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Public Relations & Advertising

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 09.0900 - 09.0999.

Types of Degrees Public Relations & Advertising Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Public Relations & Advertising may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	93
Associate’s Degree	432
Bachelor’s Degree	15,060
Master’s Degree	3,995
Doctor’s Degree	41

What Public Relations & Advertising Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Public Relations & Advertising emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Public Relations & Advertising graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Public Relations & Advertising emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Public Relations & Advertising program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Public Relations & Advertising careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Public Relations & Advertising graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Public Relations & Advertising professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Apple Final Cut Pro	Video creation and editing software	—
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	✓
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Public Relations & Advertising graduates include:

• Instructor
• Communication Instructor
• Professor
• Communication Studies Professor
• Adjunct Communications Faculty Member
• Speech Teacher
• Public Speaking Teacher
• Speech Communication Professor
• Communications Instructor
• Adjunct Lecturer
• Speech Instructor
• Media Arts Professor
• Lecturer
• Communication Studies Instructor
• Public Speaking Professor

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

Graduates with a degree in Public Relations & Advertising commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Community Health Workers	13.4%	$73,901	$61,028–$86,775
Health Education Specialists	3.7%	$81,726	$64,644–$98,808

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Public Relations & Advertising graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	39.9%
Bachelor’s degree	35.6%
Doctoral degree	8.8%
Post-doctoral training	5.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.2%
Some college courses	2.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.0%
Post-master’s certificate	0.5%
Less than a high school diploma	0.4%
Postsecondary certificate	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Public Relations & Advertising?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 71.9% of Public Relations & Advertising degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	14,127	71.9%
Men	5,509	28.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Public Relations & Advertising graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	11,821	60.2%
Asian	755	3.8%
Hispanic or Latino	2,982	15.2%
Black or African American	1,730	8.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	47	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	33	0.2%
Two or More Races	797	4.1%
Race Unknown	476	2.4%
International Students	995	5.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Public Relations & Advertising Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Public Relations & Advertising graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$43,317
4 years	$55,248
5 years	$64,495

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $64,495 — roughly 49% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Public Relations & Advertising Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Public Relations & Advertising. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	7	4
Bachelor’s	48	48
Master’s	60	29

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Public Relations & Advertising Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Public Relations & Advertising graduates earn a median of $55,248 four years after completion — roughly 45% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Communication Journalism Media	105,413
Communication, General	55,210
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication	17,813
Journalism	11,334
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other	1,080
Publishing	340
COMMUNICATION, JOURNALISM, AND RELATED PROGRAMS	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.