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Public Relations & Advertising Degree

183 schools compared · Average earnings $39,349/yr

Students study strategic communication, brand management, advertising campaigns, media relations, and crisis communication techniques. Graduates typically pursue careers at PR agencies, advertising firms, corporate communications departments, and marketing teams for major brands. This major combines creativity with strategic thinking and offers strong career prospects in the always-in-demand communications industry.

What Public Relations & Advertising Graduates Do

Your degree in communication is a launchpad into shaping how organizations connect with people. As a Public Relations Specialist, you’ll be on the front lines, drafting press releases for a new product, pitching stories to journalists, and managing a brand’s social media presence during a crisis. Alternatively, you could become a Training and Development Specialist, where you’ll design the onboarding program for new hires or create workshops that teach new skills to an entire sales force.

Many start in specialist roles before advancing into management. A PR Specialist might become a PR Manager, shifting from writing pitches to setting the entire communication strategy and budget. The path through training is growing especially fast. While most roles in this field show steady growth, some, like traditional editing, face significant headwinds as technology changes the work.

AI will be your new intern. With moderate exposure across most career paths, expect AI to handle routine tasks like writing first drafts of press releases or analyzing social media sentiment. This won’t eliminate your job, but it will change it. Your value will shift from pure execution to strategy, creative oversight, and building the human relationships that still drive every successful campaign.

Schools Offering

183

Avg Grad Earnings

$39,349/yr

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

47/100

AI Automation Risk

High

53% task exposure

Common Career Paths

Where Public Relations & Advertising graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 156,900 combined openings per year.

Career Path	Salary Range	Openings/yr	Growth	AI Risk
Human resources managers	$140,030 $106K$190K	17,900	+5.0%	48%
Public relations managers	$138,520 $102K$198K	6,600	+5.0%	55%
Training and development managers	$127,090 $96K$169K	3,800	+5.8%	50%
Advertising and promotions managers	$126,960 $86K$179K	2,100	-2.2%	48%
Fundraising managers	$123,480 $93K$166K	3,600	+4.2%	56%
Technical writers	$91,670 $69K$103K	4,500	+0.9%	70%
Communications teachers, postsecondary	$77,800 $60K$103K	2,700	+2.1%	43%
Editors	$75,260 $50K$101K	9,800	+0.6%	65%
Public relations specialists	$69,780 $52K$96K	27,600	+4.8%	59%
Fundraisers	$66,490 $53K$85K	10,200	+4.3%	52%
Training and development specialists	$65,850 $49K$92K	43,900	+10.8%	55%
Health education specialists	$63,000 $50K$84K	7,900	+4.5%	53%
News analysts, reporters, and journalists	$60,280 $40K$97K	4,100	-3.9%	65%
Community health workers	$51,030 $44K–$63K	7,800	+11.3%	32%
Entertainers and performers, sports and related workers, all other	N/A	4,400	+6.0%	0%

