Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication

Contains Stem Majors

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    Total Degrees​
    Awarded in 2024
    19,636
    declining 4.98%
    Median In-State​
    Public Tuition
    $8,935
    growing 1.41%
    Median Out-of-State​
    Private Tuition
    $38,800
    growing 4.32%
    Average Wage
    $92,774
    growing 2.82%
    People in Workforce
    2.6M
    growing 3.21%
    Average Employee Age
    41.1
    growing 0.588%

    About

    In 2024, the locations with the highest concentration of Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication degree recipients are South Hooksett, NH, New York, NY, and Boston, MA. In 2024, the locations with a relatively high number of Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication degree recipients are Franklin, IN, South Hill, NY, and Elon, NC. The most common degree awarded to students studying Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication is a bachelors degree.

    Communications

    Institutions

    Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication and the types of students that study this field. Southern New Hampshire University awards the most degrees in Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication in the US, but Miami Media School and Simmons College of Kentucky have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication.

    Tuition costs for Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication majors are, on average, $8,935 for in-state public colleges, and $38,800 for out of state private colleges.

    The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (314 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (12,796 completions).

    Institutions

    Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication (2024)
    1. Southern New Hampshire University
      832 degrees awarded
    2. Fashion Institute of Technology
      570 degrees awarded
    3. The University of Texas at Austin
      566 degrees awarded

    The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication, is Public, 4-year or above (12,796 completions in 2024).

    The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

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    Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

    $8,935
    Median In-State Public
    $38,800
    Median Out of State Private

    Southern New Hampshire University has the most Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication degree recipients, with 832 degrees awarded in 2024.

    The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication.

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    Specialized Colleges

    Highest Concentration Institution
    1. Miami Media School
      26.6%
    2. Simmons College of Kentucky
      21.4%
    3. Fashion Institute of Technology
      16%

    Out of all institutions that offer Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Miami Media School has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication, with 26.6%.

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    Degrees Awarded by County

    Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication
    1. Merrimack County, NH
      832 degrees awarded
    2. New York County, NY
      681 degrees awarded
    3. Suffolk County, MA
      570 degrees awarded

    This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication by year.

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    Employment

    Information on the businesses and industries that employ Communications graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

    The average salary for Communications majors is $92,774 and the most common occupations are Other managers, Marketing managers, and Elementary & middle school teachers.

    The industry that employs the most Communications majors is Elementary & secondary schools, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Nonferrous metal (except aluminum) production & processing.

    Yearly Income for Common Jobs

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication is from the 2 Digit Course Communications.
    $92,774
    Average Wage in Workforce
    ± $1,421
    2.82%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 2.13%

    The average salary for Communications majors is $92,774 and the most common occupations are Other managers, Marketing managers, and Elementary & middle school teachers.

    This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Communications majors.

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    Highest Paying Locations

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication is from the 2 Digit Course Communications.
    Highest Paying Pumas
    1. Phoenix City--Maryvale (East) PUMA, AZ
      $238,510
    2. Mohave County North--City of Kingman & Bullhead City PUMA, AZ
      $235,916
    3. Capital Region Planning Commission 3--Baton Rouge City (North) PUMA, LA
      $209,291

    This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Communications majors.

    Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Communications majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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    Most Common

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication is from the 2 Digit Course Communications.

    The most common occupations for Communications majors, by number of employees, are Other managers, Marketing managers, and Elementary & middle school teachers.

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    Most Specialized

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication is from the 2 Digit Course Communications.

    Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Communications majors working as News analysts, reporters & correspondents, Public relations specialists, and Public relations & fundraising managers.

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    Highest Paid

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication is from the 2 Digit Course Communications.

    The highest paid occupations by median income for Communications majors are Surgeons, Physicians, and Nuclear medicine technologists and medical dosimetrists.

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    Occupations by Share

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication is from the 2 Digit Course Communications.
    2.6M
    2024 Workforce
    ± 39,231
    3.21%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 2.09%

    The number of Communications graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.21%, from 2.52M in 2023 to 2.6M in 2024.

    The largest single share of Communications graduates go on to work as Other managers (5.17%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Communications by share of the total number of graduates.

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    Most Common

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication is from the 2 Digit Course Communications.

    The most common industries that employ Communications majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & secondary schools, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, and Computer Systems Design.

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    Highest Paid

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication is from the 2 Digit Course Communications.

    The highest paying industries of Communications majors, by average wage, are Nonferrous metal (except aluminum) production & processing, Oil & gas extraction, and Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals.

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    Industries by Share

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication is from the 2 Digit Course Communications.
    2.6M
    2024 Workforce
    ± 39,231
    3.21%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 2.09%

    The number of Communications graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.21%, from 2.52M in 2023 to 2.6M in 2024.

    The industry which employs the most Communications graduates by share is Elementary & secondary schools, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Communications.

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    Specialty Locations

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication is from the 2 Digit Course Communications.
    PUMAS with a relatively high number of Communications majors
    1. Los Angeles County (Central)--West Hollywood & Beverly Hills Cities PUMA, CA
      5.4
    2. Los Angeles County (Central)--LA City (Central) PUMA, CA
      4.76
    3. Los Angeles County (West Central)--LA City (Central/Hancock Park & Mid-Wilshire) PUMA, CA
      4.34

    This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Communications majors.

    Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Communications majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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    Diversity

    Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Communications in the United States.

    The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Communications is 41.1.

    The most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Communications degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Communications (11,821 students).

    Workforce Age

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication is from the 2 Digit Course Communications.
    41.1
    Average Age in 2024
    ± 0.188 Years
    0.588%
    1 Year Change
    ± 0.647%

    This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Communications. The most common ages of employees with this major are 30 and 29 years old, which represent 3.19% and 3.16% of the population, respectively.

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    Degrees Awarded

    The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years.

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    Workforce Degrees

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication is from the 2 Digit Course Communications.

    The most common degree types held by the working population in Communications are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

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    Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

    Female (71.9%)
    Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

    This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication.

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    Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

    Degrees
    Most Common Race or Ethnicity
    1. White
      11,821 degrees awarded in 2024
    2. Hispanic or Latino
      2,982 degrees awarded in 2024
    3. Black or African American
      1,730 degrees awarded in 2024

    This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication for each race & ethnicity.

    In 2024, White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

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    Race & Ethnicity by Sex

    Degrees
    Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination
    1. White Female
      6,759 degrees awarded
    2. White Male
      2,671 degrees awarded
    3. Hispanic or Latino Female
      1,734 degrees awarded

    This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication.

    White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

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    Global Diversity

    The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication is from the 2 Digit Course Communications.
    Most Common Countries of Origin
    1. Mexico
      19,582 degree recipients
    2. India
      16,989 degree recipients
    3. Philippines
      14,786 degree recipients
    High Relative Number of Students
    1. Samoa
      7 times more than expected
    2. Antigua & Barbuda
      5.27 times more than expected
    3. Australia
      4.47 times more than expected

    There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Samoa that hold Communications degrees (7 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is Mexico (19,582 degree recipients).

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    Skills

    Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication majors need many skills, but most especially Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication majors need more than the average amount of Management of Financial Resources, Negotiation, and Persuasion.

    These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Management of Financial Resources is very distinctive for majors, but the Speaking, Active Listening, and Critical Thinking are the three most important skills for people in the field.

    Radar Distribution

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    Bar Chart

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