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2024 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Southeast Region

54 Colleges in the Southeast Region
5,109 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$34,793 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in public relations & advertising is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #52 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 54 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 5,109 degrees in public relations & advertising to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Public Relations & Advertising School

Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Southeast Region Your choice of public relations & advertising school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Public Relations & Advertising School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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
Doctor'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 Southeast Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Public Relations & Advertising in the Southeast Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the public relations degree levels they offer.

10 Top Southeast Region Schools in Public Relations

1
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
409 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
0.5% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in public relations & advertising needs to look into University of Florida. Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UF is a great university overall.

There were approximately 409 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent year we have data available. Public Relations & Advertising degree recipients from University of Florida receive an earnings boost of approximately $5,442 above the average income of public relations & advertising graduates.

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

2
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
176 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
13.6% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of Miami if you wish to pursue a degree in public relations & advertising. Located in the small city of Coral Gables, U Miami is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #91 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means U Miami is a great university overall.

There were about 176 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at U Miami in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public relations & advertising program at University of Miami earn $5,289 above the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
384 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$40,201 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in public relations & advertising needs to look into University of Georgia. Located in the medium-sized city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #72 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UGA is a great university overall.

There were roughly 384 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent year we have data available. Those public relations & advertising students who get their degree from University of Georgia receive $5,408 more than the standard public relations graduate.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
340 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$38,904 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat The University of Alabama if you want to pursue a degree in public relations & advertising. Located in the city of Tuscaloosa, UA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #139 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UA is a great university overall.

There were roughly 340 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at UA in the most recent data year. Public Relations & Advertising degree recipients from The University of Alabama get an earnings boost of about $4,111 above the average earnings of public relations & advertising graduates.

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

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NC
159 Public Relations Degrees Awarded

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Elon, Elon is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 5th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 159 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Elon in the most recent data year.

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

6
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
279 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
11.8% Growth in Graduates

UofSC is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #152 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UofSC is a great university overall.

There were about 279 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at UofSC in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the public relations program earn around $36,111 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from University of South Carolina - Columbia

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
176 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
4.5% Growth in Graduates

UK is a very large public university located in the city of Lexington. A Best Colleges rank of #230 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UK is a great university overall.

There were approximately 176 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at UK in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the public relations program report average early career wages of $36,018.

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

8
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
139 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$40,164 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of Tallahassee, Florida State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #121 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Florida State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 139 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Florida State in the most recent year we have data available. Public Relations & Advertising degree recipients from Florida State University earn a boost of around $5,371 over the typical earnings of public relations & advertising graduates.

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

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$39,285 Median Starting Salary
$36,812 Median Student Debt

Tulane is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New Orleans. A Best Colleges rank of #78 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Tulane is a great university overall.

There were about 18 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Tulane in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public relations & advertising major at Tulane University of Louisiana get $4,492 above the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from Tulane University of Louisiana

9
Belmont crest
Belmont University
Nashville, TN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$37,073 Median Starting Salary
$26,998 Median Student Debt

Belmont is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville. A Best Colleges rank of #206 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Belmont is a great university overall.

There were roughly 19 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Belmont in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public relations & advertising degree program at Belmont University earn $2,280 above the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

Additional Noteworthy Schools

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 & Advertising Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
10 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
11 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
12 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
13 Appalachian State University Boone, NC

Best Public Relations & Advertising Colleges by State

Explore the best public relations & advertising colleges for a specific state in the Southeast Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 639
Florida 282 1,746
North Carolina 279 413
Virginia 274 82
Tennessee 269 281
South Carolina 248 345
Kentucky 244 436
Louisiana 242 124
Mississippi 234 64
Arkansas 234 134
Alabama 233 475
West Virginia 207 114

View All Rankings >

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

Public Relations Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Public Relations 1,446
Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication 1,286
Advertising 1,149
Communication Management and Strategic Communications 522
Other Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication 216
General Organizational Communication 193
Sports Communication 141
Political Communication 53
International & Intercultural Communication 43
Technical & Scientific Communication 33

View All Public Relations Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 14,755
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 3,708
Journalism 2,817
Communication & Journalism (Other) 201
Publishing 13

View All Public Relations Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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