The APR Maintenance Program is now the Accreditation Renewal

Please read for important updates regarding your APR status…

The Universal Accreditation Board (UAB) performed a study over recent years to compare the renewal and tracking process for the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) credential against other professional education measurement systems and credentials. The results prompted them to rename and restructure the APR maintenance process, now known as the “Accreditation Renewal.” The UAB decided to adopt a more consistent Continuing Education Unit (CEU) tracking method that went into effect as of January 1, 2020.

Discussions took place at the State level with the UAB to determine how to release this information, and as of August 7, 2020 the FPRA State Accreditation Chair released the details about the process to local chapter accreditation chairs to share with their memberships.

While this is a major change to the process, we know that our APRs are always active and engaged in the profession, often times having more points than needed to maintain their credential. With that in mind, we feel that achieving the required CEUs for renewal will be no different than before, other than tracking and logging in more of the many things you are already doing. Here are some key facts to know as this transition takes place:

When do I use the new form?

How do I know when I need to renew?

You can log into the My Apr section of the website to obtain your APR renewal date, https://www.praccreditation.org/MyPRSASecurity/MyPRSALogin/?id=22618BDEE7DEFF69AB8A43C5384EBB11. All FPRA members can log in this way, providing they had their UAB ID (or candidate id as some call it). If you do not know your UAB ID, you can contact the PRSA main office to request that by emailing Accreditation@prsa.org.

Fee Increase

The cost to process your application has increased from $50 to $75 effective immediately no matter which application you are submitting.

Requirements under the New CEU Structure

  • The timeline for APR renewal will continue as a three-year cycle where APR professionals chronicle their commitment to the sound and ethical practice of Public Relations.
  • A CEU equals 10 hours of participation in approved training or other professional development activities.
  • A minimum of 15 CEUs is required for renewal over the three-year period
  • At least seven CEUs must be in continuing education and professional development
  • At least one CEU must be in ethics (this is a new requirement – in line with the professional code of conduct for APRs)

Details on Ethics CEU Credit Options

At this time, APR professionals can find a variety of resources for this credit. It is believed that both FPRA and PRSA will offer programming and presentations on ethics on a recurring basis to assist members with this requirement. Many professional organizations provide presentations and/or webinars on the topic of ethics, which should be applicable to the APR Renewal CEU requirement.

Some upcoming options include:

PRSA is offering a webinar in the month of September for its Ethics month

Other ethics resources:

  • Ethical Voices – Created by 2016 PRSA National chair and longtime PR practitioner and volunteer Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA, this is a weekly blog and podcast designed to share the real ethical challenges faced by real communications professionals. The goal is to educate, inform and inspire, and to serve as a practical resource for the 200,000 communications professionals that serve as ethical stewards of their organizations each and every day. ethicalvoices.com/
  • Public Relations Ethics Training – The Arthur W. Page Center – Learn about ethics issues facing public relations practitioners today. With the help of scholars from universities around the world, you will get insights and information on important topics in the field via interactive modules, videos, real-world case studies and timely research to build your knowledge of and appreciation for ethics. At the end of each lesson, test your comprehension. When you complete the two lessons, you will receive a certificate for that module. https://pagecentertraining.psu.edu/public-relations-ethics

We know that this is a big change, and we want to help you make sure that you have all the information you need to successfully maintain your APR. As highly trained and active public relations professionals, we know that you regularly meet the criteria listed in our maintenance requirements for the APR credential, and this new format only requires a little more tracking of things already taking place.

If you have questions please reach out to SWFL Chapter Accreditation Chairs Lisa Murray, APR, CPRC at lisadmurrs@gmail.com and Trish Robertson, APR, CPRC at trish.l.robertson@gmail.com.