Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations·SOC 27-3031

Best degree programs for Public Relations Specialists, ranked by enrollment

Q: 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 31,248 degrees in 2024-25, 58.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

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

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 11 programs to this occupation. The largest are Communication and Media Studies, Public Relations, Business/Corporate Communications, Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services. Together they graduate about 53,886 people a year.

Q: How much do public relations specialists earn?

The median is $74,750 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $44,110 at the 10th percentile to $135,150 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 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.

Q: How many schools offer programs for this career?

1,190 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 11 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 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.

11 college programs and 1,190 schools train Public Relations Specialists. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $74,750 median wage, 283,380 U.S. jobs. Federal data.

11 college programs at 1,190 schools train public relations specialists, graduating 53,886 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Speech Communication and Rhetoric. The job pays a median of $74,750 (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Graduates / yr

53,886

from every feeder program

Median annual wage

$74,750

BLS OEWS May 2025

Projected growth

+4.8%

About as fast as average

Openings / yr

27,600

new plus replacement

Schools

1,190

with a feeder program

States with jobs

BLS reports wages

About public relations specialists

Promote or create an intended public image for individuals, groups, or organizations. May write or select material for release to various communications media. May specialize in using social media.

Also calledCommunications SpecialistPublic Affairs SpecialistPublic Information OfficerPublic Relations Specialist (PR Specialist)LobbyistPublicistMedia BuyerPress AgentMedia PlannerSpeech WriterBrand AdvocateEvent Promoter

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

42,712graduates / yr

718 schools · 2 specializations · 79.3% of pipeline

Grad earnings $34,858

Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs

CIP 09.09

Public Relations

10,319graduates / yr

164 schools · 6 specializations · 19.2% 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 · 1.6% of pipeline

Grad earnings $41,000

Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences

CIP 19.02

Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services

5graduates / yr

2 schools · 1 specialization · 0.0% of pipeline

Grad earnings $40,949

11 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 Rhetoricmain feeder CIP 09.0101	31,248	58.0%	718	$34,858	$25,000
2	Communication, Generalmain feeder CIP 09.0100	11,464	21.3%	375	$34,858	$25,000
3	Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communicationmain feeder CIP 09.0900	4,140	7.7%	164	$39,658	$24,500
4	Public Relations/Image Managementmain feeder CIP 09.0902	4,001	7.4%	144	$39,658	$24,500
5	Sports Communicationmain feeder CIP 09.0906	1,470	2.7%	88	$39,658	$24,500
6	Business/Corporate Communications, Generalmain feeder CIP 52.0501	836	1.6%	57	$41,000	$26,000
7	Health Communicationmain feeder CIP 09.0905	361	0.7%	51	$39,658	$24,500
8	Political Communicationmain feeder CIP 09.0904	190	0.4%	9	$39,658	$24,500
9	International and Intercultural Communicationmain feeder CIP 09.0907	157	0.3%	17	$39,658	$24,500
10	Business/Corporate Communications, Othermain feeder CIP 52.0599	14	0.0%	2	$41,000	$26,000
11	Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Communication CIP 19.0202	5	0.0%	2	$40,949	$23,344

