Best Public Relations Manager programs in Minnesota, 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.
29 schools in Minnesota run programs that feed this job, graduating 737 people a year. The job pays a median of $139,040 in Minnesota across about 1,230 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Minnesota that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
8 programs in Minnesota that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Minnesota (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 Minnesota page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 09.0101In Minnesota → | 262 | 35.5% | 14 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 09.0909In Minnesota → | 193 | 26.2% | 4 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 3 | CIP 09.0100In Minnesota → | 157 | 21.3% | 13 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 4 | CIP 09.0102In Minnesota → | 83 | 11.3% | 8 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 5 | CIP 09.0900In Minnesota → | 26 | 3.5% | 3 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 6 | CIP 09.0904In Minnesota → | 8 | 1.1% | 1 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 7 | CIP 09.0902In Minnesota → | 4 | 0.5% | 1 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 8 | CIP 52.0501In Minnesota → | 4 | 0.5% | 2 | $41,000 | $26,000 |
Top 25 schools in Minnesota
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 19 of the 29 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN Public · 3 feeder programs | 207 | Communication Management and Strategic Communications | — | 85% | — | 80% |
| 2 | Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN Public · 4 feeder programs | 93 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $39,798 | 54% | — | 88% |
| 3 | Winona State University Winona, MN Public · 3 feeder programs | 47 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | $38,197 | 57% | — | 75% |
| 4 | University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 43 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $39,706 | 65% | — | 89% |
| 5 | Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN Public · 3 feeder programs | 36 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | $40,279 | 40% | — | 95% |
| 6 | Metropolitan State University Saint Paul, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 28 | Communication, General | $46,320 | 44% | — | 99% |
| 7 | Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 26 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $50,074 | 77% | $21,607 | 61% |
| 8 | University of Minnesota - Crookston Crookston, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 25 | Communication, General | $42,458 | 50% | — | 88% |
| 9 | Hamline University Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 23 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $42,201 | 60% | $20,981 | 88% |
| 10 | Rochester Community and Technical College Rochester, MN Public · 3 feeder programs | 23 | Communication, General | $27,798 | 29% | — | — |
| 11 | Walden University Minneapolis, MN Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 21 | Communication, General | — | — | — | — |
| 12 | College of Saint Benedict Saint Joseph, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 19 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $45,702 | 77% | $22,583 | 92% |
| 13 | Bethel University Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Communication, General | $40,019 | 71% | $25,225 | 88% |
| 14 | University of St Thomas Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $45,100 | 76% | $28,888 | 85% |
| 15 | Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, MN Public · 2 feeder programs | 14 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $36,172 | 57% | — | 59% |
| 16 | Augsburg University Minneapolis, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $36,604 | 52% | $23,585 | 82% |
| 17 | Saint Johns University Collegeville, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $40,423 | 75% | $19,900 | 91% |
| 18 | Crown College Saint Bonifacius, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Communication, General | — | 45% | $26,706 | 23% |
| 19 | University of Northwestern - St Paul Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 10 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $40,330 | 68% | $23,114 | 93% |
| 20 | Concordia University - Saint Paul Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 9 | Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | — | 46% | $17,328 | 79% |
| 21 | Bethany Lutheran College Mankato, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Communication, General | — | 55% | $16,550 | 39% |
| 22 | Concordia College at Moorhead Moorhead, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Communication, General | $42,431 | 61% | $23,425 | 63% |
| 23 | Southwest Minnesota State University Marshall, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | — | 45% | — | 62% |
| 24 | St Catherine University Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Communication, General | $44,606 | 61% | $21,042 | 92% |
| 25 | Bemidji State University Bemidji, MN Public · 2 feeder programs | 6 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | $34,243 | 48% | — | 56% |
All 29 schools in Minnesota
Every school in Minnesota 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 Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis | Public | 207 | 3 |
| Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato | Public | 93 | 4 |
| Winona State University | Winona | Public | 47 | 3 |
| University of Minnesota - Duluth | Duluth | Public | 43 | 1 |
| Saint Cloud State University | Saint Cloud | Public | 36 | 3 |
| Metropolitan State University | Saint Paul | Public | 28 | 1 |
| Gustavus Adolphus College | Saint Peter | Private not-for-profit | 26 | 1 |
| University of Minnesota - Crookston | Crookston | Public | 25 | 1 |
| Hamline University | Saint Paul | Private not-for-profit | 23 | 2 |
| Rochester Community and Technical College | Rochester | Public | 23 | 3 |
| Walden University | Minneapolis | Private for-profit | 21 | 1 |
| College of Saint Benedict | Saint Joseph | Private not-for-profit | 19 | 1 |
| Bethel University | Saint Paul | Private not-for-profit | 17 | 1 |
| University of St Thomas | Saint Paul | Private not-for-profit | 16 | 1 |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead | Moorhead | Public | 14 | 2 |
What public relations managers earn in Minnesota
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $146,910. Minnesota pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Minnesota
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 Minnesota
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 Minnesota.
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 262 degrees in Minnesota in 2024-25, 35.5% 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 8 programs to this occupation. The largest are Communication and Media Studies, Public Relations, Business/Corporate Communications. Together they graduate about 737 people a year in Minnesota.
How much do public relations managers earn in Minnesota?+
The median is $139,040 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 5.4% 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 Minnesota?+
29 institutions in Minnesota reported graduates from at least one of the 8 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
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