Public Relations & Advertising

Types of Degrees Public Relations & Advertising Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many public relations and advertising graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	2,542
Graduate Certificate	267
Doctor’s Degree	19

What Public Relations & Advertising Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, public relations majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Public Relations Majors

Public Relations majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Public Relations Majors

A major in public relations prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Public Relations Majors

As a public relations major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Public Relations & Advertising Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with public relations:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Advertising and Promotions Managers	5.4%	$117,130
Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes	4.7%	$66,040
Communications Professors	10.0%	$68,910
Community Health Workers	17.9%	$39,540
Entertainers and Performers, Sports and Related Workers	8.2%	NA
Green Marketers	5.4%	$117,130
Health Educators	14.6%	$54,220
Public Relations and Fundraising Managers	10.3%	$114,800
Public Relations Specialists	8.9%	$60,000
Technical Writers	10.9%	$71,850

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Public Relations & Advertising?

The major attracts more women than men. About 76% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of public relations majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	70
Black or African American	399
Hispanic or Latino	379
White	1,208
International Students	300
Other Races/Ethnicities	186

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Public Relations, too. About 11.8% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• South Korea
• Saudi Arabia
• Canada
• India

How Much Do Public Relations & Advertising Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that public relations and advertising students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree made a median starting salary of $50,365 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $44,924 (25th percentile) and $54,111 (75th percentile).

Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a public relations degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $55,530 to $90,930 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to public relations. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Public Relations & Advertising

Some careers associated with public relations require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to public relations have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	1.6%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	5.4%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	0.6%
Some College Courses	8.1%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	10.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	57.5%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	1.3%
Master’s Degree	12.2%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.7%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.6%
Doctoral Degree	1.4%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.8%

Online Public Relations & Advertising Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 587 schools offered some type of public relations and advertising program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	26	4
Certificate (2-4 Years)	5	0
Associate’s Degree	51	5
Bachelor’s Degree	86	26
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	175	47
Post-Master’s	13	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	8	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Public Relations & Advertising Worth It?

The median salary for a public relations grad is $69,480 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 74% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $591,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Public Relations & Advertising

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to public relations.

Major	Number of Grads
Communication & Media Studies	5,059
Radio, Television & Digital Communication	2,562
Journalism	1,238
Communication & Journalism (Other)	341
Publishing	214

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Bill Koplitz under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.