Public Relations and Corporate Development

Study overview

Why should you choose this PR Master?

If you see your future in PR, this PR Master offers unique practical relevance. Learn everything you need for a successful start to your career in the PUK Master's programme: strategic communication, press relations, digital communication, organisation and management, media and communication psychology or crisis communication are just some of the subject areas in which you will acquire crucial career-relevant skills for the PR industry with us.

This is what our graduates say:

"Through the many practical projects, I have learned to keep a cool head even in stressful situations."
Jana Lieber, Junior Managerin Medien-, TV- und Contentproduktion Frauen-Bundesliga DFB

"The combination of practical relevance and strategic, conceptual work in the PUK Master's helps enormously when starting a career. The transition from studying to the professional world feels almost fluid." Tim Schmidt, Marketing & Communications Manager Deutsche Bahn

"For my current working life in a PR agency, the numerous practical projects in combination with sound theoretical knowledge were particularly helpful."
Frederike Hofmann, Digital Creative Consultant Agency Banauten GmbH & Moderator

"PUK has created the best basis for my current job as an internal divisional communicator at BMW. I use what I've learned every day. With my communication formats, I am the mouthpiece of top management and reach several thousand employees."
Sofia Haimerl, Corporate Communication BMW

Short form	PUK / PUT
Type of study	Full time / Part time
Standard period of study	3 semester
Award	Master of Arts (M.A.)
Start of studies	Winter semester & summer semester
Admission restrictions	Specific
Lecture location	Ansbach
Language of instruction	German
Course management	Prof. Dr. Martin Müller
Student advisory service	Prof. Dr. Martin Müller
Student Services	studierendenservice.puk(at)hs-ansbach.de

Course flyer (German)

Study and examination regulations

What makes the PUK Master's programme special?

1) From practice for practice:
The PUK degree programme is characterised above all by its strong practical relevance: Students work in small groups on projects in cooperation with renowned companies and thus not only gain real practical experience, but can already make important contacts for their professional future during their studies and at PR and networking events. Companies/organisations with which we have realised practical projects include: Diakoneo, DATEV, 1st FC Heidenheim, Hyundai, ISO Group, Hans Kupfer & Sohn GmbH & Co.KG, Netways GmbH, PR Report Camp, Verlag Nürnberger Presse, 1st FC Nuremberg, Federal Employment Agency, Nuremberg Airport, wbg Nuremberg Real Estate, Middle Franconia Police, Porsche Sportkommunikation.

Excursion to Nuremberg Airport (focus on crisis communication)

Guest speaker Elke Schönwald (Press spokeswoman, Central Franconia Police)

^{Photo credit: Sarah Tausche, Jana Wiske}

This is what employers say about our degree programme:

"Practically trained, with a pronounced hands-on mentality, as well as team-oriented and collegial: the graduates of the PUK course at Ansbach University of Applied Sciences have been enriching DATEV's corporate communications for years - and this not infrequently ends in a permanent position." Markus Riedl, Managing Editor Corporate Communications, DATEV eG, Nuremberg

2) Up-to-date and on the pulse of the times:
We regularly invite industry experts to our courses to provide our students with insights into current developments in corporate communications.

Current guest speakers:
Christian Albrecht (Press Spokesman Nuremberg Airport)
Dr. Winfried Ebner (Corporate Communications, Deutsche Telekom)
Katharina Fritsch (Head of Corporate Communications & CSR 1. FC Nürnberg)
Peter Lemm (Head of Corporate Communications Krombacher)
Melanie Mikulla (Corporate Spokesperson ADAC)
Luna Mittig (Vocal Coach, Presenter, Speaker)
Claudia Oeking (Head of External Affairs & Managing Director Philip Morris Germany)
Diana Oertel (Senior Community Manager, mobile.de GmbH)
Dr. Ulf Santjer (Executive Director of Corporate Communications & Corporate Marketing Messe Nürnberg, former Press Spokesman PUMA)
Dr. Andreas Schmitz (Der Akkudoktor, Germany's No. 1 YouTuber for PV, batteries and renewable energies)
Elke Schönwald (Press Officer, Middle Franconia Police)
Sabine Stoll (Press Officer Nuremberg Hospital)
Sisi Zheng (Head of Marketing & Customer Communication for Southeast region, DB Regio AG)

3) Research and doctoral opportunities:
The PUK Master's programme stands for a balanced relationship between theory and practice as well as applied research. Our research focuses on health communication, crisis communication, personal branding and sports communication. For our graduates there is the possibility to do a doctorate, gladly also part-time.

Examples of current research projects:
The importance of paid press trips in sports journalism
German Football Base 2022

4) Additional qualification through "double degree":
We are currently working on the possibility for our students - if they so wish - to acquire a further Master's degree in business (MBA) in addition to the Master of Arts by spending an additional semester abroad at one of our partner universities as part of a double degree. As soon as there is news on this, we will publish it here.

Frequently asked questions about the application:

Is there an admission restriction?

The PUK Master's programme has a very fair admission procedure based on a simple points system. If you achieve the required number of points, which should usually not be a problem, then you will definitely get a place on the programme.

I didn't study journalism in my Bachelor's degree. Can I still apply?

