Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
16,785
Graduates Per Year
$42K
Average Salary
#32
Most Popular Major
TOP
50
Degree Stats
Popular
16,785
13% NATIONAL AVG
Diplomas Received Last Year
400
5% NATIONAL AVG
Colleges Offering this Degree
Most Popular Degrees
31
Public Health
16,962
32
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
16,785
33
Music
15,747
Most Widely Offered Degrees
35
/
1.852
Worse
Better
Top 100 Colleges offering this degree
Degree Granting Schools that are Public
Most Graduates
By Region
Southeast
The University of Alabama
By State
Texas
Texas State University
By Conference
Southeastern Conference
The University of Alabama
By School
American River College
INTRODUCTION
If you think life as a public relations coordinator, brand ambassador, or workplace culture consultant sounds interesting, then a degree in public relations advertising and applied communication may just be for you. You could even become a speech writer and advisor for a prominent societal figure!
POPULARITY
Public relations, advertising, and applied communication is the 32nd most popular degree in America, with 16,785 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #33 Music, and narrowly lost to #31 Public Health.
The degree is offered at a total of 400 colleges across the nation, and is the 57th most widely offered degree. It is only offered at 13% of the Top 100 Best Colleges in America.
It is also worth noting that a smidgeon shy of 3/8 of colleges offering public relations advertising and applied communication are public making it a relatively inaccessible field.
The southeast produces the most public relations advertising and applied communication graduates, largely led by The University of Alabama, while it’s the Southeastern Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, Texas ranks highest, with particular help from Texas State University and The University of Texas at Austin.
All that being said, no individual school produces more public relations advertising and applied communication graduates than American River College, which graduated 530 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study public relations advertising and applied communication). More students studied public relations advertising and applied communication as a percentage of total students at Fashion Institute of Technology than any other college.
Good luck on your college search. We hope you enjoy Authority's 2022 official Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication list. Some of our picks may surprise you!
Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
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YEARS
TYPE
ONLINE/CAMPUS
CAMPUS SETTING
STUDENT BODY
SELECTIVITY
COST
$0 -
$60000
MAJOR
ADMISSIONS
LOCATION
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION
Fashion Institute of Technology
#1 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
Read More
New York, NY
www.fitnyc.edu
A
Rating
54%
Acceptance
10,065
Students
# 53
Ranking
$15,570
Tuition
University of Oregon
#2 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
Read More
Eugene, OR
https://www.uoregon.edu
B+
Rating
82%
Acceptance
25,203
Students
# 101
Ranking
$34,335
Tuition
The University of Texas at Austin
#3 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
Read More
Austin, TX
www.utexas.edu
A+
Rating
32%
Acceptance
55,128
Students
# 10
Ranking
$38,326
Tuition
Michigan State University
#4 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
Read More
East Lansing, MI
https://www.msu.edu
A
Rating
71%
Acceptance
55,332
Students
# 41
Ranking
$39,766
Tuition
University of Florida
#5 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
Read More
Gainesville, FL
www.ufl.edu/
A+
Rating
37%
Acceptance
58,749
Students
# 8
Ranking
$25,694
Tuition
Pepperdine University
#6 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
Read More
Malibu, CA
www.pepperdine.edu/
A
Rating
32%
Acceptance
9,814
Students
# 87
Ranking
$55,640
Tuition
Syracuse University
#7 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
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Syracuse, NY
https://www.syracuse.edu
A
Rating
44%
Acceptance
38,110
Students
# 95
Ranking
$52,210
Tuition
University of Colorado Boulder
#8 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
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Boulder, CO
www.colorado.edu
A-
Rating
78%
Acceptance
40,353
Students
# 73
Ranking
$36,546
Tuition
University of Southern California
#9 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
Read More
Los Angeles, CA
www.usc.edu/
A+
Rating
11%
Acceptance
53,186
Students
# 24
Ranking
$57,256
Tuition
University of Georgia
#10 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
Read More
Athens, GA
www.uga.edu
A
Rating
45%
Acceptance
42,708
Students
# 24
Ranking
$28,830
Tuition
University of Miami
#11 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
Read More
Coral Gables, FL
www.miami.edu/
A+
Rating
27%
Acceptance
19,618
Students
# 55
Ranking
$50,400
Tuition
DePaul University
#12 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
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Chicago, IL
https://www.depaul.edu
A-
Rating
68%
Acceptance
26,721
Students
# 224
Ranking
$40,551
Tuition
Ithaca College
#13 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
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Ithaca, NY
www.ithaca.edu
A-
Rating
73%
Acceptance
7,003
Students
# 201
Ranking
$45,274
Tuition
The University of Alabama
#14 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
The University of Alabama is a very large public university located in Tuscaloosa, AL ranked 4th in Alabama. It has a total of 36,045 full-time undergraduate students and is not competitive, accepting 82.68% of applicants. The University of Alabama offers 214 different majors and is best known for its Managerial Economics, Human Sciences, and Marketing programs (nationally ranked 2nd, 2nd, and 3rd respectively). With an annual tuition of $10,780 for in-state students and $30,250 for those from out-of-state, The University of Alabama is reasonably expensive. 57.21% of students graduate starting the next stage of their lives, employment. Open graduating, alumni go on to generate more or less $44,500 per year, which is 7% greater than the national median.
Read More
Tuscaloosa, AL
www.ua.edu/
B
Rating
83%
Acceptance
42,432
Students
# 148
Ranking
$30,250
Tuition
Temple University
#15 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
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Philadelphia, PA
www.temple.edu
A-
Rating
60%
Acceptance
43,154
Students
# 67
Ranking
$28,992
Tuition
Texas Christian University
#16 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
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Fort Worth, TX
www.tcu.edu/
A
Rating
47%
Acceptance
11,499
Students
# 98
Ranking
$49,160
Tuition
American University
#17 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
Read More
Washington, DC
WWW.AMERICAN.EDU
A
Rating
36%
Acceptance
16,079
Students
# 93
Ranking
$49,070
Tuition
Elon University
#18 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
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Elon, NC
www.elon.edu
A-
Rating
78%
Acceptance
7,277
Students
# 180
Ranking
$36,082
Tuition
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
#19 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
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Champaign, IL
www.illinois.edu/
A
Rating
59%
Acceptance
54,985
Students
# 21
Ranking
$29,178
Tuition
Southern Methodist University
#20 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
Read More
Dallas, TX
www.smu.edu
A+
Rating
47%
Acceptance
12,825
Students
# 84
Ranking
$50,200
Tuition
Texas Tech University
#21 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
Read More
Lubbock, TX
www.ttu.edu
B
Rating
69%
Acceptance
41,153
Students
# 126
Ranking
$16,704
Tuition
George Washington University
#22 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
Read More
Washington, DC
https://www.gwu.edu
A+
Rating
41%
Acceptance
31,641
Students
# 62
Ranking
$56,845
Tuition
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
#23 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
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University Park, PA
www.psu.edu/
A-
Rating
76%
Acceptance
49,935
Students
# 63
Ranking
$34,480
Tuition
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
#24 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
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Lincoln, NE
www.unl.edu/
B+
Rating
78%
Acceptance
28,686
Students
# 94
Ranking
$24,000
Tuition
Washington and Lee University
#25 Best Colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
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Lexington, VA
www.wlu.edu/
A+
Rating
19%
Acceptance
2,243
Students
# 48
Ranking
$53,730
Tuition