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Case Study

Bridget McClean

Australia

MA Public Relations


After graduating from MA Public Relations, Bridget McClean started working at W Communications in Newcastle and hopes to progress in the company. She attributes her success to the supportive tutors and opportunities to meet employers on the course.

I chose to study PR at Sunderland because of the course’s reputation; I knew that Sunderland was well-known for its PR and Journalism courses. I also found that the PR MA was a lot more practical and geared towards getting a job than other courses I had looked at.

I did an undergraduate degree at University of Leeds and following that, worked as a journalist. It was while working at a local newspaper that I decided I wanted to make a career change and move into PR. I thought it was better to get a qualification in PR first before applying for jobs.

For me, the best part of the course was links to employers. There were a number of opportunities to attend talks and networking events where you were able to meet people already working in the industry. I also liked the variety of content on the course.

I'd definitely recommend the University of Sunderland to other students – I had really good support from tutors and I thought the course content was interesting. I'd say take every opportunity that comes your way, attend as many extracurricular events as you can and get stuck in. Supportive tutors, varied course content and the opportunity to meet employers helped me achieve my goals.

Since finishing my MA I have started working at a global PR agency. W Communications opened its Newcastle office in April and I started in June. I hope to progress in the company and continue developing my skills in PR and communications.

Published 14 April 2018

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