Human resources managers

$140,030

$106K $190K

17,900 openings/yr +5.0% growth 48% AI risk

Public relations managers

$138,520

$102K $198K

6,600 openings/yr +5.0% growth 55% AI risk

Training and development managers

$127,090

$96K $169K

3,800 openings/yr +5.8% growth 50% AI risk

Advertising and promotions managers

$126,960

$86K $179K

2,100 openings/yr -2.2% growth 48% AI risk

Fundraising managers

$123,480

$93K $166K

3,600 openings/yr +4.2% growth 56% AI risk

Technical writers

$91,670

$69K $103K

4,500 openings/yr +0.9% growth 70% AI risk

Communications teachers, postsecondary

$77,800

$60K $103K

2,700 openings/yr +2.1% growth 43% AI risk

Editors

$75,260

$50K $101K

9,800 openings/yr +0.6% growth 65% AI risk

Public relations specialists

$69,780

$52K $96K

27,600 openings/yr +4.8% growth 59% AI risk

Fundraisers

$66,490

$53K $85K

10,200 openings/yr +4.3% growth 52% AI risk

Training and development specialists

$65,850

$49K $92K

43,900 openings/yr +10.8% growth 55% AI risk

Health education specialists

$63,000

$50K $84K

7,900 openings/yr +4.5% growth 53% AI risk

News analysts, reporters, and journalists

$60,280

$40K $97K

4,100 openings/yr -3.9% growth 65% AI risk

Community health workers

$51,030

$44K–$63K

7,800 openings/yr +11.3% growth 32% AI risk

Entertainers and performers, sports and related workers, all other

N/A

4,400 openings/yr +6.0% growth 0% AI risk

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

Best Schools for Public Relations & Advertising

Top 20 of 183 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	Miami University-Hamilton Hamilton, OH	72 69–73	$50,700/yr	26.2x
2	Miami University-Middletown Middletown, OH	72 69–73	$50,700/yr	26.2x
3	Brigham Young University Provo, UT	71 68–73	$51,436/yr	26.4x
4	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX	68 65–69	$47,972/yr	16.0x
5	University of Florida-Online Gainesville, FL	67 66–68	$42,099/yr	45.7x
6	University of Georgia Athens, GA	66 63–67	$45,326/yr	15.4x
7	San Diego State University San Diego, CA	66 64–67	$44,197/yr	19.8x
8	University of Florida Gainesville, FL	66 65–67	$42,099/yr	27.4x
9	Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH	65 61–66	$50,700/yr	10.1x
10	Johnson & Wales University-Online Providence, RI	65 61–66	$49,033/yr	12.3x
11	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL	63 60–64	$48,063/yr	10.8x
12	University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, OK	62 59–63	$45,759/yr	14.3x
13	Florida State University Tallahassee, FL	62 61–63	$41,060/yr	24.6x
14	Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, MO	61 61–62	$40,127/yr	16.7x
15	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI	60 58–61	$45,158/yr	10.2x
16	University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC	60 58–61	$42,974/yr	12.1x
17	Iowa State University Ames, IA	60 59–61	$42,530/yr	14.0x
18	American University Washington, DC	59 55–60	$50,026/yr	3.2x
19	University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA	59 58–60	$43,755/yr	13.8x
20	The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL	59 58–60	$42,445/yr	12.5x
21	University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI	59 58–60	$42,181/yr	10.3x
22	Missouri State University-Springfield Springfield, MO	59 59–60	$40,178/yr	16.2x
23	Fashion Institute of Technology New York, NY	59 61–60	$36,849/yr	25.9x
24	Indiana Wesleyan University-National & Global Marion, IN	58 55–59	$48,225/yr	13.7x
25	University of Houston Houston, TX	58 57–59	$42,472/yr	13.9x
26	University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE	58 57–59	$42,168/yr	13.5x
27	University of Oregon Eugene, OR	58 57–59	$42,159/yr	10.3x
28	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY	57 55–58	$45,275/yr	10.2x
29	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN	57 56–58	$42,173/yr	10.7x
30	SUNY College at Plattsburgh Plattsburgh, NY	57 57–58	$40,143/yr	15.1x
31	California State University-Dominguez Hills Carson, CA	57 58–58	$38,798/yr	18.8x
32	University of Central Florida Orlando, FL	57 59–58	$37,388/yr	22.0x
33	Syracuse University Syracuse, NY	56 52–57	$54,934/yr	2.3x
34	University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI	56 53–57	$46,039/yr	13.0x
35	Illinois State University Normal, IL	56 54–57	$43,874/yr	8.7x
36	Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA	56 56–57	$40,976/yr	14.1x
37	Franklin University Columbus, OH	55 52–56	$46,518/yr	11.4x
38	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green, OH	55 54–56	$42,296/yr	9.6x
39	The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX	55 54–56	$41,703/yr	11.2x
40	Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA	55 54–56	$41,460/yr	16.9x
41	Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX	55 55–56	$41,023/yr	11.4x
42	State University of New York at Oswego Oswego, NY	55 57–55	$37,203/yr	15.8x
43	Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA	55 58–56	$35,649/yr	23.4x
