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Accreditation Central
Southern Arizona Chapter of PRSA
If you are interested in earning your Accredited in Public Relations (APR), then you've come to the right place. The Southern Arizona Chapter of PRSA has organized this effort into a nine-step process that takes you from information gathering to the written exam.
The process is simple, but it does take time and commitment. It involves regular study of academic materials, pulling together a portfolio of your work, participating in a Readiness Review and taking a challenging written examination. Those who complete the effort find the process of preparing for the exam a very rewarding experience.
So, what are you waiting for? The first step is right here!
Step 1. Visit the Universal Accreditation Board Web page to determine if you meet the requirements to take the Accreditation Exam.
Step 2. Contact the chapter's Accreditation chair to inform him of your intent to take the exam and to obtain more details.
Step 3. Begin pulling together materials for your portfolio. The format and organization of a portfolio of work is entirely up to the individual Accreditation candidate. The Southern Arizona Chapter recommends organizing your portfolio in a 2-inch or narrower, three-ring presentation binder.
Additional portfolio recommendations
Step 4. Purchase the recommended texts and begin a study regimen.
Step 5. Begin working on your Accreditation questionnaire
Instructions
Questionnaire
Step 6. Complete your application and submit it to the Universal Accreditation Board.
The application and exam fee is $385. PRSA members are reimbursed $110 following the completion of the written exam.
Keep in mind that you will have one year from the date that your application is accepted to complete your Readiness Review and the written exam.
Step 7. Once you have completed your Accreditation questionnaire and submitted your application to the Universal Accreditation Board, you can begin coordinating a time, date and location for your Readiness Review.
Step 8. Upon obtaining an 'advance to the written exam' from the Readiness Review Panel, you will receive instructions from the Universal Accreditation Board on how to schedule your written exam with Prometric. Prometric has one location in the Tucson area.
If you receive a 'not advanced to the written exam' from the Readiness Review Panel, you are required to wait 90 days before you can reschedule your next Readiness Review.
Step 9. Take the written exam.
The Universal Accreditation Board sends your exam results to you in about two weeks.
If you do not pass the exam, the fee for a retake is $200, providing you retake within six months. No rebates apply for retakes.
Recommended Texts
Effective Public Relations. 9th ed
Cutlip, Scott M., Allen H. Center, and Glen M. Broom.
Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall, 2006.
Online study guide for Effective Public Relations
Public Relations: Strategies and Tactics Study Edition. 8th ed.
Wilcox, Dennis L., and Glen T. Cameron.
Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2005.
Online study guide for Public Relations: Strategies and Tactics
Links to resources:
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
Code of Conduct
Study guide
Online study course: It is a self-paced, web-based course that costs $195 for PRSA members.
Online simulation of written exam
Accreditation maintenance requirements
Information
PDF version
Word version
Revised Word
Q&A on changes to accreditation maintenance
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