Graduate Diploma in Public Relations

Overview

The Graduate Diploma in Public Relations offers working professionals the opportunity to acquire fundamental knowledge in public relations, enhance their communication skills, complement their work experience, and advance their career. This program is designed to equip graduates of disciplines other than communication with essential skills and competencies that may lead to a variety of job opportunities, including work as a public relations specialist, marketing assistant, account executive, campaign speech writer, media planner, lobbyist, and press agent.

Educational Aims

The aims of the program are to enable students to:

• Develop a systematic understanding of the strategic function of the practice of professional public relations in diverse areas and settings.
• Critically assess an organization's internal and external communication requirements and develop the ability to research, manage, and implement planned communication programs.
• Develop a range of discipline-related transferable skills that will allow them to work in creative and independent ways.
• Adhere to the highest professional and ethical standards in the practice of public relations and other communication-related careers.

Program Structure

Students must successfully complete 5 graduate-level courses, representing 15 US credits that are cross-listed with the MA in Strategic Communication and Public Relations.

Required Courses:

• Public Relations Strategy
• Advanced Media Writing and Techniques
• Public Relations and the New Media

Elective Courses (2 from the list):

• Communication for the Tourism Industry
• Communication for the Entertainment Industry
• PR in Public and Non-Profit Organizations
• Crisis Communication Management
• Effective Communication Skills
• Multimedia Applications for Communication Campaigns
• Strategic Corporate Communication
• Political Communication

Flexible Study & Course Duration

The program may be completed in one year (full-time) or up to two years (part-time). Classes run Monday to Thursday from 18:30-21:30. New students are admitted at the start of the fall, winter, and spring terms.

Tuition & Scholarships

The institution aims to attract the highest quality graduate applicants regardless of their ability to finance their education. For this reason, scholarships covering a portion of the cost of tuition are offered to applicants who have demonstrated exceptional academic performance. A discount policy is also in effect for organizations and alumni.

Admission to the Program

Applicants should be able to demonstrate:

1. Competence to undertake graduate work: a College or University degree.
2. Evidence of Proficiency in the English language: TOEFL, IELTS, Proficiency, or Duolingo English Test (minimum required score 125)
3. Motivation and/or relevant experience to specialize in this area: Evidence of strong motivation to work in communication-related areas will be sought in the interview and the personal statement submitted with the application form.

The American College of Greece (ACG) is an independent, non-profit, non-sectarian, co-educational institution founded in 1875 in Smyrna (Izmir), Asia Minor, by missionaries from Boston, Massachusetts. Following the Asia Minor Catastrophe, the college relocated to Athens in 1923 and has operated there ever since. It is the oldest and largest U.S.-accredited, comprehensive educational institution in Europe, with over 150 years of transformative education and a long-standing role in fostering intellectual and cultural ties between Greece and the United States.

ACG is chartered as a U.S. 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity by the State of Colorado, and is governed by an independent board of trustees. Its motto — Non Ministrari, Sed Ministrare ("Not to be Served, but to Serve") — reflects its foundational commitment to education in service of society.

Three divisions:

ACG operates across three distinct academic divisions, each serving a different stage of education:

• Pierce: a pre-kindergarten through secondary school offering a Gymnasium, Lyceum and an International Baccalaureate Programme, with campuses in Aghia Paraskevi and a Pierce East Campus in Spata
• Deree: the undergraduate and graduate college, with all instruction delivered entirely in English, located on the main 64-acre campus in Aghia Paraskevi.
• Alba Graduate Business School: a specialized postgraduate business school located in downtown Athens, built on ACG's long-standing legacy of academic excellence.

Accreditation

ACG was first accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) in 1981, becoming the first U.S. institution abroad to achieve this distinction. In 2023, The American University of Greece (AUG) — ACG's newly incorporated U.S. affiliate — received full institutional NECHE accreditation, which includes ACG's operations in Greece through a validating agreement. This means Deree graduates hold degrees with the same credentials as graduates of other NECHE institutions, including MIT, Harvard, Brown, Boston College and Amherst.

Deree is also validated by The Open University (UK), providing graduates with an additional internationally recognized award pathway. In 2024, AUG launched a Global Campus offering fully online degree programs rooted in ACG's academic tradition.

Campus

The main campus in Aghia Paraskevi sits on the western slopes of Mount Hymettus, about ten kilometers from central Athens, and was originally designed by the renowned Greek architect Constantine Doxiadis. Its 64 acres include smart classrooms, science and STEM laboratories, fine art studios and exhibition spaces, a Center for the Arts with multiple performance venues including the Pierce Theater, a black box theater and the Irene Bailey Theater, a library, a gym, a swimming pool, tennis courts, a soccer and track complex, a chapel, and student lounges. The campus offers panoramic views of the Athens basin.

Student life

Student life at ACG is active and diverse. Students can join academic societies, a wide range of clubs, and student organizations including the Deree Student Association, the Research Scholars Organization, and the Student Emergency Response Force. Intercollegiate and intramural sports are organized under the Deree Griffins banner. Arts programming is extensive, with music, theater, dance and visual arts performances running throughout the academic year under the Arts at Deree initiative. An International Honors Program is available for high-achieving students, including a Stanford Summer component and a dedicated merit scholarship. Service learning projects connect students to the broader Athens community.

Research and institutes

ACG's research activity spans applied academic research and public policy engagement through four dedicated centers:

• ACG Research Center (ACG-RC): supports interdisciplinary applied research, with active projects including a study on the role of the Greek-American diaspora in bilateral U.S.-Greece relations from 1974 to 2024
• Institute of Global Affairs: hosts research, public events and publications on international policy and geopolitics
• Institute of Public Health: conducts public health research and runs an annual lecture series open to the wider community
• The Demos Center: dedicated to democratic values, civic discourse and public engagement

Sustainability

Sustainability is a core institutional commitment at ACG. The college has been listed among the Princeton Review's most environmentally responsible colleges for seven consecutive years, and is one of only four European institutions to appear on the list for 2025. In 2024, ACG was recognized as a top performer in five categories of the AASHE Sustainable Campus Index — Campus Engagement, Energy, Grounds, Purchasing, and Wellbeing and Work — making it the highest-ranked STARS institution outside the United States and Canada. ACG also received the 2024 EPEAT Purchaser Award for the second consecutive year for sustainable electronics procurement, and was featured in Greece's inaugural Hellenic Impact Report for its integration of sustainability across academics, operations and partnerships. The college currently offers 149 sustainability-focused and sustainability-inclusive courses across undergraduate and graduate levels.

Student support services

• Student Academic Support Services (SASS): learning facilitation, peer tutoring and academic resources
• Career Services: career planning, internship placement, and employer connections including an annual ACG Career Days event
• Student Success Center: holistic advising and student wellbeing support
• Counseling and Health and Wellness Center: mental health services, wellness coaching and medical assistance
• Financial assistance: merit scholarships, grants, work-study, and access to U.S. Federal Loans and Veterans Aid for eligible students
• On-campus and nearby housing for undergraduate and study-abroad students

International reach

1. ACG welcomes study-abroad students from universities worldwide through semester, summer and intensive programs in Athens. Special programs include the Hellenic Studies Summer School, the Heritage Greece program, and a longstanding collaboration with Harvard University's Center for Hellenic Studies. Through its Outbound Study Abroad Programme, Deree students can study at partner institutions in cities including Stanford, New York, Boston, London, Rome, Seoul, Shanghai and Berlin. A parallel studies pathway also allows students enrolled in Greek public universities to earn a Deree degree simultaneously.