44	Assumption University Worcester, MA	54 50–55	$51,114/yr	2.7x
45	National University San Diego, CA	54 50–55	$50,070/yr	8.4x
46	Johnson & Wales University-Providence Providence, RI	54 51–56	$49,033/yr	3.4x
47	Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX	54 51–55	$48,053/yr	2.5x
48	Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH	54 51–55	$46,520/yr	7.6x
49	Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH	54 54–55	$40,867/yr	10.6x
50	Texas State University San Marcos, TX	54 54–55	$40,411/yr	11.5x
51	North Dakota State University-Main Campus Fargo, ND	54 55–55	$39,223/yr	12.5x
52	Appalachian State University Boone, NC	54 56–54	$36,559/yr	17.3x
53	Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY	53 52–54	$41,842/yr	11.0x
54	Wayne State University Detroit, MI	53 52–54	$41,306/yr	9.3x
55	Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI	53 53–54	$40,346/yr	9.7x
56	Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, MN	53 53–54	$39,198/yr	12.3x
57	Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX	52 48–53	$51,828/yr	2.0x
58	Auburn University Auburn, AL	52 51–53	$41,458/yr	9.7x
59	South Dakota State University Brookings, SD	52 52–53	$39,795/yr	12.7x
60	North Central College Naperville, IL	51 48–52	$48,549/yr	2.8x
61	Endicott College Beverly, MA	51 48–52	$47,903/yr	3.1x
62	Washington State University Pullman, WA	51 48–52	$45,820/yr	7.8x
63	Drake University Des Moines, IA	51 49–52	$44,492/yr	2.8x
64	University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH	51 50–52	$41,396/yr	9.4x
65	Temple University Philadelphia, PA	51 50–52	$41,165/yr	6.2x
66	Arkansas State University Jonesboro, AR	51 51–52	$40,812/yr	12.2x
67	Montana State University Billings Billings, MT	51 52–52	$39,666/yr	13.8x
68	Ball State University Muncie, IN	51 52–52	$38,020/yr	11.8x
69	Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI	50 49–51	$41,420/yr	7.8x
70	Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion Marion, IN	49 45–50	$48,225/yr	2.9x
71	Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT	49 47–50	$43,591/yr	2.4x
72	University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO	49 49–50	$39,401/yr	11.2x
73	University of Idaho Moscow, ID	49 50–50	$38,136/yr	12.6x
74	Pepperdine University Malibu, CA	48 45–49	$45,988/yr	1.8x
75	University of Miami Coral Gables, FL	48 46–49	$43,917/yr	2.2x
76	Clemson University Clemson, SC	48 46–49	$43,318/yr	6.0x
77	Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI	48 49–48	$38,375/yr	8.8x
78	University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC	48 50–49	$38,190/yr	12.2x
79	University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA	48 49–48	$37,856/yr	2.8x
80	Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI	48 49–49	$37,718/yr	8.5x
81	University of Central Oklahoma Edmond, OK	48 50–49	$36,388/yr	13.3x
82	Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Stillwater, OK	48 51–48	$34,752/yr	12.3x
83	University of Southern Indiana Evansville, IN	48 51–49	$34,736/yr	12.6x
84	University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA	47 44–48	$50,041/yr	1.6x
85	Northwest University Kirkland, WA	47 44–48	$45,209/yr	2.9x
86	Pace University New York, NY	47 45–48	$44,485/yr	2.3x
87	University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO	47 46–48	$42,218/yr	5.4x
88	Northwood University Midland, MI	47 46–48	$41,857/yr	3.6x
89	DePaul University Chicago, IL	47 46–48	$41,234/yr	2.8x
90	University of Memphis Memphis, TN	47 47–48	$39,819/yr	8.6x
91	Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI	47 49–48	$38,172/yr	8.4x
92	Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH	47 49–48	$38,027/yr	9.4x
93	The University of Tampa Tampa, FL	47 49–47	$36,977/yr	4.4x
94	Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ	47 49–48	$36,920/yr	9.8x
95	Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL	46 44–47	$43,308/yr	2.3x
96	Hofstra University Hempstead, NY	46 45–47	$42,030/yr	2.3x
97	Wilmington University New Castle, DE	46 46–47	$40,408/yr	7.2x
98	Roger Williams University Bristol, RI	45 42–46	$45,269/yr	1.7x
99	Winthrop University Rock Hill, SC	45 45–46	$40,487/yr	6.5x
100	Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI	45 45–46	$40,299/yr	5.9x
101	Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ	45 46–46	$38,600/yr	3.3x
102	Murray State University Murray, KY	45 46–46	$38,054/yr	10.4x
103	West Texas A & M University Canyon, TX	45 47–45	$35,658/yr	11.7x
104	SUNY at Fredonia Fredonia, NY	45 49–46	$33,126/yr	13.4x
105	Suffolk University Boston, MA	44 42–45	$44,863/yr	1.5x
106	Chapman University Orange, CA	44 44–45	$40,141/yr	2.0x
107	Gonzaga University Spokane, WA	44 44–44	$39,013/yr	2.4x
108	York College of Pennsylvania York, PA	44 46–45	$36,557/yr	5.2x
109	University of Vermont Burlington, VT	44 47–45	$35,931/yr	6.7x
110	University of Central Arkansas Conway, AR	44 47–45	$35,177/yr	10.9x
111	Rowan University Glassboro, NJ	44 47–45	$35,116/yr	8.1x
