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Public affairs specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a public affairs specialist. Public affairs specialists usually study communication, journalism, or business. 70% of public affairs specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,887 real public affairs specialist resumes to see exactly what public affairs specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for public affairs specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online public affairs specialist courses to help get the education required to be a public affairs specialist.
There are certain public affairs specialist certifications that you should consider. These public affairs specialist certifications include Accreditation in Public Relations (PR) and Certified Medical Interpreter - Spanish (CMI).
What education do you need to become a public affairs specialist?
What degree do you need to be a public affairs specialist?
- Bachelor's, 70%
- Master's, 15%
- Associate, 9%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a public affairs specialist?
- Communication, 18%
- Journalism, 18%
- Business, 12%
- Other Majors, 44%
Most common colleges for public affairs specialists
| Public affairs specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 12.77% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 9.93% |
| Howard University | 8.87% |
| American University | 7.80% |
| George Mason University | 4.96% |
Best majors for public affairs specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Communication | 18.4% |
| 2 | Journalism | 18.0% |
| 3 | Business | 11.8% |
| 4 | Political Science | 8.0% |
| 5 | English | 6.4% |
Best colleges for public affairs specialists
The best colleges for public affairs specialists are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Southern California.
A public affairs specialist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for public affairs specialists. 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 public affairs specialists.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
5. University of Houston
Houston, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$8,913
Enrollment
37,291
6. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
7. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,853
Enrollment
14,759
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
10. Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$41,870
Enrollment
8,200
20 best online courses for public affairs specialists
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Top 10 most affordable universities for public affairs specialists
The most affordable schools for public affairs specialists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and suny farmingdale.
If the best universities for public affairs specialists 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 public affairs specialists.
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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
9. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
10. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for public affairs specialists
The hardest universities for public affairs specialists to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Southern California.
Some great schools for public affairs specialists 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 public affairs specialists 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
4. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
5. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
6. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
9. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
10. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for public affairs specialists
The easiest schools for public affairs specialists to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, barry university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a public affairs specialist 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 public affairs specialists.
1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
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. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
6. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
7. Rochester University
Rochester Hills, MI • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,002
8. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
9. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
10. Pennsylvania State University - Worthington Scranton
Dunmore, PA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
1,056
Average public affairs specialist salary by education level
| Public affairs specialist education level | Public affairs specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $72,830 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $67,170 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025