The Deree – Center of Professional and Continuing Education is offering a Specialist Diploma in Crisis Communication awarded by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), the professional body for the UK public relations industry. Deree – The American College of Greece is the first and only CIPR Accredited Teaching Centre in Greece and the only educational institution to offer this specialist diploma.
When: November 6-21, 2026
Where: Online and face-to-face sessions at Deree – The American College of Greece, Aghia Paraskevi Campus (6 Gravias Street, 153 42 Aghia Paraskevi)
Duration: A live 20-hour seminar followed by supervised study working towards a crisis communication plan, which lasts 3 months, until February 28, 2027
Language of Instruction: English at proficiency level
Audience: PR and Communication professionals; Students of The American College of Greece pursuing graduate studies in communication.
Overview
In a world full of challenges, crisis communication skills are not only imperative but they also provide a competitive edge to communication professionals who wish to enhance their careers. The CIPR Specialist Diploma in Crisis Communication is an internationally recognized certification that aims to equip professionals with the skills required to develop expertise in crisis communication management. It is an advanced professional qualification, comparable to a Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) Level 7 (or Postgraduate Level).
Who is this for?
This course is open to PR practitioners and communications specialists aiming to specialize in crisis communication management, with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree and at least one year of work experience. It is appropriate for experienced as well as young, aspiring professionals who wish to enhance or validate their skills and qualifications.
Minimum Entry Requirements
An undergraduate degree from an accredited institution and 12 months work experience.
ACG Community:
All current students and alumni of the Master Programs in Communication Studies and alumni of the BA in Communication at Deree – The American College of Greece are eligible to participate if they meet the work experience requirement.
Why Attend
- Earn an internationally recognized professional qualification from CIPR
- Expand your employment opportunities by specializing in Crisis Communication Management
- Raise your professional profile and status in the field of communication
- Develop hands-on knowledge and skills
- Expand your network
For information about CIPR membership, please click here.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Apply key concepts in crisis response
- The societal, economic and media crisis context;
- Relevant public relations theories and concepts;
- The roots of reputation; The risks to, and the role and value of, reputation in a crisis;
- Winning trust and the withdrawal of society’s permission to operate;
- The difference between emergency communications and a crisis;
- The crisis and issues lifecycle;
- Identifying and managing key stakeholders in a crisis;
- The influence of social media, groupthink and the active citizen.
- Apply best practice models including
- Assessing public risk (particularly for public bodies including the precautionary principle);
- Analyzing and defining types of crisis;
- Analyzing trends in management practice, organisations and their working environments to predict when a crisis might arise;
- The role of the professional practitioner in crisis management and their place in the crisis management team;
- Researching and producing analysis of a crisis communication-related issue or development;
- Managing media and social media in a crisis.
- Prepare and critically evaluate crisis response, including:
- Establishing a crisis-ready organization;
- Testing methods and scenarios for crisis plans;
- Strategic and tactical messaging in a crisis;
- Learning from the crisis, and post-crisis reputation repair.
Course Structure/Content
- Types, levels and impact of crises
- The phases of crisis management – pre-crisis, crisis, post-crisis
- Communication planning: strategies and tactics
- Constructing crisis plans
- Managing media and social media in a crisis
- Effective spokespeople
- Demands of the crisis team
- Evaluation of crisis management responses (lessons learned/after-action review)
Delivery Mode
The course will be delivered live either face-to-face or online via Teams. To participate online, you will need the following:
- a laptop or a desktop computer (handheld devices lack certain functionalities so are unsuitable)
- a broadband speed wired Internet connection
- earphones or a headset
- a microphone (standalone or built into the earphones or headset)
- a webcam
- Teams (it is free and will be downloaded onto your computer as soon as you click on the link you will receive from us)
Dates & Times
6 sessions (20 hours in total)
Friday, November 6, 2026 | 18:30-21:30 (face-to-face)
Saturday, November 7, 2026 | 15:00-19:00 (online)
Friday, November 13, 2026 | 18:30-21:30 (face-to-face)
Saturday, November 14, 2026 | 15:00-18:00 (online)
Friday, November 20, 2026 | 18:30-21:30 (face-to-face)
Saturday, November 21, 2026 | 15:00-19:00 (online)
Award of the Diploma
Following the seminar attendance, in order to receive the Diploma, participants need to prepare and submit a 5,000-word assignment (a 3,000-word executive report plus a 2,000-word summary analysis of secondary research findings), which will be graded by Deree instructors and moderated by the CIPR.
There are three assessment submission deadlines to choose from within a 12-month period, providing added flexibility for busy professionals.
Assessment/qualification results will be e-mailed to candidates by the CIPR and candidates can expect to receive their Diploma in Crisis Communications a few weeks later.
What our Alumni say
“When I decided to participate in the CIPR Specialist Diploma in Crisis Communication, I was already a senior manager in the pharmaceutical sector with variety of experience in fields of public affairs, strategic communication, external relations and patient advocacy, digital marketing, successfully leading a variety of tasks, positions, and businesses growth, driving change in brand awareness. This diploma really empowered me to become a visionary, proactive, strategic thinker, helped me learn how to anticipate potential risk areas ahead of time, and as a result, behave more proactively once a crisis does, in fact, strike. Additionally, it made me an expert in distinguish between different communication channels when sending a message to employees, consumers, and the media at large during high-pressure crisis times. Finally, it made me think strategically about communication and become more confident in dealing with all aspects of crisis communication.”
Melina Thomaidou
Communications & Patient Relations Manager
AbbVie Pharmateuticals S.A.
Course Fees
Regular single participant fee: €1,300
Students/Alumni of Deree – The American College of Greece MA and BA Communication programs: €900
Course Director: Georgia-Zozeta Miliopoulou
Dr. Georgia-Zozeta Miliopoulou serves as a Professor and Associate Dean of Education & Employability at The American College of Greece (Deree).
She holds a BA in Philosophy, Pedagogy & Psychology from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; an MA in Cultural Management; and a PhD in Brand Communication from the Panteion University of Athens. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in creative advertising, online media, and communication. Her research interests include creativity, content, strategic storytelling, advertising literacy, and the organizational factors affecting brand communication. She has over 25 years of experience as a creative executive in multinational advertising agencies, still offering workshops and consulting services to the Hellenic Institute of Communication and other organizations.
For more information, please call 210 600 9800 ext. 1210 or email [email protected].