I have a Ph.D. and the APR. Ask yourself: If I am applying for a job with, say, an agency or a nonprofit, which credential is more impressive or useful, the Ph.D. or the APR? Easy. The APR.

Outside the university, my APR is the top credential I can get in public relations.

What makes the practitioner a great one, is his or her ability to grow with the times, the channels and the public. If the APR came for the sake of the APR and not to improve the practice, then it would have been void. Then again, only the individual would know that for sure.

In reality, though, APR is PRSA’s money racket. Not only does PRSA charge large sums of money for its membership dues, but also it now has another way to make money. Seriously, what do the members get other than being able to say they are a member — oh, and a couple of publications that have shovelware stories from the Web.

Think about it, even after one achieves APR (a status that, as this blog author noted, doesn’t make one any better at PR, nor does it help with any sort of employment), he or she must still achieve a certain number of maintenance credits. I just received an e-mail from PRSA moments ago about a workshop that is worth one maintenance credit for those APRs out there. What’s the catch? The seminar, where we will be taught to use social media (yeah, PRSA for some reason STILL thinks social media is some new, mystical development), is $150 for PRSA members. Hm, so if one gains his or her maintenance credits through this method, how much will it cost that APR to maintain his or her accreditation over the course of a career?

I will end by saying I know many professionals who are APR-accredited that I respect and consider friends, but I personally feel as though PRSA is duping everyone. Of course, expect them to keep up a massive PR campaign to persuade you otherwise. Let the spokespersons and their trumpeting begin….

PRSA to date has opted not to go the regulatory route, as suggested by Danny Brown. The CIPR, Britain’s professional PR organization, has a regulatory body (http://www.cipr.co.uk/Membership/conduct/index.htm), but I don’t know that their membership has used this avenue widely.

I opted to pursue both a master’s degree and APR, each for different reasons. That said, I believe integrity and quality of work should speak the loudest.

Yes, they say you have passed a certain board’s approval system, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have great or moral work ethics when working.

I’d much rather see a regulatory board that has powers to censure poor PR practices and practitioners, as opposed to a Code of Ethics that isn’t really enforced.

After all, even if a PR professional is stripped of their APR, it won’t stop them getting clients. But, if a regulatory board stopped them from working in PR or running a company because of bad practice, then it would offer a whole new level of authority.

Come on. Seriously? Not to discredit the APR or accreditation process, but there’s no way it’s 1) harder to achieve than an MBA or 2) more valued in the business world than an MBA.

I don’t have either an MBA or an APR, though both are on my radar. Why? I earned an undergraduate degree in journalism and, although I took a handful of courses in the business school, I never received a full-fledged business education. I feel now that I’ve been in the “real world” for a bit, I could bring my acquired knowledge to the b-school table and get a lot out of a formal business education.

As for the APR, I did major in public relations as an undergrad, but there’s only so much one can fully understand when studying PR in school (not a knock on my professors…you were great). I really learned the most from my internships. I learned even more when I started my first job. And I continue to learn more about my profession and my abilities every day. I think going through the APR process can only improve my abilities as a PR practitioner, whether it be by re-learning the things I (should have) studied in college or learning from APR and non-APR professionals who are a part of the accreditation process on a local level.

I agree with Richie Escovedo’s comment above about CPAs.

I disagree with Martha Keeley’s comment above. She said, “…Because PR is not like a CPA or an MD…it is a highly creative field where formulas and processes change with the wind…” I understand the point she is trying to make, but don’t agree with her reasoning.

Did you know public relations professionals in some countries like Brazil and Panama need to be licensed by the government to work in PR? In fact, Edward L. Bernays lobbied for a public relations license in the U.S. before he passed away. Read more about it here.