2026 Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Schools in District of Columbia

Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. The schools below stand out for the quality of their public relations, advertising, & applied communication programs.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 4 schools to find the best for public relations, advertising, & applied communication students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Schools in District of Columbia

Best Schools for Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication in District of Columbia

If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the public relations, advertising, & applied communication degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Schools in Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication

1

Georgetown University
Washington, DC

Doctoral Degree Highest Degree Type

93 Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Degrees Awarded

$91,362 Median Starting Salary

Our analysis ranked Georgetown University the best school in the country for a degree in public relations, advertising, & applied communication. Located in the city of Washington, Georgetown University is a very large private not-for-profit university. The six-year graduation rate is 95%. Georgetown University awarded about 93 public relations, advertising, & applied communication degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the public relations, advertising, & applied communication program make about $91,362 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $16,483. Get the full public relations, advertising, & applied communication details for Georgetown University

2

Howard University
Washington, DC

Doctoral Degree Highest Degree Type

87 Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Degrees Awarded

$39,120 Median Starting Salary

Howard University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best public relations, advertising, & applied communication schools. Set in the city of Washington, Howard University is a large private not-for-profit institution. About 70% of students finish within six years. Howard University awarded about 87 public relations, advertising, & applied communication degrees in the most recent data year. Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication graduates of Howard University earn a median of $39,120 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $26,000. More information about a degree in public relations, advertising, & applied communication from Howard University

Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 4 schools evaluated.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.