Public relations counselor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a public relations counselor. Public relations counselors usually study law, political science, or communication. 62% of public relations counselors hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an doctoral degree. We analyzed 475 real public relations counselor resumes to see exactly what public relations counselor education sections show.

The most common colleges for public relations counselors are the Suffolk University and the Suffolk University.

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

What education do you need to become a public relations counselor?

What degree do you need to be a public relations counselor?

The most common degree for public relations counselors is bachelor's degree, with 62% of public relations counselors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are doctoral degree degree at 20% and doctoral degree degree at 13%.

Bachelor's, 62%

Doctorate, 20%

Master's, 13%

Associate, 3%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a public relations counselor?

You should major in law to become a public relations counselor. 24% of public relations counselors major in law. Other common majors for a public relations counselor include political science and communication.

Law, 24%

Political Science, 11%

Communication, 10%

Journalism, 8%

Other Majors, 47%

Most common colleges for public relations counselors

Public relations counselors often get their degrees at Suffolk University, University of Massachusetts Boston, and Northeastern University. Here are the most common colleges for public relations counselors in the US based on their resumes.

Public relations counselor common college	Percentages
Suffolk University	10.98%
University of Massachusetts Boston	8.54%
Northeastern University	8.54%
Loyola Marymount University	6.10%
Boston University	4.88%

Show more common public relations counselor colleges

Best majors for public relations counselors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Law	24.0%
2	Political Science	11.5%
3	Communication	10.4%
4	Journalism	7.5%
5	Business	6.5%

Show more common public relations counselor majors

Best colleges for public relations counselors

The best colleges for public relations counselors are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Northeastern University.

A public relations counselor 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 counselors. 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 counselors.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Houston

Houston, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$8,913

Enrollment

37,291

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

9. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

10. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

20 best online courses for public relations counselors

Advertising disclosure

1. Breastfeeding: Public Health Perspectives

Engaging in this course will provide you with the opportunity to think about breastfeeding and its public health implications. The Socio-Ecological Model will be the framework of the course as we think about how each level of the Model (individual, interpersonal, community, organizational, and public policy) impacts breastfeeding practices in the United States, and globally. Through short video lectures you will be introduced to relevant topics related to the public health perspectives of...

2. Leadership for Public Health Crises

Leadership for Public Health Crises will enable current and prospective managers, directors, unit heads, and elected officials to effectively lead their organizational response to profound health-related emergencies and to build leadership capacity across multiple sectors, agencies, organizations, and divisions. This series of courses prepares graduate students (in, e.g., public administration, public health, social work, business, homeland security, education, and related fields) and...

3. Press Coverage, Publicity & Public Relations For Branding

4.3

(496)

Public relations to reach 100,000+ people with influencer marketing, publicity, and press coverage for personal branding...

4. Public Relations: Media Crisis Communications

4.6

(2,248)

Public Relations: You Can Shape and Control Your Media Messages at The Worst Possible Times...

5. Data and Health Indicators in Public Health Practice

Epidemiology is often described as the cornerstone science in public health. Epidemiology in public health practice uses study design and analyses to identify causes in an outbreak situation, guides interventions to improve population health, and evaluates programs and policies. In this course, we'll define the role of the professional epidemiologist as it relates to public health services, functions, and competencies. With that foundation in mind, we'll introduce you to the problem solving...

6. The People, Power, and Pride of Public Health

The People, Power, and Pride of Public Health provides an engaging overview of the incredible accomplishments and promise of the public health field. The first module includes interviews with legendary public health figures whose work led to millions of lives saved with vaccines, air bags and car seats, and the federal Women Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program. The second module brings key public health tools to life -- including use of data, communications, and policy - through...

7. The Ultimate Public Relations Masterclass

4.7

(2,558)

Everything you need to know to be successful at PR in a digital world...

8. Public Speaking for Kids (& Parents) Kids Can Speak!

4.2

(445)

Public Speaking: It's never too early to learn how to speak effectively and with confidence. An essential life skill...

9. Systems Thinking In Public Health

This course provides an introduction to systems thinking and systems models in public health. Problems in public health and health policy tend to be complex with many actors, institutions and risk factors involved. If an outcome depends on many interacting and adaptive parts and actors the outcome cannot be analyzed or predicted with traditional statistical methods. Systems thinking is a core skill in public health and helps health policymakers build programs and policies that are aware of and...

