Best Public Relations Specialist programs in Illinois, ranked by enrollment
Promote or create an intended public image for individuals, groups, or organizations. May write or select material for release to various communications media.
40 schools in Illinois run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,254 people a year. The job pays a median of $76,380 in Illinois across about 6,200 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Illinois that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
7 programs in Illinois that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Illinois (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Illinois page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Speech Communication and Rhetoricmain feeder CIP 09.0101In Illinois → | 623 | 49.7% | 24 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 2 | Communication, Generalmain feeder CIP 09.0100In Illinois → | 422 | 33.7% | 10 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 3 | Public Relations/Image Managementmain feeder CIP 09.0902In Illinois → | 79 | 6.3% | 7 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 4 | Sports Communicationmain feeder CIP 09.0906In Illinois → | 60 | 4.8% | 5 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 5 | Business/Corporate Communications, Generalmain feeder CIP 52.0501In Illinois → | 27 | 2.2% | 4 | $41,000 | $26,000 |
| 6 | Health Communicationmain feeder CIP 09.0905In Illinois → | 25 | 2.0% | 4 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 7 | CIP 09.0900In Illinois → | 18 | 1.4% | 2 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
Top 25 schools in Illinois
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 26 of the 40 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 212 | Communication, General | $37,808 | 85% | — | 42% |
| 2 | Illinois State University Normal, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 155 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $38,125 | 65% | — | 88% |
| 3 | Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 99 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $38,490 | 49% | — | 70% |
| 4 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 81 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $52,210 | 95% | $14,799 | 8% |
| 5 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 81 | Communication, General | $38,912 | 62% | — | 77% |
| 6 | Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL Public · 3 feeder programs | 76 | Communication, General | $37,778 | 47% | — | 65% |
| 7 | DePaul University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 52 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $34,453 | 68% | $28,141 | 76% |
| 8 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 37 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $36,569 | 57% | — | 97% |
| 9 | University of Illinois Springfield Springfield, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 35 | Communication, General | $32,050 | 53% | — | 86% |
| 10 | Bradley University Peoria, IL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 30 | Sports Communication | $38,351 | 76% | $21,768 | 77% |
| 11 | Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 30 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $31,495 | 73% | $33,454 | 82% |
| 12 | Western Illinois University Macomb, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 28 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $34,142 | 45% | — | 71% |
| 13 | Saint Xavier University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 26 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $32,169 | 57% | $12,935 | 84% |
| 14 | Wheaton College Wheaton, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 26 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $39,321 | 85% | $23,461 | 87% |
| 15 | Southern Illinois University - Carbondale Carbondale, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 24 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $32,465 | 62% | — | 87% |
| 16 | Columbia College Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 23 | Communication, General | — | 52% | $28,087 | 89% |
| 17 | Aurora University Aurora, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 22 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $30,728 | 60% | $18,431 | 81% |
| 18 | Lake Forest College Lake Forest, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 20 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $42,835 | 78% | $25,052 | 57% |
| 19 | National Louis University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 20 | Communication, General | — | 30% | $18,904 | 95% |
| 20 | Benedictine University Lisle, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $30,334 | 50% | $23,570 | 95% |
| 21 | Roosevelt University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Business/Corporate Communications, General | $40,005 | 35% | $21,085 | 97% |
| 22 | Augustana College Rock Island, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $40,806 | 73% | $14,960 | 63% |
| 23 | Illinois Media School Chicago, IL Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Sports Communication | $21,902 | 80% | $30,188 | — |
| 24 | DeVry University - Illinois Lisle, IL Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $47,622 | 37% | $32,381 | 98% |
| 25 | McKendree University Lebanon, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | — | 53% | $23,994 | 72% |
All 40 schools in Illinois
Every school in Illinois with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign | Champaign | Public | 212 | 2 |
| Illinois State University | Normal | Public | 155 | 2 |
| Northern Illinois University | Dekalb | Public | 99 | 1 |
| Northwestern University | Evanston | Private not-for-profit | 81 | 2 |
| University of Illinois Chicago | Chicago | Public | 81 | 1 |
| Eastern Illinois University | Charleston | Public | 76 | 3 |
| DePaul University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 52 | 2 |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville | Public | 37 | 1 |
| University of Illinois Springfield | Springfield | Public | 35 | 1 |
| Bradley University | Peoria | Private not-for-profit | 30 | 3 |
| Loyola University Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 30 | 1 |
| Western Illinois University | Macomb | Public | 28 | 1 |
| Saint Xavier University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 26 | 2 |
| Wheaton College | Wheaton | Private not-for-profit | 26 | 1 |
| Southern Illinois University - Carbondale | Carbondale | Public | 24 | 1 |
What public relations specialists earn in Illinois
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $74,750. Illinois pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Illinois
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Public Relations Specialists page.
How to become a Public Relations Specialist
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Illinois
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 11 majors mapped to Public Relations Specialists11 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 09.0100Communication, General
- 09.0101Speech Communication and Rhetoric
- 09.0900Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
- 09.0902Public Relations/Image Management
- 09.0904Political Communication
- 09.0905Health Communication
- 09.0906Sports Communication
- 09.0907International and Intercultural Communication
- 19.0202Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Communication
- 52.0501Business/Corporate Communications, General
- 52.0599Business/Corporate Communications, Other
Common questions
Answers for people weighing public relations specialists programs in Illinois.
What degree do you need to become a Public Relations Specialist?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Speech Communication and Rhetoric, which awarded 623 degrees in Illinois in 2024-25, 49.7% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Public Relations Specialist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Communication and Media Studies, Public Relations, Business/Corporate Communications. Together they graduate about 1,254 people a year in Illinois.
How much do public relations specialists earn in Illinois?+
The median is $76,380 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 2.2% above the U.S. median of $74,750. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for public relations specialists growing?+
BLS projects a +4.8% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 27,600 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Illinois?+
40 institutions in Illinois reported graduates from at least one of the 7 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do public relations specialists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Communications Specialist, Public Affairs Specialist, Public Information Officer, Public Relations Specialist (PR Specialist) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-3031.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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