCourseWare (OCW) and contains material from 2,400 courses. OCW doesn’t require registration; courses are categorized by topic, department, and MIT course number.
Each course contains lecture notes, readings, and assignments. To learn more about the school, click here.
4. Stanford University
Stanford University, near the Bay Area in California, is a top school often known for its proximity to Silicon Valley. Since 2011, Stanford Online has been the university’s online collection of courses.
According to its website, “Stanford offers over 100 unique, free online courses or MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) in service to the world, for lifelong learning and self-enrichment.”
Free college classes can be found on its website in a wide range of topic areas that span humanities, medicine, engineering, and more. For more information, click here.
5. Yale University
Yale University is a private Ivy League research university established in 1701. It is well known for providing quality education in several disciplines.
Architecture, art, drama, engineering, applied science, forestry, environmental studies, medicine, music, nursing, and public health are a few of their specialties.
Yale offers online courses through Coursera and a site called Open Yale Courses. They provide free access to introductory courses on astronomy, biology, economics, history, philosophy and psychology, and others.
6. University of California, Berkeley
UC Berkeley is a public university that serves as the flagship campus of 10 universities within the University of California system. The U.S. News & World Report includes the school in the list of Best Colleges, making it a top college.
In 2012, UC Berkeley created a resource to house all of its online courses and degree programs. In conjunction with edX, courses ranging from statistics and marketing to business writing and literature can be audited for free.
7. Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a prestigious private research facility based in Nashville, Tennessee, which offers a full range of degrees in Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Education and Human Development, and Music.
There are also graduate programs in Divinity, Law, Medicine, Nursing, and Management.
However, topics include programming, business, health and medicine, teaching, and social sciences. Paid certificates are available for some courses. Online courses are available via a website called Class Central.
List Of The Free Online Public Relations Course Websites
On many of these websites, students may audit courses at no charge. Still, they can also pay to earn certificates of completion and gain access to additional features, including graded assignments and instructor feedback.
So, here is a list of websites:
- Coursera,
- edX,
- Lynda,
- Udemy
- Alison etc.
- Open Culture Online Courses
- Udemy
- Academic Earth
- iTunesU Free Courses, etc.
These website list above offer a range of free online course options.
List Of Free Public Relations Online Courses
This will be of great interest to professionals who work in PR and Communications and would like to know more about PR’s different functions and sub-functions.
Also for learners who are interested and would like to know more about the role of PR within the modern business environment.
Therefore, you can try the courses yourself to build your PR career.
Based on research, here is the list of ten(10) free online courses
- Public Speaking
- Introduction To Public Relations – Revised
- Diploma In Public Relations – Revised
- Public Relations: Best Practices and Ethics- Revised
- Public Relations: Optimise Systems Theory and Stakeholder Management Practices – Revised
- Foundations of Business Strategy by Coursera
- Introduction To Public Relations
- Public Relations: Optimise Systems Theory and Stakeholder Management Practices
- Public Relations: Best Practices and Ethics
- Diploma In Public Relations
1. Public Speaking
Offered by: Workforce Academy Partnership
This free online course teaches how to become confident and effective at public speaking. For more information, click here.
2. Introduction To Public Relations – Revised
Offered by: Saylor Foundation
These free Public Relations courses will teach you how to incorporate PR principles into your business practices. For more information, click here.
3. Diploma In Public Relation – Revised
Offered by: Saylor Foundation
In this course, you will discover the fundamental theories, principles, and best practices of effective Public Relations with this free online course.
4. Public Relations: Best Practices and Ethics- Revised
Offered by: Saylor Foundation
In this course, you will learn about the best practices and ethics in PR management with this free online Public Relations course. For more information click here.
5. Public Relations: Optimize Systems Theory and Stakeholder Management Practices – Revised
Offered by: Saylor Foundation
Learn how to protect and enhance your organization’s reputation with an understanding of PR research and theory. Click here for more information.
6. Foundations of Business Strategy by Coursera
Develop your ability to think strategically, analyze the competitive environment, and recommend firm positioning and value creation.
In this course, you’ll explore the underlying theory and foundation of a successful business strategy and gain the tools you need to understand that strategy.
7. Introduction To Public Relations
Offered by: Saylor Foundation
This free Public Relations course will teach you how to incorporate effective PR principles into your business practices.
8. Public Relations: Optimize Systems Theory and Stakeholder Management Practices
Offered by: Saylor Foundation
Learn about the organizational prioritization and research theory behind PR functions. Click here for more information.
9. Public Relations: Best Practices and Ethics
Offered by: Saylor Foundation
Learn about best practices and ethics for excellence in Public Relations. Click here for more information.
10. Diploma In Public Relations
Offered by: Saylor Foundation
You will discover the principles and practices used in effective Public Relations and learn to develop a professional PR strategy. For more information, click here.
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Benefits Of An Online Public Relations Certificates
1. REACH
Online PR has a broad reach compared to other online channels, and it’s possible to reach people who are unaware of the brand but could benefit from it. So, This is true for startup brands, and promotional tactics like press releases, blogs, directories, and social media can be used to spread the news.
2. CREDIBILITY
Comments that are made about your company or brand from an independent source are seen as more believable by the public than advertising messages.
People have more trust for news items from online and offline media and are usually skeptical of adverts, especially banners promoting features and benefits of your products or services.
3. BRAND ENHANCEMENT AND PROTECTION
beneficial mentions and stories of your brand can enhance its image with your target audience and boost sales.
However, the wrong ones can damage your brand, and you need to have a plan to manage your online reputation.
4. COST
Online PR can be very cost-effective because there are no costs incurred in placements in online media. The only prices to the business are an agency or internal staff to create the messages and send them to critical online media like news sites.
5. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION
Online PR can help to boost search engine rankings when a wide range of news sites, blogs, and websites pick up your story and publish it on their platforms.
This helps generate backlinks, which is the number one off-page factor for achieving high rankings, especially from authority sites.
FAQS
It is because online courses give students total control over their learning, and students can work at their speed. They can move faster through areas of the system they feel comfortable with but slower through those they need more time on.
Take The Course With A Professor On Campus.
Follow Your Syllabus Closely.
Familiarize Yourself With Your Course Shell.
Check Your Email And Course Shell Daily.
Work On Your Course Throughout The Week.
Do As Much Of The Reading As You Can. …
Find A Few Classmates To Work On The Class With.
Create A Distraction-Free Workspace.
Yes, it is possible to get a job using online courses. Online courses are sometimes better than the traditional course and even better when both work parallel.
Yes, Harvard offers free online courses. You can browse free online courses in a variety of subjects. Harvard University courses can be audited for free, or students can choose to receive a verified certificate for a small fee.
Public relations professionals shape an organization’s image. They build the brand, spread the organization’s message, and minimize the effect of negative publicity. At larger or big PR firms, staffers can have more specialized roles to handle different organizational needs.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Public relations is deliberately managing the release and spread of information between individuals, organizations, and the public.
However, this Public Relations course is free and online, so that you can access it freely. Also have a certificate at the end of the program. Therefore utilize the opportunity now.
REFERENCES
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