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Public Relations

Types of Degrees Public Relations Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Public Relations may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	50
Associate’s Degree	25
Bachelor’s Degree	3,461
Master’s Degree	513

What Public Relations Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Public Relations emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Public Relations 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 4.3 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 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 graduates report doing:

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

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Public Relations professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Public Relations graduates include:

• Campaign Manager
• Rhetoric Professor
• Instructor
• College Faculty Member
• Communications Assistant Professor
• Professor
• Public Speaking Teacher
• Adjunct Communications Instructor
• Communication Lecturer
• Journalism Professor
• Adjunct Professor
• Speech Instructor
• Journalist Professor
• Public Speaking Professor
• Adjunct Instructor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	43.9%
Master’s degree	34.3%
Doctoral degree	7.3%
Post-doctoral training	4.5%
Some college courses	4.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.0%
Less than a high school diploma	0.9%
Post-master’s certificate	0.4%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Public Relations?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 81.1% of Public Relations degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	3,293	81.1%
Men	768	18.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,482	61.1%
Asian	131	3.2%
Hispanic or Latino	628	15.5%
Black or African American	352	8.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	8	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	9	0.2%
Two or More Races	173	4.3%
Race Unknown	98	2.4%
International Students	180	4.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Public Relations Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Public Relations graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise 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 Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Public Relations. 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	1	1
Bachelor’s	9	10
Master’s	9	3

^{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 Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Public Relations 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
Speech Communication and Rhetoric	32,944
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	19,636
Communication, General	11,299
Mass Communication/Media Studies	8,694
Advertising	4,308
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	4,077
Communication Management and Strategic Communications	1,956
Organizational Communication, General	1,789
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication, Other	1,296
Sports Communication	1,202
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other	1,080
Broadcast Journalism	757

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.