APR - Accreditation in Public Relations

APR Accreditation is a voluntary certification program for public relations professionals, administered by the Universal Accreditation Board and the Public Relations Society of America. To become Accredited and use the APR designation, PRSA members must advance from a Readiness Review and pass a written exam.

Accredited members carry the designation "Accredited in Public Relations" (APR), signifying a high professional level of experience and competence.

New APR Testing Procedures

The Universal Accreditation Board re-engineered the APR exam in 2003 after working with more than 150 Accredited public relations professionals to develop a 300-question, multiple-choice examination to replace the previous format.

Before taking the written APR exam, a candidate must participate and advance from the Readiness Review where a panel of three Accredited professionals review and discuss a public relations plan and answers to a questionnaire previously submitted by the candidate.

The Readiness Review takes approximately an hour in a meeting-style environment regularly scheduled twice a year at the Houstonian, and at additional times upon a candidate's request, pending availability of panel members.

Once the candidate advances from the Readiness Review, they have up to one year to take the written exam at any Prometric testing facility. Please visit Prometric's website at www.prometrics.com for a listing of testing centers near your location.

PRSA Member APR Eligibility

PRSA members who have a recommended five to seven years experience, a bachelor's degree or the equivalent, and have devoted a substantial portion of time to the paid professional practice of public relations or to the teaching or administration of public relations courses in an accredited college or university are eligible to take the examination for Accreditation.

Costs of Accreditation Training

PRSA members pay a $25 application fee, and after the APR candidate advances from the Readiness Review, they pay a $275 examination fee. The total fee for the written exam is $395, but PRSA pays a portion for its members.

In addition, "The Study Guide for the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) Examination" and additional public relations text books are available for purchase at www.accreditationboard.org.

Still need more information on APR?

Contact Stephanie Dedeaux, APR, El Paso Corporation, at Stephanie.Dedeaux@ElPaso.com .