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	California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	548	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	70%	—	91%
4	Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX Public · 5 feeder programs	533	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	69%	—	73%
5	University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO Public · 3 feeder programs	530	Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	74%	—	78%
6	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ Public · 5 feeder programs	506	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	68%	—	90%
7	University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs	484	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	92%	$26,873	10%
8	Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH Public · 3 feeder programs	483	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	88%	—	61%
9	The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL Public · 2 feeder programs	463	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	73%	—	77%
10	University of Central Florida Orlando, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	444	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	78%	—	40%
11	Florida International University Miami, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	437	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	74%	—	55%
12	California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA Public · 2 feeder programs	415	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	69%	—	46%
13	University of South Florida Tampa, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	411	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	77%	—	43%
14	Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs	398	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	0%	—	67%
15	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	388	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	89%	—	27%
16	University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI Public · 3 feeder programs	383	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	90%	—	45%
17	San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · 2 feeder programs	369	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	76%	—	36%
18	University of Georgia Athens, GA Public · 5 feeder programs	366	Public Relations/Image Management	90%	—	38%
19	Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	363	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	43%	$21,535	79%
20	University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR Public · 2 feeder programs	355	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	71%	—	74%
21	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 4 feeder programs	350	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	81%	—	85%
22	California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	336	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	56%	—	94%
23	Baylor University Waco, TX Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs	323	Communication, General	80%	$35,682	51%
24	Liberty University Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	319	Communication, General	65%	$28,911	99%
25	University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI Public · 3 feeder programs	314	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	73%	—	72%
26	University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA Public · 1 feeder programs	307	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	85%	—	39%
27	Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs	306	Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	86%	$25,823	44%
28	CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY Public · 2 feeder programs	305	Business/Corporate Communications, General	72%	—	48%
29	James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA Public · 1 feeder programs	305	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	80%	—	72%
30	University of Delaware Newark, DE Public · 2 feeder programs	302	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	81%	—	71%
31	University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT Public · 3 feeder programs	301	Communication, General	65%	—	86%
32	Ensign College Salt Lake City, UT Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	300	Communication, General	43%	$11,149	—
33	East Carolina University Greenville, NC Public · 1 feeder programs	293	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	63%	—	89%
34	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA Public · 1 feeder programs	293	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	86%	—	55%
35	Texas State University San Marcos, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	291	Public Relations/Image Management	55%	—	89%
36	Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN Public · 4 feeder programs	287	Communication, General	83%	—	50%
37	University of Connecticut Storrs, CT Public · 1 feeder programs	287	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	83%	—	52%
38	Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs	286	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	84%	—	58%
39	University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY Public · 1 feeder programs	281	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	75%	—	74%
40	Boston University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs	280	Public Relations/Image Management	89%	$21,956	11%
41	University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD Public · 1 feeder programs	273	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	89%	—	45%
42	University of Arizona Tucson, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs	271	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	68%	—	86%
43	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY Public · 3 feeder programs	270	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	71%	—	93%
44	University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	265	Communication, General	86%	—	42%
45	University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH Public · 3 feeder programs	253	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	75%	—	85%
46	University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC Public · 1 feeder programs	253	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	69%	—	80%
47	Syracuse University Syracuse, NY Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs	248	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	84%	$28,851	46%
48	California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	244	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	57%	—	93%
49	Rowan University Glassboro, NJ Public · 5 feeder programs	242	Sports Communication	67%	—	78%
50	Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	242	Speech Communication and Rhetoric	34%	—	—

