An analysis of the university curricula of Spanish “dircoms” from a public relations approach

This study aims to determine whether university qualifications are prevalent among Spanish communications professionals and whether they is to a degree level, certificate of advanced study (“diplomatura”) level, or even to the third level (PhD and/or the Diploma of Advanced Studies-DEA). Additionally, this study seeks to ascertain if the different types of college studies taken are linked to communication and, specifically, to public relations. Members of the Association of Communication Directors-Dircom were chosen as the sample, whose curricula appeared in its 2015 directory. Results indicate that the subjects of the sample were mostly academic, and that previous communication training they received was prevalent in the four training variables analyzed. Consistent with the international literature reviewed in this study, it is however noted that most subjects held degrees in Journalism (21.56%), ranking well above those who studied Public Relations (6.67%), which could be the reason that knowledge and skills acquired by Spanish professionals are still insufficient for the proper practice of the position, thus perpetuating the press-agent model, without allowing an evolution to more mature levels of praxis, with more managerial and strategic orientations. The quality of previous university training received by Spanish practitioners is particularly relevant at the moment, since higher education within the EHEA, conceived as a satisfier of labor-market needs, has not yet materialized, and because the Dircom association has recently joined the project of international professional accreditation promoted by the GA-Global Alliance.