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Public relations coordinator education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a public relations coordinator. Public relations coordinators usually study communication, public relations, or business. 83% of public relations coordinators hold a bachelor's degree, and 7% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 9,500 real public relations coordinator resumes to see exactly what public relations coordinator education sections show.
The most common colleges for public relations coordinators are the Florida State University and the Florida State University.
There are also many online public relations coordinator courses to help get the education required to be a public relations coordinator.
There are certain public relations coordinator certifications that you should consider. These public relations coordinator certifications include Accreditation in Public Relations (PR) and Professional Certified Marketer (PCM).
What education do you need to become a public relations coordinator?
What degree do you need to be a public relations coordinator?
- Bachelor's, 83%
- Master's, 7%
- Associate, 6%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a public relations coordinator?
- Communication, 24%
- Public Relations, 15%
- Business, 10%
- Journalism, 10%
- Other Majors, 41%
Most common colleges for public relations coordinators
| Public relations coordinator common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Florida State University | 8.42% |
| Fashion Institute of Technology | 6.59% |
| New York University | 6.37% |
| Temple University | 6.26% |
| Arizona State University | 5.72% |
Best majors for public relations coordinators
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Communication | 24.5% |
| 2 | Public Relations | 15.1% |
| 3 | Business | 9.6% |
| 4 | Journalism | 9.6% |
| 5 | Marketing | 7.5% |
Best colleges for public relations coordinators
The best colleges for public relations coordinators are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Southern California.
A public relations coordinator 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 relations coordinators. 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 relations coordinators.
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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
6. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
7. University of Houston
Houston, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$8,913
Enrollment
37,291
8. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
9. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
10. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,853
Enrollment
14,759
20 best online courses for public relations coordinators
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4. Press Coverage, Publicity & Public Relations For Branding
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6. Communicating with the Public
Rooted in theater, journalism and humanities practices, this course presents tools and techniques that help you improve your public-facing communication skills, particularly when describing your work to a lay audience. Whether it’s a 30-second elevator pitch or speaking to a large organization, “Communicating with the Public” will boost your confidence in any speech-communication scenario...
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12. Introduction to International Relations
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19. Public Speaking: A tactical approach
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20. The Art of Communications - Become A Master Communicator
Communication skills training. Confidence. Public Speaking. Promotion. Body Language. Pay raise. Job interview. Speech...
Top 10 most affordable universities for public relations coordinators
The most affordable schools for public relations coordinators are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and suny farmingdale.
If the best universities for public relations coordinators 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 relations coordinators.
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. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
7. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
9. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
10. University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,368
Cost of attendance
21,034
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for public relations coordinators
The hardest universities for public relations coordinators to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Southern California.
Some great schools for public relations coordinators 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 relations coordinators 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. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
7. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
8. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
9. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
10. Tulane University
New Orleans, LA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,428
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for public relations coordinators
The easiest schools for public relations coordinators to get into are Barry 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 public relations coordinator 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 relations coordinators.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
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. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
6. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
7. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
8. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
9. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
10. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
Average public relations coordinator salary by education level
| Public relations coordinator education level | Public relations coordinator salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $48,972 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $46,565 |
Public relations coordinator education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025