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Publicity writer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a publicity writer. Publicity writers usually study english, journalism, or communication. 83% of publicity writers hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 277 real publicity writer resumes to see exactly what publicity writer education sections show.

The most common colleges for publicity writers are the New York University and the New York University.

There are also many online publicity writer courses to help get the education required to be a publicity writer.

What education do you need to become a publicity writer?

What degree do you need to be a publicity writer?

The most common degree for publicity writers is bachelor's degree, with 83% of publicity writers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 9% and master's degree degree at 5%.
  • Bachelor's, 83%
  • Master's, 9%
  • Associate, 5%
  • High School Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a publicity writer?

You should major in english to become a publicity writer. 22% of publicity writers major in english. Other common majors for a publicity writer include journalism and communication.

Most common colleges for publicity writers

Publicity writers often get their degrees at New York University, Brigham Young University, and California State University - San Bernardino. Here are the most common colleges for publicity writers in the US based on their resumes.
Publicity writer common collegePercentages
New York University10.20%
Brigham Young University8.16%
California State University - San Bernardino8.16%
University of Georgia6.12%
Bowling Green State University6.12%

Best majors for publicity writers

RankMajorPercentages
1English21.7%
2Journalism20.6%
3Communication13.1%
4Writing4.6%
5Psychology3.4%

Best colleges for publicity writers

The best colleges for publicity writers are Northwestern University, Northeastern University, and Boston University.

A publicity writer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for publicity writers. 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 publicity writers.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. University of Houston

Houston, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$8,913

Enrollment

37,291

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

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. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

20 best online courses for publicity writers

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3. Press Coverage, Publicity & Public Relations For Branding

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API Documentation 2: Teaches technical writers how to document REST. No programming experience required...

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API Documentation 1: Teaches technical writers how to document structured data. No programming experience required...

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7. TJ Walker's 1-Hour Public Speaking Presentation Skills Class

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Gain Mastery of Presentation Skills and Public Speaking Skills in One Hour...

8. Technical Report Writing

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18. Technical Writing: How to Write API Software Documentation

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19. Public Speaking and Presenting at Work

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20. Public Speaking Training & Facilitator Certification

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Top 10 most affordable universities for publicity writers

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

If the best universities for publicity writers 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 publicity writers.

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. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

9. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for publicity writers

The hardest universities for publicity writers to get into are Northwestern University, Northeastern University, and Boston University.

Some great schools for publicity writers 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 publicity writers 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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,545

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

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 publicity writers

The easiest schools for publicity writers to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, saint joseph's college of maine, and mount saint mary's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a publicity writer 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 publicity writers.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

3. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

4. Rochester University

Rochester Hills, MI • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,002

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

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. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

9. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

10. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

Average publicity writer salary by education level

According to our data, publicity writers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $59,236 annually. Publicity writers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $55,827.
Publicity writer education levelPublicity writer salary
Master's Degree$59,236
Bachelor's Degree$55,827

Publicity writer education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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