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Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools by Graduate Salary & ROI (2026)

183 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Public Relations & Advertising, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Public Relations & Advertising graduate earns $39,349/yr across 183 schools.

What do Public Relations & Advertising graduates do? See career paths and salaries →

How a Regional Campus Outranks Its Own Flagship

Miami University's Hamilton and Middletown campuses land at #1 and #2 by delivering the same high earning potential as the main Oxford campus ($50,700/yr) for less than half the tuition. This isn't an accident. As regional campuses, their "Applied Communication" programs are laser-focused on practical skills that feed directly into the strong corporate job market of the Cincinnati-Dayton metro area. You get the respected Miami University brand with a curriculum built for immediate employment, creating an unbeatable value proposition.

The Smartest Financial Move? An Online Degree from a Top School.

The biggest surprise is University of Florida-Online at #5. Graduates earn a solid $42,099/yr, but with an astonishingly low four-year tuition of $15,504, their 45.7x ROI crushes nearly every other program, including UF's own on-campus offering (27.4x ROI). This is brand arbitrage: you get the prestige and alumni network of a top-tier public university without the high cost of tuition and living in Gainesville. This proves a top online program isn't a compromise; it's a strategic financial choice.

Your New Colleague is an AI—Here's Your New Job

With 100% of programs facing high AI exposure, your role in PR and advertising is guaranteed to change. Repetitive tasks like drafting initial press releases, analyzing social media data, and generating basic ad copy will be automated. Your value will shift from execution to strategy. You'll be hired to direct the AI, refine its output with creative nuance, manage complex client relationships, and make the high-stakes judgment calls during a crisis—skills that automation can't replicate.

Why Public Universities Own the Top of the PR Rankings

It's no coincidence that 17 of the top 20 schools are public. Institutions like UT Austin (#4) and the University of Georgia (#8) offer a powerful combination of world-class communication programs, vast alumni networks, and deep connections to state and regional employers. When paired with relatively affordable in-state tuition, they generate a return on investment that most private schools, like American University with its 3.2x ROI, simply can't match. The data shows that for this degree, paying a premium is rarely worth the cost.

Programs Ranked

183

Avg Earnings

$39,349/yr

Avg DW Score

47/100

AI Risk

High

53% task exposure

All Public Relations & Advertising Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

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

Scores calculated using College Scorecard, BLS, and AI task-exposure data. See full methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Public Relations & Advertising?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score, Miami University-Hamilton ranks #1 for Public Relations & Advertising with a score of 72/100 and graduate earnings of $50,700/yr.

How much do Public Relations & Advertising graduates earn?

Across 183 schools, Public Relations & Advertising graduates earn an average of $39,349/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $54,934/yr.

Is Public Relations & Advertising a good major for AI resistance?

Public Relations & Advertising has an average AI task exposure of 53%, rated "High". This field has significant AI exposure. Check individual program pages for scenario analysis.