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Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Great Lakes Region

66 Colleges
$37,239 Avg Salary
$23,457 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Relations & Advertising School for You

Today's business students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Business Degree Central has created the Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 66 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best programs for business students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Check out the public relations programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

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 the Great Lakes Region . Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston.

While working on their degree, public relations majors at Northwestern accumulate an average of around $54,057 in student debt.

Read More…

#2

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Marquette University is a great place for public relations & advertising students. Located in the city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

On average, public relations graduates from Marquette take out $24,286 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $617.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Marquette University

Out of the 66 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the # 3 spot on the list. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Champaign.

On average, public relations graduates from UIUC take out $21,875 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $496.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Wisconsin - Madison is a great place for public relations & advertising students. UW - Madison is a fairly large public school located in the city of Madison.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at University of Wisconsin - Madison

#5

University of Dayton

Dayton, OH

The excellent programs at University of Dayton helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best public relations & advertising schools in the Great Lakes Region . UDayton is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Dayton.

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Miami University - Oxford landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public relations & advertising programs. Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large public school located in the town of Oxford.

While working on their degree, public relations majors at Miami University - Oxford accumulate an average of around $23,500 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $749.

Full Public Relations & Advertising at Miami University - Oxford Report

#7

Illinois Media School

Lombard, IL

Illinois Media School ranked #7 on this year’s Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large suburb of Lombard, Illinois Media School is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

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

Full Public Relations & Advertising at Illinois Media School Report

#8

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

Michigan State University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public relations & advertising programs. Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public college with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, public relations majors at Michigan State accumulate an average of around $22,605 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $560, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Michigan State University

Miami University - Hamilton landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public relations & advertising programs. Located in the large suburb of Hamilton, Miami University - Hamilton is a public college with a small student population.

On average, public relations graduates from Miami University - Hamilton take out $23,500 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $749.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Miami University - Hamilton

#10

Franklin University

Columbus, OH

Franklin University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public relations & advertising programs. Located in the city of Columbus, Franklin University is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

After completing their degree, public relations graduates from Franklin University carry an average student debtload of $26,332.

Full Public Relations & Advertising at Franklin University Report

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
11 Northwood University Midland, MI
12 Miami University - Middletown Middletown, OH
13 Baldwin Wallace University Berea, OH

Best Public Relations & Advertising Colleges by State

Explore the best public relations & advertising colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 1,190
Ohio 625
Illinois 917
Indiana 321
Wisconsin 288

Public Relations Concentrations

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 25 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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