A PhD in Classics and English Literature might not look like the most natural point from which to jump into PR, but many of the skills you learn doing a humanities PhD are highly relevant for PR work and train you in effective communication. With all that time in dusty libraries, it is also a pleasure and a privilege to get to take those skills and put them in a team setting.
From unpicking complex papers on Greek prosody to presenting research to non-expert audiences (otherwise known as academic “impact”), there is a great deal of similarity between a PhD and working with universities to get their excellent research out there. This is why education PR was such a great fit – and why it can be a great fit for anyone with a humanities degree.
In fact, that’s why I chose to work at BlueSky Education – because of its focus on helping universities to spread the message of their core beliefs, and the world-changing findings of their researchers.
From helping great researchers to get their policy-affecting op-eds in the Guardian or blowing the trumpet for sustainable fellowships, my PhD helped me get ready for PR work (without me knowing it). Naturally, I am very fond of universities, and greatly enjoy working with them in my current role – and I understand how they and their professors operate.
Working on a dissertation helped me to learn about various relevant tools in evaluating policies and using a structured framework when analysing research papers. As there is so much writing in a PhD, it has helped in me in every aspect of writing in PR, of which there is (I am happy to say) a lot!
A Classics background helps in other ways, too. In ancient Greece and Rome, rhetoric was a prized skill and taught as the art of persuading others through public speaking and oratory. Studying legendary rhetoricians like the Attic Orators, including Demosthenes and Lysias, who were considered the greatest Greek orators and speechwriters of the classical period, and the Roman statesman and thinker Cicero, cannot but help hone your communication work.
A PhD can help prepare you for communications work in a number of ways. The skills they teach you are invaluable for leading a well-rounded and full life, too, but a PhD teaches you how to write persuasively, which is perhaps the key skill in PR, and is one of the most sought-after job skills by employers. It also hones the skills needed to navigate multiple stakeholders (such as professors, a public you’re pitching research to, book editors, students, and fellow graduate students) and one recent study found that the fastest-growing jobs in the US in the last 30 years have almost all specifically required a high level of social skills.
Here's a deeper look at some of the essential skills which a PhD teaches you, which can be applied to a career in PR:
- Writing skills
- Research skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Analytical skills
- Creativity
- Communication
- Subject-specific knowledge
- Mastery of complex narratives
1. Writing skills
In today’s increasingly digitised world (in fact, there’s even a subdiscipline in the academy now, “digital humanities,” which affects even the dustiest scroll), writing has become the primary medium of interaction the world over, especially in email-and-op-ed-heavy PR work.
A humanities PhD trains you rigorously to organise thoughts and articulate them clearly, logically, and persuasively, and build a strong and persuasive argument. This training is invaluable in education PR, where the ability to break down a bit of research, craft compelling narratives and communicate effectively is paramount.
Whether it’s drafting press releases, writing a pitch for a top-tier newspaper or writing a blog such as this one, powerful writing skills ensure that any message is conveyed accurately, convincingly, and interestingly.
2. Research skills
Humanities students are taught to research, learning to discover and evaluate sources, assess their worth and accuracy, and draw informed conclusions. In PR, these skills are crucial for understanding a message and how best to fit it into the news cycle. Effective research enables education PR professionals to best understand complex research papers, finding the key hook and being able to break down the argument and present it to journalists, and turn them into compelling press releases and pitches.
3. Critical thinking skills
Critical thinking is at the heart of humanities education, where you learn to build up a body of knowledge and draw evidence-based conclusions. In PR, this ability is essential for developing innovative and interesting press releases and pitches matched to the news cycle.
4. Analytical skills
The humanities also develop strong analytical skills, teaching you how to dissect complex information and present it in a coherent, persuasive manner. This ability to analyse and interpret data is critical in PR, where professionals must assess their own work, public opinion, and media trends. These skills help refine strategies, identify new opportunities, and provide far-reaching insights to clients.
5. Creativity
Creativity is a cornerstone of the humanities, where you are encouraged to think beyond conventional solutions and explore new ways of thinking. In fact, in a PhD, you have to come up with an original thesis which contributes to the broader field. In PR, creativity and on-the-ball original thinking is essential to developing innovative ways of getting results and writing pitches which dive right to the heart of what matters today, capturing the attention of journalists and making sure that a story resonates with audiences.
6. Communication
Effective communication is critical in PR, where the ability to convey ideas clearly and persuasively can make or break a story. Doing a humanities PhD means that you have to develop strong communication skills, both written and oral, through extensive practice in articulating complex ideas and engaging with diverse, knowledgeable, and broad audiences. In the PR world, this translates into the ability to pitch ideas, negotiate with clients, and build lasting relationships with journalists, all of which are essential for success.
7. Subject-specific knowledge
Beyond transferable skills, humanities graduates also benefit from deep, subject-specific knowledge. An expertise in literature (beyond enriching your life) can’t but help you to write well, providing a rich wellspring from which to draw on when scribbling away, or a knowledge of history can remind you of successful speeches and convincing communication campaigns from the past.
8. Mastery of complex narratives
At the heart of PR is the ability to tell compelling stories that resonate with diverse audiences. A PhD in Classics equips you with an ability to understand, analyse and construct narratives, as well as cultures other than your own.
So, a PhD in Classics isn’t specifically designed to result in a PR career, but the skills it teaches, and the enthusiasm for dissecting research papers, writing, and conveying that information, can’t but help you.
I want nothing more than to see academic research read by more and affecting the world in powerful ways and making that happen as a part of my role today at BlueSky is exciting every day.
Tom has a doctorate in English and Classics from University College London, a master’s in Classical Reception from UCL, and spent a year as a graduate researcher at Yale University. Spending so long in universities, Tom has an in-depth understanding of how they operate, and how they best work, he has developed a deep admiration for research, and wants nothing more than to see academic research read by more and affecting the world in powerful ways.
