Community relations manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a community relations manager. Community relations managers usually study business, communication, or marketing. 77% of community relations managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,572 real community relations manager resumes to see exactly what community relations manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for community relations managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online community relations manager courses to help get the education required to be a community relations manager.

There are certain community relations manager certifications that you should consider. These community relations manager certifications include Accreditation in Public Relations (PR) and Certified Manager Certification (CM).

What education do you need to become a community relations manager?

What degree do you need to be a community relations manager?

The most common degree for community relations managers is bachelor's degree, with 77% of community relations managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 12% and master's degree degree at 7%.

Bachelor's, 77%

Master's, 12%

Associate, 7%

High School Diploma, 1%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a community relations manager?

You should major in business to become a community relations manager. 22% of community relations managers major in business. Other common majors for a community relations manager include communication and marketing.

Business, 22%

Communication, 17%

Marketing, 9%

Political Science, 7%

Other Majors, 45%

Most common colleges for community relations managers

Community relations managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, San Jose State University, and California State University - San Bernardino. Here are the most common colleges for community relations managers in the US based on their resumes.

Community relations manager common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	8.76%
San Jose State University	6.57%
California State University - San Bernardino	6.57%
University of Washington	6.20%
University of Central Florida	5.84%

Show more common community relations manager colleges

Best majors for community relations managers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	21.5%
2	Communication	16.9%
3	Marketing	8.6%
4	Political Science	6.6%
5	Journalism	6.2%

Show more common community relations manager majors

Best colleges for community relations managers

The best colleges for community relations managers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A community relations manager with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for community relations managers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become community relations managers.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

9. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

20 best online courses for community relations managers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for community relations managers

The most affordable schools for community relations managers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for community relations managers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for community relations managers.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for community relations managers

The hardest universities for community relations managers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for community relations managers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for community relations managers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

10. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Troy, NY • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,415

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for community relations managers

The easiest schools for community relations managers to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a community relations manager without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for community relations managers.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

7. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

8. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

9. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

10. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

Average community relations manager salary by education level

According to our data, community relations managers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $83,415 annually. Community relations managers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $74,021.

Community relations manager education level	Community relations manager salary
Master's Degree	$83,415
Bachelor's Degree	$74,021

Community relations manager education FAQs

What is the best college for Community Relations Managers?

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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