112	Florida International University Miami, FL	44 47–45	$34,435/yr	12.1x
113	University of South Florida Tampa, FL	44 47–44	$34,105/yr	12.3x
114	Dalton State College Dalton, GA	44 49–44	$29,594/yr	21.5x
115	Loras College Dubuque, IA	43 42–44	$40,938/yr	2.8x
116	Wingate University Wingate, NC	43 43–44	$40,438/yr	2.8x
117	Columbia College Chicago Chicago, IL	43 43–44	$39,794/yr	3.4x
118	Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL	43 44–44	$38,369/yr	6.2x
119	Otterbein University Westerville, OH	43 45–44	$37,430/yr	3.6x
120	Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY	43 46–44	$35,534/yr	9.7x
121	Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY	43 46–44	$34,920/yr	10.7x
122	Webster University Saint Louis, MO	42 41–43	$42,421/yr	3.0x
123	Simpson College Indianola, IA	42 41–43	$41,925/yr	1.3x
124	Marymount Manhattan College New York, NY	42 41–43	$41,696/yr	1.6x
125	University of Northwestern-St Paul Saint Paul, MN	42 41–43	$41,278/yr	2.7x
126	Marquette University Milwaukee, WI	42 42–43	$40,583/yr	2.3x
127	Siena Heights University Adrian, MI	42 42–43	$39,677/yr	3.4x
128	Ithaca College Ithaca, NY	42 42–43	$39,446/yr	2.3x
129	Northern Michigan University Marquette, MI	42 46–43	$34,319/yr	8.9x
130	Capital University Columbus, OH	41 39–42	$45,235/yr	1.9x
131	Xavier University Cincinnati, OH	41 40–42	$41,958/yr	2.0x
132	Meredith College Raleigh, NC	41 40–41	$40,762/yr	1.3x
133	Coe College Cedar Rapids, IA	41 41–42	$40,167/yr	2.0x
134	Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ	41 43–42	$37,307/yr	4.3x
135	Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies Springfield, MO	41 44–41	$33,862/yr	9.5x
136	Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ	40 40–41	$40,602/yr	1.0x
137	Howard University Washington, DC	40 40–41	$39,120/yr	1.9x
138	St. John's University-New York Queens, NY	40 41–41	$38,210/yr	2.3x
139	Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT	40 43–41	$35,444/yr	6.1x
140	The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX	40 44–41	$33,280/yr	10.6x
141	Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA	39 39–40	$39,651/yr	2.1x
142	Dallas Baptist University Dallas, TX	39 39–39	$38,613/yr	1.5x
143	Bradley University Peoria, IL	39 40–40	$38,351/yr	2.5x
144	Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL	39 43–39	$28,516/yr	16.2x
145	Butler University Indianapolis, IN	38 38–39	$39,701/yr	2.0x
146	Evangel University Springfield, MO	38 40–38	$36,585/yr	2.4x
147	University of Scranton Scranton, PA	38 40–38	$35,568/yr	2.2x
148	Utah State University Logan, UT	38 42–39	$32,741/yr	7.9x
149	Franklin College Franklin, IN	37 39–37	$36,964/yr	1.5x
150	Baldwin Wallace University Berea, OH	37 39–38	$36,620/yr	2.7x
151	University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA	37 40–37	$34,434/yr	8.2x
152	Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO	37 41–38	$32,601/yr	6.6x
153	Morgan State University Baltimore, MD	37 42–38	$28,091/yr	12.6x
154	Drexel University Philadelphia, PA	36 38–37	$37,125/yr	0.5x
155	George Fox University Newberg, OR	36 38–37	$37,012/yr	1.3x
156	Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY	36 38–36	$36,664/yr	1.8x
157	Biola University La Mirada, CA	35 38–36	$36,319/yr	0.9x
158	University of Portland Portland, OR	35 38–36	$35,605/yr	1.9x
159	Florida Southern College Lakeland, FL	35 38–36	$35,023/yr	2.5x
160	Harding University Searcy, AR	35 39–36	$33,577/yr	4.1x
161	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ	35 39–35	$31,093/yr	5.5x
162	California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA	35 40–36	$28,226/yr	9.1x
163	Point Park University Pittsburgh, PA	34 38–34	$32,495/yr	2.8x
164	Drury University Springfield, MO	33 37–33	$33,862/yr	1.4x
165	Flagler College Saint Augustine, FL	33 37–33	$32,713/yr	2.1x
166	Morehead State University Morehead, KY	33 37–34	$27,737/yr	9.5x
167	Susquehanna University Selinsgrove, PA	32 34–32	$36,632/yr	1.3x
168	Loyola University New Orleans New Orleans, LA	32 35–33	$36,004/yr	1.7x
169	Lee University Cleveland, TN	32 36–33	$33,162/yr	3.8x
170	Youngstown State University Youngstown, OH	32 36–33	$27,068/yr	5.3x
171	Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA	31 35–31	$32,879/yr	0.3x
172	Husson University Bangor, ME	31 35–32	$32,714/yr	3.6x
173	Lindenwood University Saint Charles, MO	31 35–31	$32,000/yr	3.8x
174	Ashland University Ashland, OH	31 36–32	$29,437/yr	3.7x
175	Campbell University Buies Creek, NC	30 35–31	$31,953/yr	1.0x
176	Universidad del Sagrado Corazon Santurce, PR	30 28–31	$13,085/yr	10.2x
177	Benedict College Columbia, SC	29 33–30	$26,891/yr	2.7x
178	California Baptist University Riverside, CA	28 32–29	$32,782/yr	1.9x
179	Anderson University Anderson, SC	28 33–29	$29,215/yr	1.2x
180	Emerson College Boston, MA	28 32–28	$28,606/yr	1.8x
181	Full Sail University Winter Park, FL	27 31–28	$26,728/yr	1.5x
182	Manhattan College Riverdale, NY	26 30–27	$26,502/yr	0.3x
183	Lewis University Romeoville, IL	26 28–27	$24,202/yr	0.6x

