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Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois

15 Colleges
$40,755 Avg Salary
$24,370 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Relations & Advertising School for You

In <nil>, public relations & advertising students earned 917 degrees and certificates from an Illinois school, making the subject the 8th in the state.

With all the business programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Business Degree Central has created the Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 15 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best programs for business students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Public Relations & Advertising Colleges.

Top 10 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Our analysis found Northwestern University to be the best school for public relations & advertising students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

Public Relations majors at Northwestern take out an average of $54,057 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Northwestern University

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great place for public relations & advertising students. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that public relations majors at UIUC take out is $21,875. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $496, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#3

Illinois Media School

Lombard, IL

Out of the 15 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois Media School landed the # 3 spot on the list. Illinois Media School is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Lombard.

The average amount in student loans that public relations majors at Illinois Media School take out is $10,666.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Illinois Media School

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Loyola University Chicago. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, public relations majors at Loyola Chicago accumulate an average of around $23,250 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $797, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Public Relations & Advertising at Loyola University Chicago Report

#5

North Central College

Naperville, IL

Out of the 15 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, North Central College landed the # 5 spot on the list. North Central is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Naperville.

While working on their degree, public relations majors at North Central accumulate an average of around $20,649 in student debt.

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Illinois State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Normal.

After completing their degree, public relations graduates from Illinois State carry an average student debtload of $21,500. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $254, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Public Relations & Advertising at Illinois State University Report

#7

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

Bradley University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

After completing their degree, public relations graduates from Bradley carry an average student debtload of $25,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $585, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Bradley University

With a ranking of #8, Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for public relations & advertising students. Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

On average, public relations graduates from Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus take out $10,666 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Public Relations & Advertising at Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus Report

#9

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

DePaul University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, public relations graduates from DePaul carry an average student debtload of $28,651. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $603, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#10

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, IL

Columbia College Chicago came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the large city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

While working on their degree, public relations majors at Columbia accumulate an average of around $24,225 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $526.

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Best Public Relations & Advertising Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 1,190
Ohio 625
Indiana 321
Wisconsin 288

Public Relations Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Public Relations 5,039
Advertising 4,655
Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication 4,517
General Organizational Communication 1,905
Communication Management and Strategic Communications 1,802
Other Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication 1,409
Sports Communication 943
Health Communication 424
Technical & Scientific Communication 203
Political Communication 195
International & Intercultural Communication 183

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 15 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Bill Koplitz.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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