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Public relations education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a public relations. Public relations usually study communication, business, or public relations. 75% of public relations hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 11,644 real public relations resumes to see exactly what public relations education sections show.
The most common colleges for public relations are the Marist College and the Marist College.
There are also many online public relations courses to help get the education required to be a public relations.
There are certain public relations certifications that you should consider. These public relations certifications include Accreditation in Public Relations (PR) and Certified Medical Interpreter - Spanish (CMI).
What education do you need to become a public relations?
What degree do you need to be a public relations?
- Bachelor's, 75%
- Associate, 9%
- Master's, 8%
- High School Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a public relations?
- Communication, 24%
- Business, 13%
- Public Relations, 12%
- Journalism, 7%
- Other Majors, 44%
Most common colleges for public relations
| Public relations common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Marist College | 9.91% |
| University of Florida | 6.31% |
| Iona College | 5.92% |
| University of Phoenix | 5.53% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 5.41% |
Best majors for public relations
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Communication | 23.6% |
| 2 | Business | 13.2% |
| 3 | Public Relations | 12.3% |
| 4 | Journalism | 7.3% |
| 5 | Marketing | 7.2% |
Best colleges for public relations
The best colleges for public relations are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.
A public relations 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. 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.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
4. University of Houston
Houston, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$8,913
Enrollment
37,291
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
6. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,853
Enrollment
14,759
7. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
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. Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$41,870
Enrollment
8,200
20 best online courses for public relations
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Top 10 most affordable universities for public relations
The most affordable schools for public relations are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.
If the best universities for public relations 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.
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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
4. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
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 State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
10. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for public relations
The hardest universities for public relations to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.
Some great schools for public relations 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 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
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
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. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,338
7. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY • Private
Admissions rate
43%
SAT average
1,415
8. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
10. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for public relations
The easiest schools for public relations 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 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.
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. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
7. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
8. Pennsylvania State University - Worthington Scranton
Dunmore, PA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
1,056
9. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
10. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
Average public relations salary by education level
| Public relations education level | Public relations salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $52,858 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $48,930 |
Public relations education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025