2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Relations & Advertising (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 20,229 people earned their degree in public relations and advertising, making the major the 53rd most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, public relations and advertising graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $36,513 and had an average of $25,130 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 953 public relations and advertising graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,467 and $24,558 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 112 public relations and advertising graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree in public relations and advertising. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public relations and advertising programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public relations and advertising program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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.

Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Relations & Advertising (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$56,567 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$70,776 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 50 masters’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern are $56,567.

Full Northwestern University Public Relations & Advertising Report

#2

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$30,083 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$65,238 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 masters’s public relations degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at UIUC

#3

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$19,760 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$56,234 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, DePaul University landed the #3 spot on the list. DePaul University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 38 masters’s public relations degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul University are $19,760.

Full DePaul University Public Relations & Advertising Report

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Relations & Advertising (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Relations & Advertising (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• 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).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Bill Koplitz.

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