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Public Relations & Advertising

Types of Degrees Public Relations & Advertising Majors Are Earning

Those studying Public Relations & Advertising may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	93
Associate’s Degree	432
Bachelor’s Degree	15,060
Master’s Degree	3,995
Doctor’s Degree	41

What Public Relations & Advertising Majors Need to Know

Studies in Public Relations & Advertising develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Public Relations & Advertising graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Public Relations & Advertising emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Public Relations & Advertising program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Public Relations & Advertising careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Public Relations & Advertising graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Public Relations & Advertising professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	✓
Apple Final Cut Pro	Video creation and editing software	—
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Public Relations & Advertising graduates include:

• Instructor
• Speech Communication Professor
• Media Arts Professor
• Communications Faculty Member
• Lecturer
• Communication Studies Instructor
• Public Speaking Professor
• Journalism Instructor
• Interpersonal Communications Professor
• Communications Instructor
• Adjunct Lecturer
• Journalism Professor
• Professor
• Communication Studies Professor
• College Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Public Relations & Advertising graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	39.9%
Bachelor’s degree	35.6%
Doctoral degree	8.8%
Post-doctoral training	5.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.2%
Some college courses	2.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.0%
Post-master’s certificate	0.5%
Less than a high school diploma	0.4%
Postsecondary certificate	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Public Relations & Advertising?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 71.9% of Public Relations & Advertising degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	14,127	71.9%
Men	5,509	28.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Public Relations & Advertising graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	11,821	60.2%
Asian	755	3.8%
Hispanic or Latino	2,982	15.2%
Black or African American	1,730	8.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	47	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	33	0.2%
Two or More Races	797	4.1%
Race Unknown	476	2.4%
International Students	995	5.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Public Relations & Advertising Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Public Relations & Advertising graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$43,317
4 years	$55,248
5 years	$64,495

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $64,495 — roughly 49% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Public Relations & Advertising Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Public Relations & Advertising. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	7	4
Bachelor’s	48	48
Master’s	60	29

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Public Relations & Advertising Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Public Relations & Advertising graduates earn a median of $55,248 four years after completion — roughly 45% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Communication, General	55,210
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication	17,813
Journalism	11,334
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other	1,080
Publishing	340
COMMUNICATION, JOURNALISM, AND RELATED PROGRAMS	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.