Management Occupations·SOC 11-2032

Best degree programs for Public Relations Managers, ranked by enrollment

Q: 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 31,248 degrees in 2024-25, 49.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Q: Which college majors lead to becoming a Public Relations Manager?

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 10 programs to this occupation. The largest are Communication and Media Studies, Public Relations, Business/Corporate Communications. Together they graduate about 62,760 people a year.

Q: How much do public relations managers earn?

The median is $146,910 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $82,410 at the 10th percentile to $284,990 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Q: 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.

Q: How many schools offer programs for this career?

1,302 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 10 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.

Q: 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.

10 college programs and 1,302 schools train Public Relations Managers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $146,910 median wage, 74,850 U.S. jobs. Federal data.

10 college programs at 1,302 schools train public relations managers, graduating 62,760 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Speech Communication and Rhetoric. The job pays a median of $146,910 (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Graduates / yr

62,760

from every feeder program

Median annual wage

$146,910

BLS OEWS May 2025

Projected growth

+5.0%

Faster than average

Openings / yr

6,600

new plus replacement

Schools

1,302

with a feeder program

States with jobs

BLS reports wages

About public relations managers

Plan, direct, or coordinate activities designed to create or maintain a favorable public image or raise issue awareness for their organization or client.

Also calledCommunications DirectorPublic Affairs DirectorCommunity Relations DirectorPublic Relations Director (PR Director)Campaign ManagerCommunity ManagerPublicity ManagerCommunity DirectorPublicity DirectorDevelopment DirectorInformation DirectorRelationship Manager

Fields of study that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.

Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs

CIP 09.01

Communication and Media Studies

51,408graduates / yr

718 schools · 3 specializations · 82.0% of pipeline

Grad earnings $34,858

Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs

CIP 09.09

Public Relations

10,502graduates / yr

164 schools · 5 specializations · 16.8% of pipeline

Grad earnings $39,658

Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services

CIP 52.05

Business/Corporate Communications

850graduates / yr

57 schools · 2 specializations · 1.3% of pipeline

Grad earnings $41,000

10 degree programs that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#	Program	Graduates / yr	Share of pipeline	Schools	Grad earnings (1 yr)	Median debt
1	Speech Communication and Rhetoric CIP 09.0101	31,248	49.8%	718	$34,858	$25,000
2	Communication, General CIP 09.0100	11,464	18.3%	375	$34,858	$25,000
3	Mass Communication/Media Studies CIP 09.0102	8,696	13.9%	311	$34,858	$25,000
4	Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication CIP 09.0900	4,140	6.6%	164	$39,658	$24,500
5	Public Relations/Image Management CIP 09.0902	4,001	6.4%	144	$39,658	$24,500
6	Communication Management and Strategic Communications CIP 09.0909	2,014	3.2%	64	$39,658	$24,500
7	Business/Corporate Communications, General CIP 52.0501	836	1.3%	57	$41,000	$26,000
8	Political Communication CIP 09.0904	190	0.3%	9	$39,658	$24,500
9	International and Intercultural Communication CIP 09.0907	157	0.3%	17	$39,658	$24,500
10	Business/Corporate Communications, Other CIP 52.0599	14	0.0%	2	$41,000	$26,000