Yes, you can if you have either completed any media degree programme or alternatively have practical experience in journalism, PR or marketing. In the Master's programme in Public Relations and Corporate Communications, this practical experience in media work is very important to us because we get into PR work "for real" right away in the programme. That is our "core". So if you think that you have enough practical experience in media work even without a pure media degree (e.g. because you are currently working in the media industry or public relations, or you might be able to do a longer internship before the start of the degree programme that will broaden your practical experience), then don't hesitate to apply. We look at every application personally.

Bachelor's degree at a university, 30 ECTS points missing. Can I still acquire these?

Of course. You can either complete additional courses during your studies in Ansbach or have an internship credited as ECTS points.

Can I also do a semester abroad?

No problem. It makes sense to do the semester abroad after the second semester and before the Master's thesis. In this context, you may also be interested in the double degree that we are currently preparing.

Can I also study the PUK Master's part-time?

Yes, you can. From the coming winter semester, you can also study the PUK Master's degree part-time. You will take the same courses as full-time students, but you will have more time to complete your studies and can continue to work in parallel. A change from part-time to full-time or vice versa is also possible. If you study the PUK Master's degree full-time, you will also have enough time to gain practical work experience. We create enough free space for your individual professional commitment (e.g. as a working student) through suitable timetabling. One day a week is usually completely free and there are additional digital teaching units that increase your flexibility.

Admission requirements

To be able to apply for a study place, the following requirements must be met:

Successful completion of a media or journalism degree programme at a German university with at least 210 ECTS credit points or an equivalent domestic or foreign degree. Graduates with less than 210 ECTS credit points can compensate for the difference in points by taking modules at Ansbach University of Applied Sciences.
Proof of sufficient German language skills, European reference framework language level C1.

Details on these requirements can be found in our FAQs and in the study and examination regulations.

Course-specific admission procedure

Once the above-mentioned admission requirements have been met, the programme-specific admission procedure can begin. This takes place according to a simple and transparent points system: A place on the programme is awarded to those who achieve a total of at least 50 points out of a maximum of 80 points.

The points are assessed on the basis of:

The overall examination result from the undergraduate diploma, bachelor's or master's degree (first degree) with a maximum of 60 points,
the submission of a Bachelor's thesis in the fields of media / PR and corporate communications with a maximum of 10 points, and
a full-time internship of at least 20 weeks in the fields of media or PR and corporate communications with a maximum of 10 points.

Important: Points do not necessarily have to be contributed from all three areas! You only need a total of 50 points, which can also come from only one or two areas.

If, for example, your overall grade is 1.5 or better, then you have already reached the 50 points and will be admitted. A Bachelor's thesis with a media topic or 20 weeks of internship would not be necessary at all (but of course very useful in principle).

If your overall grade is 2.0 - which corresponds to 40 points - and you have also written a Bachelor's thesis on a media topic, then you have 40 + 10 points and will be admitted.

If your overall grade is 2.5 - which corresponds to 30 points - and you have also written a Bachelor's thesis on a media topic and completed a 20-week full-time internship in the media industry, then you have 30 + 10 + 10 points and will be admitted.

Here is another important note on the application procedure: Apply even if you don't have all the documents together yet - e.g. if you still lack the grade of the Bachelor's thesis and thus still lack the actual overall grade. If you submit your current grade point average instead (without BA grade), then your existing average grade can usually be used to estimate whether you will (probably) achieve the required 50 points. In this way, you can receive admission in a timely manner and have more planning security.

Study structure

The consecutive Master's programme in Public Relations and Corporate Communications imparts comprehensive theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of corporate communications, building on suitable undergraduate Bachelor's programmes (Journalism / Journalistik). The programme is offered as a full-time course of study with a standard duration of three semesters and a total of 90 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) points.

Course contents

The course content in the Master's programme in Public Relations and Corporate Communication rests on three module groups, which are interlinked in terms of subject and content:

PR and UK theory modules,
PR and UK practice modules,
PR and UK interdisciplinary modules

Here is a schematic overview of the degree programme:

The theory modules convey the theoretical-scientific underpinnings of central fields of modern corporate communication. The practical modules take up these theoretical foundations and deepen them with corresponding practical exercises in the respective subject area. Basic knowledge of journalism is essential in order to achieve optimal learning success. Due to their conceptual design, the practical modules offer the possibility to flexibly adapt the curriculum to current developments in professional practice. Interdisciplinary modules always flank the theory and practice modules. In the third semester, students write their Master's thesis in a company.

Staff

Prof. Dr. Martin Müller

Studiengangleiter Public Relations und Unternehmenskommunikation (PUK) / Stellvertretender Vorsitzender Prüfungskommission Public Relations und Unternehmenskommunikation (PUK)

0981 4877-367 92.1.1 nach Vereinbarung martin.mueller vCard

Mehr erfahren

Prof. Dr. Jana Wiske

Professorin Public Relations und Unternehmenskommunikation (PUK) / Vorsitzende Prüfungskommission Public Relations und Unternehmenskommunikation (PUK)

0981 4877-249 92.2.2 Donnerstag 10.00-12.00 Uhr, Termin nur nach vorheriger schriftlicher Vereinbarung per E-Mail j.wiske vCard

Mehr erfahren