10. Public Health in Humanitarian Crises 2

This course, Public Health in Humanitarian Crises 2, addresses public health issues of people affected by disasters, both natural or conflict-related. It discusses the many changes that occur in people’s lives when they are uprooted by a disaster, including many important topics related to humanitarian crises, such as when there is an epidemic a public health emergency; what do we mean with the humanitarian development nexus; what are the basics of disaster epidemiology and surveillance;...

11. Public Speaking for Beginners

4.6

(915)

Public Speaking Skills Developed From Scratch, in Little Time...

12. Public Speaking Training & Facilitator Certification

4.6

(1,480)

World-class public speaking training: Learn presentation skills, engage your audience, develop confidence, facilitate...

13. Introduction to Public Relations and the Media

This specialization is ideal for learners interested in how to practice public relations and branding communication. You will learn how to use different tools to manage your company’s reputation. You will learn about different forms of media, how to work with journalists, and how to plan strategic communication to enhance your company. And you will emerge from this specialization with several portfolio pieces, including a media contact list, press release, pitch, and crisis communication plan...

14. Biostatistics in Public Health

This specialization is intended for public health and healthcare professionals, researchers, data analysts, social workers, and others who need a comprehensive concepts-centric biostatistics primer. Those who complete the specialization will be able to read and respond to the scientific literature, including the Methods and Results sections, in public health, medicine, biological science, and related fields. Successful learners will also be prepared to participate as part of a research team...

15. Public Speaking for People Who Hate Public Speaking

4.3

(293)

Public Speaking for People Who Hate Public Speaking - Presentation Skills - Communication Skills and Storytelling...

16. Modern PR - How To Get Press Coverage For Your Business

4.5

(1,398)

A proven public relations / PR system to get press coverage for your company or product, from a journalist's perspective...

17. Participatory Approaches in Public Health

This specialisation guides learners through the process of designing an appropriate participatory approach to a given public health challenge, focusing on the history, theory and practice of participatory approaches to public health. You'll gain an understanding of the impact of social and cultural contexts in which public health programmes exist, as well as, why participatory approaches could better assist in meeting the population’s needs and solving certain health-related challenges...

18. Major Depression in the Population: A Public Health Approach

Public Mental Health is the application of the principles of medicine and social science to prevent the occurrence of mental and behavioral disorders and to promote mental health of the population. This course illustrates the principles of public health applied to depressive disorder, including principles of epidemiology, transcultural psychiatry, health services research, and prevention. It is predicted that by 2020 depressive disorder will be the most important cause of disease burden in the...

19. Counselling clients affected by the COVID-19 pandemic

4.5

(349)

Learn step by step, highly practical and rapid learning. Useful during and after the pandemic. CBT-REBT based...

20. Public Speaking with Canva

By the end of this project, you will explore Public Speaking using Canva to create a structure for an efficient speech to present your projects or ideas. You’ll be able to explore models and structure to feel confident in your public speaking competence and implement those skills in your life during dissertations, while pitching to your clients or while performing a TED talk, why not. Public speaking has traditionally meant the act of speaking face to face to a live audience but today includes...

Top 10 most affordable universities for public relations counselors

The most affordable schools for public relations counselors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for public relations counselors 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 counselors.

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. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

6. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

7. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Cost of attendance

25,275

8. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

9. University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus

San Juan, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

11,299

10. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Cost of attendance

25,228

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for public relations counselors

The hardest universities for public relations counselors to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Northeastern University.

Some great schools for public relations counselors 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 counselors 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. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Tulane University

New Orleans, LA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,428

9. University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL • Private

Admissions rate

32%

SAT average

1,365

10. Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

51%

SAT average

1,395

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for public relations counselors

The easiest schools for public relations counselors to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and saint joseph's college of maine.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a public relations counselor 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 counselors.

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. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

4. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

7. Pennsylvania State University - Worthington Scranton

Dunmore, PA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

1,056

8. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

9. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

10. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

Average public relations counselor salary by education level

According to our data, public relations counselors with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $71,654 annually. Public relations counselors with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $62,675.

Public relations counselor education level	Public relations counselor salary
Master's Degree	$71,654
Bachelor's Degree	$62,675

Public relations counselor education FAQs

What is the best college for Public Relations Counselors?

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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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