Median Starting Salaries (by Institution): Public Relations and Advertising
Salary (by major) data was collected from the U.S. Department of Education’s (USDOE) College Scorecard platform and indicates the median salary of an institution’s graduates two years after receiving their bachelor’s degree in public relations and/or advertising, along with the number of graduates per institution for which the USDOE has salary data. Since the USDOE focuses only on early-career salaries, we limit the salary tables on our Dataverse to “pre-professional” majors where students are more likely to pursue employment immediately after graduation (e.g., as opposed to attending graduate school) and within their undergraduate field of study.
*Note that the USDOE is not able to disclose salary data by major for all institutions offering a major in this area. For example, if a group of individuals within a certain institution is too small, the USDOE must suppress salary data in order to prevent identification of the group’s individuals.
Table Updated December 2023
| Institution | # Graduates | Median Starting Salary | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 131469 | George Washington University | 40 | $52,107 | GWU |
| 228246 | Southern Methodist University | 79 | $49,344 | SMU |
| 131159 | American University | 21 | $48,432 | |
| 164562 | Assumption University | 37 | $47,846 | |
| 122612 | University of San Francisco | 26 | $47,260 | USF |
| 228875 | Texas Christian University | 81 | $46,924 | |
| 235316 | Gonzaga University | 52 | $46,620 | |
| 121150 | Pepperdine University | 110 | $46,156 | |
| 111948 | Chapman University | 64 | $45,767 | |
| 204024 | Miami University-Oxford | 182 | $45,249 | |
| 196413 | Syracuse University | 106 | $44,934 | |
| 123961 | University of Southern California | 74 | $44,711 | USC |
| 230038 | Brigham Young University | 146 | $44,276 | BYU |
| 204936 | Otterbein University | 20 | $44,170 | |
| 238476 | Carthage College | 25 | $43,798 | |
| 228778 | The University of Texas at Austin | 325 | $43,680 | UT; UT Austin |
| 135726 | University of Miami | 78 | $43,575 | UM; UMiami |
| 139959 | University of Georgia | 259 | $43,404 | UGA |
| 145637 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 190 | $43,114 | UIUC |
| 192703 | Manhattan College | 13 | $42,682 | |
| 144962 | Elmhurst University | 15 | $42,682 | |
| 215929 | University of Scranton | 39 | $42,682 | |
| 191126 | Fashion Institute of Technology | 279 | $42,458 | FIT |
| 130226 | Quinnipiac University | 87 | $42,166 | |
| 175272 | Winona State University | 12 | $41,937 | |
| 153269 | Drake University | 50 | $41,870 | |
| 171100 | Michigan State University | 410 | $41,833 | MSU |
| 214777 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 186 | $41,416 | PSU; Penn State |
| 122755 | San Jose State University | 66 | $41,379 | SJSU |
| 209825 | University of Portland | 23 | $41,205 | |
| 172644 | Wayne State University | 51 | $41,193 | |
| 194310 | Pace University | 67 | $41,058 | |
| 191968 | Ithaca College | 162 | $40,956 | |
| 191649 | Hofstra University | 106 | $40,747 | |
| 134097 | Florida State University | 120 | $40,635 | FSU |
| 217484 | University of Rhode Island | 83 | $40,608 | URI |
| 181464 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 185 | $40,532 | UNL |
| 154095 | University of Northern Iowa | 62 | $40,453 | UNI |
| 134130 | University of Florida | 350 | $40,089 | UF |
| 215442 | Point Park University | 31 | $40,017 | |
| 239105 | Marquette University | 126 | $39,994 | |
| 218663 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 287 | $39,937 | USC |
| 209551 | University of Oregon | 400 | $39,789 | UO |
| 200332 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus | 93 | $39,729 | NDSU |
| 144740 | DePaul University | 351 | $39,729 | |
| 153603 | Iowa State University | 115 | $39,559 | ISU |