Highest Earning Public Relations & Advertising Programs

Schools where Public Relations & Advertising graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School	1-Year Earnings	DW Score
Syracuse University	$54,934/yr	56
Southern Methodist University	$51,828/yr	52
Brigham Young University	$51,436/yr	71
Assumption University	$51,114/yr	54
Miami University-Hamilton	$50,700/yr	72
Miami University-Middletown	$50,700/yr	72
Miami University-Oxford	$50,700/yr	65
National University	$50,070/yr	54
University of Southern California	$50,041/yr	47
American University	$50,026/yr	59

Best ROI for Public Relations & Advertising

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Public Relations & Advertising.

School	ROI Multiple	Earnings	DW Score
University of Florida-Online	45.7x	$42,099/yr	67
University of Florida	27.4x	$42,099/yr	66
Brigham Young University	26.4x	$51,436/yr	71
Miami University-Hamilton	26.2x	$50,700/yr	72
Miami University-Middletown	26.2x	$50,700/yr	72
Fashion Institute of Technology	25.9x	$36,849/yr	59
Florida State University	24.6x	$41,060/yr	62
Georgia Southern University	23.4x	$35,649/yr	55
University of Central Florida	22.0x	$37,388/yr	57
Dalton State College	21.5x	$29,594/yr	44

Want to compare two Public Relations & Advertising programs side by side? Use the comparison tool →

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Consider the Trade Route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Public Relations & Advertising offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Public Relations & Advertising graduates earn?

Across 183 schools, Public Relations & Advertising graduates earn an average of $39,349 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $13,085 to $54,934 depending on the school.

What is the AI automation risk for Public Relations & Advertising?

Public Relations & Advertising is rated "High" for AI automation risk, with an average of 53% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means most career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.

Which school has the best Public Relations & Advertising program?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), Miami University-Hamilton ranks #1 for Public Relations & Advertising with a score of 72/100 and graduate earnings of $50,700/yr.

What's the outlook for a Public Relations & Advertising degree?

On average, Public Relations & Advertising graduates earn 8.1x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a moderate return — school choice matters significantly.

Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →