Best Public Relations Manager programs in Kansas, ranked by enrollment
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities designed to create or maintain a favorable public image or raise issue awareness for their organization or.
19 schools in Kansas run programs that feed this job, graduating 355 people a year. The job pays a median of $129,760 in Kansas across about 300 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Kansas that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
5 programs in Kansas that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Kansas (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 Kansas page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 09.0101In Kansas → | 224 | 63.1% | 11 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 09.0100In Kansas → | 74 | 20.8% | 7 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 3 | CIP 09.0102In Kansas → | 43 | 12.1% | 5 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 4 | CIP 09.0900In Kansas → | 13 | 3.7% | 2 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 5 | CIP 09.0909In Kansas → | 1 | 0.3% | 1 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
Top 19 schools in Kansas
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 8 of the 19 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Kansas Lawrence, KS Public · 3 feeder programs | 126 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $40,772 | 69% | — | 93% |
| 2 | Wichita State University Wichita, KS Public · 2 feeder programs | 45 | Communication, General | $35,035 | 51% | — | 94% |
| 3 | Pittsburg State University Pittsburg, KS Public · 1 feeder programs | 38 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $28,106 | 57% | — | 89% |
| 4 | Kansas State University Manhattan, KS Public · 2 feeder programs | 37 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $30,385 | 71% | — | 82% |
| 5 | Washburn University Topeka, KS Public · 2 feeder programs | 33 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | $39,932 | 53% | — | — |
| 6 | Fort Hays State University Hays, KS Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | — | 48% | — | 90% |
| 7 | Emporia State University Emporia, KS Public · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $37,095 | 56% | — | 98% |
| 8 | Ottawa University - Ottawa Ottawa, KS Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $33,465 | 28% | $26,935 | 83% |
| 9 | Baker University Baldwin City, KS Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 7 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | — | 58% | $21,404 | 94% |
| 10 | McPherson College McPherson, KS Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Communication, General | — | 34% | $24,595 | 77% |
| 11 | Bethel College - North Newton North Newton, KS Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | — | 41% | $23,560 | 94% |
| 12 | Kansas Wesleyan University Salina, KS Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 4 | Communication, General | — | 49% | $23,014 | 72% |
| 13 | Ottawa University - Online Overland Park, KS Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $33,465 | 43% | — | — |
| 14 | Southwestern College Winfield, KS Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Communication, General | — | 36% | $26,868 | 76% |
| 15 | Haskell Indian Nations University Lawrence, KS Public · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | — | 18% | — | 90% |
| 16 | Tabor College Hillsboro, KS Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | — | 34% | $20,022 | 65% |
| 17 | Butler Community College El Dorado, KS Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | — | 32% | — | — |
| 18 | Central Christian College of Kansas McPherson, KS Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Communication, General | — | 27% | $12,537 | 53% |
| 19 | Friends University Wichita, KS Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Communication, General | — | 43% | $24,084 | 55% |
All 19 schools in Kansas
Every school in Kansas 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 Kansas | Lawrence | Public | 126 | 3 |
| Wichita State University | Wichita | Public | 45 | 2 |
| Pittsburg State University | Pittsburg | Public | 38 | 1 |
| Kansas State University | Manhattan | Public | 37 | 2 |
| Washburn University | Topeka | Public | 33 | 2 |
| Fort Hays State University | Hays | Public | 15 | 1 |
| Emporia State University | Emporia | Public | 12 | 1 |
| Ottawa University - Ottawa | Ottawa | Private not-for-profit | 9 | 1 |
| Baker University | Baldwin City | Private not-for-profit | 7 | 2 |
| McPherson College | McPherson | Private not-for-profit | 6 | 1 |
| Bethel College - North Newton | North Newton | Private not-for-profit | 5 | 1 |
| Kansas Wesleyan University | Salina | Private not-for-profit | 4 | 2 |
| Ottawa University - Online | Overland Park | Private not-for-profit | 4 | 1 |
| Southwestern College | Winfield | Private not-for-profit | 4 | 1 |
| Haskell Indian Nations University | Lawrence | Public | 3 | 1 |
What public relations managers earn in Kansas
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $146,910. Kansas pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Kansas
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 Managers page.
How to become a Public Relations Manager
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience needed
- 5 years or more
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.
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Kansas
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 10 majors mapped to Public Relations Managers10 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 09.0100Communication, General
- 09.0101Speech Communication and Rhetoric
- 09.0102Mass Communication/Media Studies
- 09.0900Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
- 09.0902Public Relations/Image Management
- 09.0904Political Communication
- 09.0907International and Intercultural Communication
- 09.0909Communication Management and Strategic Communications
- 52.0501Business/Corporate Communications, General
- 52.0599Business/Corporate Communications, Other
Common questions
Answers for people weighing public relations managers programs in Kansas.
What degree do you need to become a Public Relations Manager?+
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 224 degrees in Kansas in 2024-25, 63.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Public Relations Manager?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Communication and Media Studies, Public Relations. Together they graduate about 355 people a year in Kansas.
How much do public relations managers earn in Kansas?+
The median is $129,760 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 11.7% below the U.S. median of $146,910. 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 managers growing?+
BLS projects a +5.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 6,600 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Kansas?+
19 institutions in Kansas reported graduates from at least one of the 5 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 managers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Communications Director, Public Affairs Director, Community Relations Director, Public Relations Director (PR Director) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 11-2032.
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
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card