Top 50 schools by graduates into this job

Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#	School	Graduates / yr	Top feeder program	Grad rate	Net price	Acceptance
1	Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	730	Communication, General	84%	—	57%
2	University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	618	Communication, General	83%	—	33%
3	Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs	604	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	0%	—	67%
4	University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO Public · 4 feeder programs	582	Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	74%	—	78%
5	Fashion Institute of Technology New York, NY Public · 1 feeder programs	574	Communication Management and Strategic Communications	81%	—	60%
6	California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	548	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	70%	—	91%
7	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC Public · 2 feeder programs	544	Mass Communication/Media Studies	91%	—	15%
8	Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX Public · 5 feeder programs	527	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	69%	—	73%
9	Florida International University Miami, FL Public · 3 feeder programs	526	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	74%	—	55%
10	University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	504	Mass Communication/Media Studies	91%	—	24%
11	Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN Public · 1 feeder programs	491	Mass Communication/Media Studies	80%	—	78%
12	University of South Florida Tampa, FL Public · 3 feeder programs	486	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	77%	—	43%
13	University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs	484	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	92%	$26,873	10%
14	The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL Public · 2 feeder programs	463	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	73%	—	77%
15	Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH Public · 1 feeder programs	452	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	88%	—	61%
16	University of Central Florida Orlando, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	444	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	78%	—	40%
17	California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA Public · 2 feeder programs	415	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	69%	—	46%
18	Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA Public · 3 feeder programs	409	Mass Communication/Media Studies	69%	—	73%
19	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	388	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	89%	—	27%
20	University of Georgia Athens, GA Public · 4 feeder programs	384	Public Relations/Image Management	90%	—	38%
21	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY Public · 2 feeder programs	377	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	71%	—	93%
22	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 4 feeder programs	373	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	81%	—	85%
23	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ Public · 4 feeder programs	371	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	68%	—	90%
24	Texas State University San Marcos, TX Public · 3 feeder programs	370	Public Relations/Image Management	55%	—	89%
25	San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · 2 feeder programs	364	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	76%	—	36%
26	Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	363	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	43%	$21,535	79%
27	University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR Public · 2 feeder programs	355	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	71%	—	74%
28	California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	336	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	56%	—	94%
29	The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN Public · 3 feeder programs	322	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	74%	—	42%
30	Liberty University Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	319	Communication, General	65%	$28,911	99%
31	Baylor University Waco, TX Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	309	Communication, General	80%	$35,682	51%
32	Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs	308	Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	86%	$25,823	44%
33	University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA Public · 1 feeder programs	307	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	85%	—	39%
34	CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY Public · 2 feeder programs	305	Business/Corporate Communications, General	72%	—	48%
35	James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA Public · 1 feeder programs	305	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	80%	—	72%
36	University of Delaware Newark, DE Public · 2 feeder programs	302	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	81%	—	71%
37	Ensign College Salt Lake City, UT Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	300	Communication, General	43%	$11,149	—
38	University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT Public · 2 feeder programs	298	Communication, General	65%	—	86%
39	East Carolina University Greenville, NC Public · 1 feeder programs	293	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	63%	—	89%
40	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA Public · 1 feeder programs	293	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	86%	—	55%
41	University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY Public · 2 feeder programs	288	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	75%	—	74%
42	Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN Public · 4 feeder programs	287	Communication, General	83%	—	50%
43	University of Connecticut Storrs, CT Public · 1 feeder programs	287	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	83%	—	52%
44	University of Arizona Tucson, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs	283	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	68%	—	86%
45	Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs	280	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	84%	—	58%
46	University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC Public · 3 feeder programs	280	Mass Communication/Media Studies	79%	—	60%
47	University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	278	Mass Communication/Media Studies	93%	—	11%
48	University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI Public · 3 feeder programs	276	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	73%	—	72%
49	University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD Public · 1 feeder programs	273	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	89%	—	45%
50	University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH Public · 3 feeder programs	268	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	75%	—	85%

What public relations managers earn

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual wage

$146,910

Mean annual

$164,760

Median hourly

$70.63/hr

People employed

74,850

What the range looks like

10th pct$82,410Median$146,91090th pct$284,990

Top-paying states

Top-paying metro areas

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

$213,510median

980 jobs

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

$195,190median

9,470 jobs

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

$192,360median

7,940 jobs

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

$192,720median

1,880 jobs

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

$176,390median

1,810 jobs

Trenton-Princeton, NJ

$179,330median

430 jobs

Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT

$174,990median

330 jobs

Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY

$158,270median

60 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34

+5.0%

Faster than average

Openings per year

6,600

new jobs plus replacements

Employment change

4,100

83,200 → 87,300

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

Where the jobs are, state by state

Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.

