Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools (2026): 10 Ranked by Salary & ROI
These are the top schools offering Public Relations & Advertising, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Public Relations & Advertising graduate earns $22,548/yr across 10 schools.
BLS projects 3.7% employment growth for occupations in this field from 2024–2034, with approximately 161 annual job openings per related program area.
All Public Relations & Advertising Programs Ranked
Click any row for full earnings projections and career path breakdown.
| # | School | TSW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Boise State University
Boise, ID · Public Relations & Advertising |
68
59–71 |
$43,876/yr | 73.4x |
| 2 |
University of Georgia
Athens, GA · Public Relations & Advertising |
63
55–66 |
$41,183/yr | 53.6x |
| 3 |
Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY · Public Relations & Advertising |
42
34–45 |
$21,006/yr | 42.0x |
| 4 |
Illinois Media School
Chicago, IL · Public Relations & Advertising |
44
38–47 |
$21,902/yr | — |
| 5 |
Illinois Media School-Chicago Campus
Chicago, IL · Public Relations & Advertising |
44
38–47 |
$21,902/yr | — |
| 6 |
Ohio Media School-Valley View
Valley View, OH · Public Relations & Advertising |
42
35–44 |
$15,718/yr | — |
| 7 |
Ohio Media School-Cincinnati
Norwood, OH · Public Relations & Advertising |
41
35–43 |
$14,229/yr | — |
| 8 |
Colorado Media School
Denver, CO · Public Relations & Advertising |
42
35–44 |
$15,718/yr | — |
| 9 |
Ohio Media School-Columbus
Columbus, OH · Public Relations & Advertising |
42
35–44 |
$15,718/yr | — |
| 10 |
Miami Media School
Doral, FL · Public Relations & Advertising |
41
35–43 |
$14,229/yr | — |
Programs by State
Top states by program availability. Click a state for the full in-state ranking.
About This Ranking
What we ranked
Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools ranks 10 programs across the United States by the TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings, return on investment, and job-market demand into a single 0-100 metric.
Data sources
Earnings figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, which tracks graduate income one and five years after program completion. Job-market projections use Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 employment data.
How to read the table
Use the sort controls below the headline to re-rank by earnings, ROI, or other metrics. Click any school name for full earnings projections, three-scenario modeling, and detailed program data. Most students attend a school within driving distance — local rankings are usually more actionable than national.
Caveats & limitations
Rankings reflect what the data can measure: post-graduation earnings, debt levels, and broad labor-market trends. They cannot capture program quality nuances like instructor expertise, hands-on equipment access, or industry connections. Treat rankings as a starting point — visit schools and talk to current students before committing.
Methodology
Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (projected earnings vs. program tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.