Graduate Certificate - Public Relations

The Public Relations graduate certificate is a one-year postgraduate program with field experience, and one of the longest-established PR programs in Canada.

Coursework covers public relations strategy and planning, media relations and news writing, crisis and issues management, corporate and internal communication, government relations and public affairs, stakeholder and community engagement, digital and social PR, event management, research and campaign evaluation, and communication law and ethics. Students build a professional portfolio through live client campaigns.

The one-year postgraduate format works well for PR specifically, because the field values subject knowledge. A graduate with a science, finance or health degree plus PR training is far better positioned for specialist communications roles than someone with communications training alone.

The work placement is a graded part of the program, so you finish with documented Canadian experience and a referee rather than only a transcript.

Humber Polytechnic — formerly Humber College — is Ontario’s largest public college and a Designated Learning Institution (DLI O19376943122). The Lakeshore campus sits on the shore of Lake Ontario in south Etobicoke, next to Colonel Samuel Smith Park, and is home to Humber’s business degrees, media and creative arts, and social and community services programs. Heritage buildings, a residence opened in 2024 and a free shuttle to the North campus make it the most distinctive of Humber’s sites.

Its field maps to CIP 09.0902 (Public relations and applied communication). Important: this is a college credential rather than a degree, so it is not exempt from the November 2024 PGWP field-of-study restriction — eligibility depends on this CIP field appearing on IRCC’s eligible list when you apply. Humber publishes a PGWP-eligible program list with CIP codes; check it, and confirm with an Apply Study Visa counsellor before committing. IRCC makes the final decision.