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2024 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Plains States Region

33 Colleges in the Plains States Region
1,246 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$36,683 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in public relations & advertising, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #52 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual looked at 33 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,246 degrees in public relations & advertising during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Public Relations & Advertising School

Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Plains States Region Your choice of public relations & advertising school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Public Relations & Advertising School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Public Relations & Advertising Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Public Relations
Bachelor's Degrees in Public Relations
Master's Degrees in Public Relations

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Plains States Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Public Relations & Advertising in the Plains States Region

The schools below may not offer all types of public relations degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools in Public Relations

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MN
176 Public Relations Degrees Awarded

It's hard to beat University of Minnesota - Twin Cities if you want to pursue a degree in public relations & advertising. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were about 176 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

2
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
251 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$39,532 Median Starting Salary

University of Nebraska - Lincoln is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in public relations & advertising. UNL is a very large public university located in the large city of Lincoln. A Best Colleges rank of #138 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNL is a great university overall.

There were about 251 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at UNL in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public relations & advertising major at University of Nebraska - Lincoln make $2,849 more than the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from University of Nebraska - Lincoln

3
Drake crest
Drake University
Des Moines, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
47 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$42,274 Median Starting Salary

Drake University is a great choice for students interested in a degree in public relations & advertising. Located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #224 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Drake is a great university overall.

There were approximately 47 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Drake in the most recent year we have data available. Those public relations & advertising students who get their degree from Drake University make $5,591 more than the standard public relations grad.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from Drake University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
109 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$39,633 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Iowa State University if you want to pursue a degree in public relations & advertising. Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 109 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent data year. Those public relations & advertising students who get their degree from Iowa State University earn $2,950 more than the standard public relations student.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from Iowa State University

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In MN
94.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Saint Paul, UST MN is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #143 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UST MN is a great university overall.

There were approximately 17 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at UST MN in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from University of St Thomas Minnesota

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$37,176 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #199 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNI is a great university overall.

There were approximately 31 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at UNI in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the public relations program state that they receive average early career wages of $37,176.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from University of Northern Iowa

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$38,698 Median Starting Salary
$24,499 Median Student Debt

South Dakota State is a large public university located in the town of Brookings. A Best Colleges rank of #267 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means South Dakota State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 24 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at South Dakota State in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public relations & advertising degree program at South Dakota State University make $2,015 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from South Dakota State University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
57.1% Growth in Graduates

KU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Lawrence. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means KU is a great university overall.More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from University of Kansas

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10.7% Growth in Graduates
$38,749 Median Starting Salary

North Dakota State University is a fairly large public university located in the city of Fargo. A Best Colleges rank of #242 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means North Dakota State University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 28 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at North Dakota State University in the most recent data year. Those public relations & advertising students who get their degree from North Dakota State University - Main Campus earn $2,066 more than the average public relations graduate.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from North Dakota State University - Main Campus

10
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
81 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
11.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Springfield, Missouri State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 11th out of 48 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were about 81 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Missouri State in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the public relations program make about $32,380 for their early career.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from Missouri State University - Springfield

Best Public Relations & Advertising Colleges by State

Explore the best public relations & advertising schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Minnesota284117
Missouri283341
Kansas266104
Iowa264289
Nebraska238325
North Dakota21030
South Dakota20427

View All Rankings >

Public Relations & Advertising is one of 5 different types of Communication & Journalism programs to choose from.

Public Relations Focus Areas

MajorAnnual Graduates
Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication323
Public Relations249
Communication Management and Strategic Communications195
General Organizational Communication150
Advertising119
Sports Communication88
Other Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication64
Health Communication30
Political Communication17
Technical & Scientific Communication7

View All Public Relations Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Public Relations

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies3,185
Journalism1,378
Radio, Television & Digital Communication294
Communication & Journalism (Other)123
Publishing34

View All Public Relations Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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