Public Relations and Crisis Communication Peer reviewed

Bridging the Graduate Education–Practice Gap: Alignment on Curriculum Needs but Divergence on the Value of Advanced Degrees

Hongmei Shen, Marlene S. Neill, Kenneth Plowman, Chelsea Woods and 2 more

Journalism & Mass Communication Educator | Jun 29, 2026

Abstract

Abstract

This study examines alignments and divergences between public relations practitioners’ and educators’ perceptions of curriculum needs and the value of a master’s degree in public relations. Guided by a coorientation framework, survey data reveal substantial agreement on core knowledge domains and skill sets, including strategic, theoretical, business, and analytical competencies, with a few exceptions. For example, educators emphasize theoretical knowledge more, while practitioners value applied courses on visual communication and media production, as well as organizational and political communication more. Nuances also exist in the perceived value of a master’s degree. Implications for graduate curriculum design and positioning are discussed.

Direct answer

What can I do from this paper page?

Use this page to scan "Bridging the Graduate Education–Practice Gap: Alignment on Curriculum Needs but Divergence on the Value of Advanced Degrees" quickly: start with the summary and abstract, then check the authors, source, topics, and related papers. From here, open Scollr to follow Public Relations and Crisis Communication research, save the paper, or map adjacent work.

Authors

Researchers on this paper

Hongmei Shen

first | San Diego State University | ORCID 0000-0003-0630-2408

Marlene S. Neill

middle | Baylor University | ORCID 0000-0001-7267-1741

Kenneth Plowman

middle | Brigham Young University

Chelsea Woods

middle | Virginia Tech

Patrick Merle

middle | Florida State University

Geoff Curtis

last | John Marshall Law School

Research areas

Follow related topics

Citation

BibTeX

@article{Shen2026Bridging,
  title = {Bridging the Graduate Education–Practice Gap: Alignment on Curriculum Needs but Divergence on the Value of Advanced Degrees},
  author = {Hongmei Shen and Marlene S. Neill and Kenneth Plowman and Chelsea Woods and Patrick Merle and Geoff Curtis},
  journal = {Journalism & Mass Communication Educator},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1177/10776958261458858},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/10776958261458858}
}

FAQ

Using this paper in a discovery workflow

How do I find related work for this paper?

Use the related papers and topic links on this page as starting points. In Scollr, you can also open the paper and build a literature map around its references, citing papers, and related work.

How can I keep up with new Public Relations and Crisis Communication research papers?

Follow Public Relations and Crisis Communication research in Scollr. New papers from the topic flow into a personalized feed, and you can save useful studies to revisit later.

Can I cite this paper from this page?

This page includes a static BibTeX block for Bridging the Graduate Education–Practice Gap: Alignment on Curriculum Needs but Divergence on the Value of Advanced Degrees. Always verify the DOI, source, and publication details against the publisher record before submitting a manuscript.

Follow this research in Scollr

Follow the topics and authors behind this paper, save useful studies, and build a literature map when you are ready to go deeper.

Get the app