"Exploring" My Site

Master’s in Professional Communication and Public Relations—Prague

The M.A. in Professional Communication and Public Relations—Prague (PCPR) is a program offered in partnership with the University of New York-Prague (UNYP) and the Czech Republic’s Association for Public Relations Agencies (APRA). Building from our successful Master’s program in Philadelphia, this program is tailored to meet the needs of public relations and communication professionals in Europe and beyond.

La Salle University students currently enrolled in the Master’s in Professional Communication program in Philadelphia can take a course in Prague.

This page offers information about the MA in PCPR as well as some helpful links to information about the Czech Republic.

Program Information

University of New York-Prague Homepage.

Master’s in Professional Communication and Public Relations: This link leads you to more information, including a description of the program, admissions procedures, and other information. Note: Students who wish to enroll in the program full time should direct their applications to UNYP, not to La Salle.

Association for Public Relations Agencies: One of the Czech Republic’s leading professional associations, helping to increase the effectiveness of agencies across the country. APRA leadership has provided valuable assistance in developing the MA in PCPR curriculum.

La Salle University student policy: Click here for the policy regarding Philadelphia students in the MA in Professional Communication taking classes in Prague.

Prague Travel/Information Links

Czech Center-New York: This informative site can lead you to the official Czech Travel Authority’s site and give you information about Czechs in the U.S. You can also go to the North American pages of the Czech Travel Authority.

Czech Tourism: An “unofficial” tourist site. Offers a range of hotels and other lodging options, as well as some city/country information. I believe people pay to be on this site, so be cautious.

Prague Information Service: A spare but helpful site run by the Prague tourism department, I believe. Provided much useful, updated information during the August, 2002, floods, and claims to have a wide range of tourist information.

Travlang’s Currency Converter Site: A nifty, quick way to convert Czech Koruns to U.S. dollars. This is intended to be a guide, only. Rates may vary.

Prague I-Guide: Another general tourist information site, with hotel listings. Good background information on the country and local events. Hotel listings give you the option of booking online.

Czech Airlines: The national carrier. Offers direct flights out of Newark International. A partner airline with Delta, so you might earn some travel miles.

Prague City Server: A service of the Prague Business Journal, this site offers both news and information about the city, including a guide to accommodations and other services.

Local Lingo: So, you want to pick up a few phrases beyond “dobry den” before you go? Check out this site, which has audio clips of common Czech phrases.

My Czech Republic: An offshoot of Local Lingo, this site focuses more on culture and politics, with a little local tourist information thrown in for good measure. Check out the American ex-pat’s column on life in CZ.

Novotel Praha City: This is one of two hotels that faculty have used in their travels to Prague. Less than a 10 minute walk to the UNYP building.

Hotel Ibis: The other hotel that we have used. We stay in the Hotel Ibis Praha City, not Karlin.

Marriott Apartments: UNYP has recently contracted with the Longin Center Executive Apartments for faculty housing while we are in Prague. This link will take you to a description and map of the apartments.

U.S. State Department Travel Information: Everything that U.S. citizens need to know about traveling abroad. In addition to information about passports, you can also find State Department information about the Czech Republic (updated in 2003), as well as any travel advisories. Note that if an advisory is issued for the Czech Republic, I will contact faculty and students planning to travel there. To date, no advisories have been issued. If you need it, here is the link to the U.S. Embassy in Prague.

CIA Factbook: Ok, ok…I know this sounds a little ominous. But one of the best sources of information on countries is the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. This briefing paper provides information on history, economy, politics, transportation and communication infrastructure.

European/International Public Relations Resources

International Public Relations Association: In addition to providing information about PR around the world, the IPRA has helped establish a variety of professional codes and business practices. The organization sponsored an international study on media relations and press transparency, which makes for interesting ethical reading.

International Communications Consultancies Organization: The international organization representing public relations agencies. ICCO has been instrumental in developing international standards for ethical PR practice as well as agency management. To get some idea of the standards that ICCO agencies must meet, check the “accreditation” link. Note that much of the content is restricted to members. APRA is a member of ICCO.

European Public Relations Education and Research Association: This organization combines professional development with scholarly research to help expand the body of knowledge in international public relations. Has sponsored the European PR Body of Knowledge project as well as several international PR conferences. Publishes European PR News, a good resource.

European Public Relations Confederation (CERP): Another European umbrella organization for PR associations from around the continent.

European Association of Public Relations Students: An offshoot of CERP geared toward those who are studying PR in Europe. Offers some suggestions and resources for job hunting.

Czech Media/Information Sources

Radio Prague: A great resource for updated news and information. The service broadcasts in several languages, and you can listen to a streaming version of the English broadcast daily (It’s about 30 minutes long). For those traveling to Prague, this gives you a good idea of what Czechs speaking English sounds like (although the editor of Radio Prague is a transplanted Brit). The site also has some great Czech history and culture links, and a regular feature called the ABC’s of Czech, which is a language/culture primer.

Prague Business Journal: The “Wall Street Journal/Business Week” of Prague. A number of articles related to business and organizations in the Czech Republic. A good source for examples and/or case studies.

Prague Post Online: The Web version of the weekly English-language newspaper in Prague. In addition to regular news updates, the site has a number of features, including entertainment guides and a Prague City service directory. At least one of the UNYP communication instructors works with the Prague Post.

Prague Tribune: Another business-oriented news source, with useful feature articles on market trends and lifestyles.

American Chamber of Commerce-Prague: The principal organization for American business interests in the Czech Republic. Among the useful publications is an annual summary of the Czech census and markets. Provides updated information on the Czech Republic’s entry into the European Union.

The Czech Statistical Office: Marry the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the FedStats service, and you have this office. Although some records were damaged in the flood, and the office faced a crisis after misreporting a major economic statistic, it is a good source of information on the Czech Republic. My favorite part of the site is the regional statistics area, which I used to construct a case study for my course.

Czech Television: One of the main broadcasting outlets in the country. Alas, its broadcasts are in Czech, so you may not follow what’s happening. However, if you want to get a sense of what’s on TV, here you go. As I understand it, this service is much like our public broadcasting service, so expect a lot of news and public affairs programming.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Alas, the service no longer broadcasts in Czech—which is ironic, since the headquarters of this long-running U.S. service is only about 10 minutes from UNYP’s campus at the head of Wenceslas Square. Good coverage of European news.

Updated 5/30/2003