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2024 Best Public Relations Schools

99 Colleges in the United States
5,039 PR Degrees Awarded
If you pursue a degree in public relations, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #138 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 99 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of public relations. Combined, these schools handed out 5,039 degrees in public relations to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Public Relations School

Best Public Relations Schools The pr program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Public Relations rankings. For our Best Overall Public Relations School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Public Relations Degree Level

Associate Degrees in PR
Bachelor's Degrees in PR
Master's Degrees in PR

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Public Relations Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Public Relations in the United States

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the pr degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

14 Top Schools in PR

1
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In DC
66 PR Degrees Awarded

It is difficult to beat Georgetown University if you wish to pursue a degree in public relations. Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Georgetown is a great university overall.

There were about 66 public relations students who graduated with this degree at Georgetown in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public relations from Georgetown University

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA
83 PR Degrees Awarded

University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in public relations. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 83 public relations students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public relations from University of Southern California

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In TX
144 PR Degrees Awarded

The University of Texas at Austin is a great option for students interested in a degree in public relations. UT Austin is a very large public university located in the city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were roughly 144 public relations students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public relations from The University of Texas at Austin

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In DC
52 PR Degrees Awarded

George Washington University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in public relations. Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means GWU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 52 public relations students who graduated with this degree at GWU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public relations from George Washington University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MA
186 PR Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #54 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Boston U is a great university overall.

There were roughly 186 public relations students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public relations from Boston University

6
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In FL
215 PR Degrees Awarded

UF is a fairly large public university located in the city of Gainesville. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UF is a great university overall.

There were approximately 215 public relations students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public relations from University of Florida

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In TX
35 PR Degrees Awarded

SMU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Dallas. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SMU is a great university overall.

There were about 35 public relations students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public relations from Southern Methodist University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NY
102 PR Degrees Awarded

Located in the midsize city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 12th out of 142 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were about 102 public relations students who graduated with this degree at Syracuse in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public relations from Syracuse University

9
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In FL
84 PR Degrees Awarded

U Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Coral Gables. A Best Colleges rank of #91 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means U Miami is a great university overall.

There were approximately 84 public relations students who graduated with this degree at U Miami in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public relations from University of Miami

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In GA
148 PR Degrees Awarded

UGA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Athens. A Best Colleges rank of #72 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UGA is a great university overall.

There were about 148 public relations students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public relations from University of Georgia

11
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In AL
211 PR Degrees Awarded

UA is a very large public university located in the city of Tuscaloosa. This university ranks 2nd out of 40 schools for overall quality in the state of Alabama.

There were about 211 public relations students who graduated with this degree at UA in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public relations from The University of Alabama

12
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In TX
160 PR Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Lubbock, Texas Tech is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 9th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 160 public relations students who graduated with this degree at Texas Tech in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public relations from Texas Tech University

13
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In PA
54 PR Degrees Awarded

Temple is a fairly large public university located in the city of Philadelphia. This university ranks 11th out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 54 public relations students who graduated with this degree at Temple in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public relations from Temple University

14
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In OR
188 PR Degrees Awarded

Located in the medium-sized city of Eugene, UO is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 30 colleges for overall quality in the state of Oregon.

There were roughly 188 public relations students who graduated with this degree at UO in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public relations from University of Oregon

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Public Relations Schools award.

RankCollegeLocation
15Washington State UniversityPullman, WA
16American UniversityWashington, DC
17Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, WI
18Drake UniversityDes Moines, IA
19San Jose State UniversitySan Jose, CA
20Brigham Young University - ProvoProvo, UT
20Miami University - OxfordOxford, OH
21Iowa State UniversityAmes, IA
22Bradley UniversityPeoria, IL
23University of HoustonHouston, TX
24Rowan UniversityGlassboro, NJ
25Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI

Public Relations by Region

View the Best Public Relations Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

One of 10 majors within the Public Relations & Advertising area of study, Public Relations has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Advertising4,655
Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication4,517
General Organizational Communication1,905
Communication Management and Strategic Communications1,802
Other Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication1,409
Sports Communication943
Health Communication424
Technical & Scientific Communication203
Political Communication195
International & Intercultural Communication183

View All PR Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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