Accreditation

Introduction

Accreditation has become widely recognized as a measure of professional achievement and competence. Increasingly, the terms of reference for public relations positions in the private and public sectors specify accreditation as a preferred qualification. More than 1,300 practitioners have successfully met the requirements for the designation APR (Accredited, Public Relations).

Purpose

Accreditation by the Canadian Public Relations Society Inc. signifies a professional level of experience and competence. It is not only a benchmark of personal career achievement as a professional, but is also a respected measurement of professionalism in public relations.

Eligibility

All members with five years of full-time public relations work (not necessarily five years consecutively) should apply to take the accreditation examination. Candidates must be members of CPRS at the time of application, but need not have been members during the five-year qualification period. Candidates who successfully complete a three-part examination are awarded accreditation and have the right to use the registered designation - APR - after their names.

National Council On Accreditation

The National Council on Accreditation establishes standards and procedures for the proper administration of the accreditation program. The Council consists of experienced public relations professionals from across Canada with diverse backgrounds in business, industry, government, consulting, education, etc… and reports through its Presiding Officer to the National Board of Directors. Members are appointed for a five-year term. Candidates for accreditation are encouraged to review the appropriate Bylaws and Regulations.

Procedure

Accreditation examinations are held once a year. Eligible candidates must complete an application form and submit it prior to the prescribed closing date. Application forms are available from the CPRS National Office. The examination consists of three parts:

• a review of the work example;
• a written examination and,
• an oral examination.

Exam locations and dates are announced well in advance. An attempt is made to schedule examinations as close as possible to candidates’ home cities, but is dependent upon a minimum number of registered candidates.

Preparation

The examinations are designed to test breadth and depth of public relations experience and ability, consistent with a minimum of five years full-time public relations experience. Candidates are encouraged to prepare themselves through formal and informal means. Member Societies may schedule pre-accreditation sessions. Candidates are also encouraged to review projects on which they have worked. While the accreditation exams have not been designed to be passed on the strength of heavy formal study, candidates might review public relations text books and literature available at public and post-secondary institution libraries.

Examination

Accreditation examinations are held annually in as many locations as the number of candidates can justify. By careful scheduling year after year, the Council endeavours to ensure equitable access, taking into account variations in size of Member Societies. Examinations are conducted in both English and French ; a Chief Examiner has been appointed for each language. The three parts of the examination (see Procedure) are marked independently by each of three examiners. The marks are compiled by the Chief Examiners and submitted to the National Council on Accreditation for review and approval. Candidates are notified following the Council’s approval of the results.

For More Information

For more information on earning your APR, contact:

• Fran Gregory, Msc, APR, CPRS Hamilton Accreditation Chair at 905-582-9174 or fgregory@conestogac.on.ca or
• Larisa Morton at Canadian Public Relations Society National Office at 416-239-7034 or lmorton@cprs.ca

For detailed information on the accreditation process including the Top Ten Reasons to Get Accredited, Application Process, Previous Exams and Work Samples plus the Accreditation Calendar, go to http://www.cprs.ca/Accreditation/.