What public relations specialists earn

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

Median annual wage

$74,750

Mean annual

$84,120

Median hourly

$35.94/hr

People employed

283,380

What the range looks like

10th pct$44,110Median$74,75090th pct$135,150

Top-paying states

Top-paying metro areas

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

$117,620median

2,200 jobs

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

$101,680median

22,810 jobs

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

$102,520median

6,290 jobs

Lexington Park, MD

$99,960median

60 jobs

Kennewick-Richland, WA

$103,030median

200 jobs

Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO

$82,930median

4,560 jobs

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

$96,000median

3,980 jobs

Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT

$84,990median

450 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34

+4.8%

About as fast as average

Openings per year

27,600

new jobs plus replacements

Employment change

15,000

315,900 → 331,000

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	$85,030	32,710	0.99×	156	10,428
Texas	$65,160	25,220	0.98×	64	4,505
Florida	$63,660	17,820	0.98×	41	3,151
New York	$81,250	28,250	1.60×	78	3,076
Arizona	$66,710	5,350	0.91×	20	1,982
Ohio	$64,840	6,670	0.66×	58	1,848
North Carolina	$67,230	9,910	1.10×	30	1,775
Massachusetts	$79,660	6,760	1.02×	37	1,614
Virginia	$80,380	9,990	1.33×	19	1,419
Pennsylvania	$57,460	11,180	1.01×	76	1,406
Utah	$62,670	1,800	0.57×	11	1,305
Illinois	$76,380	6,200	0.56×	40	1,254
Michigan	$65,300	7,510	0.94×	34	1,235
Colorado	$80,680	7,410	1.41×	20	1,210
Wisconsin	$67,240	4,410	0.82×	26	1,203
New Jersey	$80,130	4,980	0.64×	20	1,188
Maryland	$79,560	4,190	0.83×	16	1,160
Georgia	$73,200	6,860	0.77×	21	919
Indiana	$64,900	3,750	0.64×	33	863
Washington	$87,470	6,430	0.99×	14	852
Alabama	$61,710	2,410	0.63×	17	848
Connecticut	$84,990	1,910	0.62×	13	829
Missouri	$61,130	4,820	0.90×	33	777
Kentucky	$60,150	2,580	0.71×	23	762
South Carolina	$62,730	2,950	0.70×	16	684
Arkansas	$65,000	980	0.41×	13	643
Tennessee	$60,900	3,380	0.57×	20	590
District of Columbia	$102,740	16,720	13.07×	6	548
Minnesota	$68,620	8,260	1.54×	28	474
Louisiana	$60,470	1,710	0.48×	11	456
Idaho	$61,110	1,220	0.78×	9	454
Iowa	$62,970	2,890	1.02×	24	443
Oregon	$74,900	4,510	1.26×	14	407
Rhode Island	$77,540	1,140	1.24×	7	355
Nebraska	$61,780	1,590	0.85×	16	352
Delawaremoderate	$76,120	930	1.05×	3	318
Kansas	$64,860	2,340	0.89×	20	316
Oklahoma	$64,920	2,280	0.73×	16	305
New Hampshire	$73,280	1,140	0.92×	11	271
Mississippi	$59,810	950	0.45×	11	259
West Virginia	$56,730	350	0.27×	10	224
Hawaiimoderate	$63,880	1,800	1.57×	4	192
North Dakota	$70,280	640	0.82×	8	192
Nevada	$73,840	1,600	0.57×	5	183
New Mexicomoderate	$68,700	1,130	0.71×	3	133
Maine	$62,450	1,400	1.20×	5	93
Montanamoderate	$63,780	1,760	1.89×	4	56
South Dakota	$64,520	210	0.25×	5	54
Wyoming	$67,490	480	0.93×	5	40
Vermontmoderate	$66,060	1,260	2.27×	4	29
Alaskalimited	$70,050	640	1.08×	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

Respond to requests for information from the media or designate an appropriate spokesperson or information source.
Plan or direct development or communication of programs to maintain favorable public or stockholder perceptions of an organization's accomplishments, agenda, or environmental responsibility.
Post and update content on the company's Web site and social media outlets.
Write press releases or other media communications to promote clients.
Establish or maintain cooperative relationships with representatives of community, consumer, employee, or public interest groups.
Confer with other managers to identify trends or key group interests or concerns or to provide advice on business decisions.
Coach client representatives in effective communication with the public or with employees.
Study the objectives, promotional policies, or needs of organizations to develop public relations strategies that will influence public opinion or promote ideas, products, or services.

Skills

Active Listening4.1
Speaking4.1
Reading Comprehension4.0
Writing4.0
Critical Thinking3.9
Active Learning3.4
Monitoring3.0
Learning Strategies2.9

Knowledge areas

Communications and Media4.9
English Language4.7
Administration and Management4.0
Customer and Personal Service4.0
Sales and Marketing3.9
Computers and Electronics3.5

Abilities

Oral Comprehension4.3
Oral Expression4.1
Speech Clarity4.0
Speech Recognition4.0
Written Expression4.0
Deductive Reasoning3.9

Core activities

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.8
Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.8
Getting Information4.7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.6
Developing Objectives and Strategies4.5
Thinking Creatively4.5

Tools and technology

hotmarks an O*NET hot technology

Adobe AcrobathotAdobe After EffectshotAdobe Creative Cloud softwarehotAdobe IllustratorhotAdobe InDesignhotAdobe PhotoshophotApple macOShotCanvahotCascading style sheets CSShotCisco Webexhot

How to get in

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.

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

Related careers

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

11-2032

Public Relations Managers

$146,91074,850 jobs+5.0%

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%

27-3043

Writers and Authors

$76,91047,940 jobs+3.6%

11-2021

Marketing Managers

$166,790395,240 jobs+6.6%

41-3011

Advertising Sales Agents

$64,82091,700 jobs-6.4%

Common questions

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 31,248 degrees in 2024-25, 58.0% 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 11 programs to this occupation. The largest are Communication and Media Studies, Public Relations, Business/Corporate Communications, Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services. Together they graduate about 53,886 people a year.

How much do public relations specialists earn?+

The median is $74,750 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $44,110 at the 10th percentile to $135,150 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 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?+

1,190 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 11 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 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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