This occupation state by state: pay, jobs, and schools
State	Median pay	Jobs	Concentration	Schools	Graduates / yr
California	$167,980	9,400	1.07×	165	10,944
Texas	$126,670	8,190	1.21×	74	4,945
New York	$180,880	7,710	1.65×	90	4,410
Florida	$127,550	2,990	0.63×	43	3,731
North Carolina	$132,280	1,510	0.63×	36	2,647
Arizona	$114,400	1,170	0.75×	21	2,171
Ohio	$118,670	1,400	0.53×	58	2,104
Pennsylvania	$118,050	2,210	0.76×	81	1,939
Virginia	$176,340	2,610	1.32×	29	1,876
Massachusetts	$171,740	2,170	1.24×	43	1,634
Illinois	$131,990	2,770	0.94×	39	1,469
Utah	$132,670	580	0.70×	11	1,418
Indiana	$114,960	600	0.39×	33	1,335
Colorado	$162,870	—	—	21	1,294
Michigan	$117,900	1,720	0.81×	36	1,278
Maryland	$149,380	1,530	1.15×	19	1,260
Wisconsin	$113,980	1,010	0.71×	26	1,199
New Jersey	$174,980	2,420	1.17×	22	1,071
Georgia	$134,500	1,540	0.65×	25	1,052
Louisiana	$94,380	320	0.34×	18	1,017
Washington	$159,440	1,610	0.94×	16	1,012
Tennessee	$127,390	700	0.44×	22	969
Alabama	$98,210	540	0.53×	18	933
Kentucky	$112,320	510	0.53×	24	918
South Carolina	$104,920	650	0.58×	23	914
Connecticut	$154,210	890	1.08×	13	878
Missouri	$114,710	760	0.54×	34	831
Minnesota	$139,040	1,230	0.87×	29	737
Arkansas	$104,170	340	0.54×	14	657
District of Columbia	$197,600	7,410	21.92×	7	634
Iowa	$120,730	630	0.84×	28	478
Idaho	$98,160	—	—	9	459
Oregon	$131,190	1,410	1.49×	13	441
West Virginia	$82,380	70	0.20×	12	393
Rhode Island	$156,080	210	0.85×	8	375
Kansas	$129,760	300	0.43×	19	355
Delawaremoderate	$153,010	170	0.73×	4	352
Oklahoma	$96,030	490	0.59×	19	330
Mississippi	$97,160	170	0.31×	14	323
Nebraska	$104,440	330	0.68×	15	285
Nevada	$114,130	450	0.60×	5	284
New Hampshire	$132,660	330	0.99×	12	260
North Dakota	$114,110	130	0.61×	9	196
Hawaiimoderate	$105,010	390	1.29×	4	192
New Mexicomoderate	$115,260	250	0.58×	3	133
Vermont	—	280	1.90×	6	113
Maine	$166,940	—	—	5	105
Montanamoderate	$99,990	180	0.72×	4	58
Alaskalimited	$120,920	380	2.39×	2	10

Skills and tools

From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.

What they do day to day

Assign, supervise, and review the activities of public relations staff.
Confer with labor relations managers to develop internal communications that keep employees informed of company activities.
Design and edit promotional publications, such as brochures.
Develop and maintain the company's corporate image and identity, which includes the use of logos and signage.
Develop, implement, or maintain crisis communication plans.
Direct activities of external agencies, establishments, or departments that develop and implement communication strategies and information programs.
Draft speeches for company executives and arrange interviews and other forms of contact for them.
Establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, government officials, and media representatives and use these relationships to develop new business opportunities.

Tools and technology

hotmarks an O*NET hot technology

Adobe AcrobathotAdobe After EffectshotAdobe Creative Cloud softwarehotAdobe IllustratorhotAdobe InDesignhotAdobe PhotoshophotCanvahotFacebookhotGoogle AnalyticshotGoogle Docshot

How to get in

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.

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

Related careers

Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.

27-3031

Public Relations Specialists

$74,750283,380 jobs+4.8%

11-2011

Advertising and Promotions Managers

$133,66021,470 jobs-2.2%

13-1161

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

$78,760899,580 jobs+6.7%

13-1111

Management Analysts

$101,860898,280 jobs+8.8%

11-2021

Marketing Managers

$166,790395,240 jobs+6.6%

11-2033

Fundraising Managers

$125,47038,810 jobs+4.2%

Common questions

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 31,248 degrees in 2024-25, 49.8% 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 10 programs to this occupation. The largest are Communication and Media Studies, Public Relations, Business/Corporate Communications. Together they graduate about 62,760 people a year.

How much do public relations managers earn?+

The median is $146,910 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $82,410 at the 10th percentile to $284,990 at the 90th. 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?+

1,302 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 10 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.

↑ Zoom outAll occupations Management Occupations

Public Relations Managers by stateCalifornia Texas New York Florida North Carolina Arizona Ohio Pennsylvania Virginia Massachusetts Illinois Utah

Programs that lead hereCommunication and Media Studies Public Relations Business/Corporate Communications

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 2025
Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
Official source →
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34
Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
Official source →
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)
Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
Official source →
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohorts
Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Official source →
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest available
Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
Official source →
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018
Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
Official source →
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3
Tasks, 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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