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Public relations internship education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a public relations internship. Public relations interns usually study communication, public relations, or journalism. 86% of public relations interns hold a bachelor's degree, and 6% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 37,418 real public relations internship resumes to see exactly what public relations internship education sections show.
The most common colleges for public relations interns are the New York University and the New York University.
There are also many online public relations internship courses to help get the education required to be a public relations internship.
There are certain public relations internship certifications that you should consider. These public relations internship certifications include Accreditation in Public Relations (PR) and Professional Certified Marketer (PCM).
What education do you need to become a public relations internship?
What degree do you need to be a public relations internship?
- Bachelor's, 86%
- Associate, 6%
- Master's, 5%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a public relations internship?
- Communication, 28%
- Public Relations, 21%
- Journalism, 7%
- Marketing, 7%
- Other Majors, 37%
Most common colleges for public relations interns
| Public relations internship common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New York University | 8.62% |
| Fashion Institute of Technology | 7.53% |
| Florida State University | 6.16% |
| Boston University | 5.67% |
| Temple University | 5.56% |
Best majors for public relations interns
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Communication | 28.3% |
| 2 | Public Relations | 20.8% |
| 3 | Journalism | 6.7% |
| 4 | Marketing | 6.5% |
| 5 | Business | 6.5% |
Best colleges for public relations interns
The best colleges for public relations interns are Northwestern University, Northeastern University, and Boston University.
A public relations internship 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 interns. 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 interns.
1. University of Houston
Houston, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$8,913
Enrollment
37,291
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
4. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
5. Texas State University
San Marcos, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,280
Enrollment
34,187
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
8. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
9. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
10. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
20 best online courses for public relations interns
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Learn how to process data in real-time by building fluency in modern data engineering tools, such as Apache Spark, Kafka, Spark Streaming, and Kafka Streaming. ...
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3. 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...
4. Press Coverage, Publicity & Public Relations For Branding
Public relations to reach 100,000+ people with influencer marketing, publicity, and press coverage for personal branding...
5. Public Relations: Media Crisis Communications
Public Relations: You Can Shape and Control Your Media Messages at The Worst Possible Times...
6. 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...
7. 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;...
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10. Leadership for Public Health Crises
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14. Global Public Procurement
Students will learn the key principles of public procurement with public entities, including national international organizations. This course also illustrates practical examples and models on understanding the processes and procedurals of public procurement. Through the course, students will learn practical information such as registering as vendors and finding and bidding for opportunities. Week 1 : Global Public Procurement Introduction Week 2 : WTO, GPA, FTA, and Procurement Regulations...
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16. Public Speaking for People Who Hate Public Speaking
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18. Public Speaking: Be a Professional Speaker
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19. Instagram Marketing. How to Promote Your Business!
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20. The Art of Public Speaking
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Top 10 most affordable universities for public relations interns
The most affordable schools for public relations interns are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for public relations interns 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 interns.
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. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,368
Cost of attendance
21,034
8. Metropolitan State University
Saint Paul, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$7,879
Cost of attendance
21,223
9. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
10. San Jose State University
San Jose, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,796
Cost of attendance
24,514
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for public relations interns
The hardest universities for public relations interns to get into are Northwestern University, Northeastern University, and Boston University.
Some great schools for public relations interns 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 interns 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. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
4. Tulane University
New Orleans, LA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,428
5. Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
51%
SAT average
1,395
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
8. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
10. Clemson University
Clemson, SC • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,337
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for public relations interns
The easiest schools for public relations interns 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 internship 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 interns.
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. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
6. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
7. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
8. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
9. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
10. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
Average public relations internship salary by education level
| Public relations internship education level | Public relations internship salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $32,522 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $31,074 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025