| 204635 | Ohio Northern University | 14 | $39,369 | |
| 178624 | Northwest Missouri State University | 18 | $39,153 | |
| 100751 | The University of Alabama | 277 | $38,929 | |
| 145813 | Illinois State University | 101 | $38,829 | ISU |
| 203517 | Kent State University at Kent | 80 | $38,577 | |
| 201441 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | 31 | $38,559 | |
| 225511 | University of Houston | 203 | $38,424 | UH |
| 184782 | Rowan University | 160 | $38,409 | |
| 228769 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 154 | $38,289 | UT |
| 174358 | Minnesota State University Moorhead | 37 | $38,289 | |
| 195003 | Rochester Institute of Technology | 17 | $38,289 | RIT |
| 186283 | Rider University | 51 | $38,289 | |
| 207500 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 20 | $38,289 | |
| 165662 | Emerson College | 23 | $38,289 | |
| 216339 | Temple University | 469 | $38,210 | |
| 122409 | San Diego State University | 62 | $38,072 | SDSU |
| 172699 | Western Michigan University | 163 | $37,951 | |
| 134079 | Florida Southern College | 46 | $37,928 | |
| 169248 | Central Michigan University | 173 | $37,913 | |
| 231174 | University of Vermont | 85 | $37,896 | UVM |
| 211158 | Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania | 103 | $37,748 | |
| 195809 | St. John's University-New York | 103 | $37,699 | |
| 157085 | University of Kentucky | 169 | $37,631 | UK |
| 222178 | Abilene Christian University | 17 | $37,568 | |
| 217235 | Johnson & Wales University-Providence | 50 | $37,568 | |
| 153144 | Coe College | 24 | $37,568 | |
| 229115 | Texas Tech University | 142 | $37,443 | |
| 234827 | Central Washington University | 66 | $37,363 | |
| 165699 | Endicott College | 26 | $37,208 | |
| 170082 | Grand Valley State University | 159 | $37,151 | |
| 196246 | SUNY College at Plattsburgh | 45 | $37,054 | |
| 139931 | Georgia Southern University | 109 | $36,992 | |
| 219709 | Belmont University | 30 | $36,848 | |
| 179557 | Southeast Missouri State University | 20 | $36,848 | |
| 151306 | University of Southern Indiana | 54 | $36,608 | |
| 201195 | Baldwin Wallace University | 24 | $36,560 | |
| 146719 | Loyola University Chicago | 66 | $36,488 | LUC |
| 176965 | University of Central Missouri | 34 | $36,488 | |
| 169798 | Eastern Michigan University | 20 | $36,401 | |
| 169910 | Ferris State University | 27 | $36,401 | |
| 212106 | Duquesne University | 68 | $36,324 | |
| 228459 | Texas State University | 342 | $36,236 | |
| 206622 | Xavier University | 39 | $36,166 | |
| 221759 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 75 | $36,111 | UTK |
| 110547 | California State University-Dominguez Hills | 114 | $36,099 | |
| 236595 | Seattle University | 47 | $35,823 | |
| 137847 | The University of Tampa | 36 | $35,701 | |
| 179566 | Missouri State University-Springfield | 46 | $35,653 | |
| 168005 | Suffolk University | 15 | $35,594 | |
| 106704 | University of Central Arkansas | 24 | $35,518 | |
| 100858 | Auburn University | 62 | $35,518 | |
| 202134 | Cleveland State University | 87 | $35,518 | |
| 203845 | Marietta College | 16 | $35,416 | |
| 177214 | Drury University | 13 | $35,416 | |
| 200800 | University of Akron Main Campus | 99 | $35,365 | |
| 219356 | South Dakota State University | 38 | $35,213 | SDSU |
| 196194 | State University of New York at Oswego | 68 | $35,213 | |
| 173045 | Augsburg University | 14 | $35,060 | |
| 163453 | Morgan State University | 47 | $35,060 | |
| 216278 | Susquehanna University | 38 | $35,060 | |
| 157447 | Northern Kentucky University | 58 | $34,847 | |
| 142285 | University of Idaho | 105 | $34,650 | UI |
| 105330 | Northern Arizona University | 142 | $34,612 | NAU |
| 150136 | Ball State University | 20 | $34,526 | BSU |
| 171456 | Northern Michigan University | 29 | $33,993 | |
| 230728 | Utah State University | 16 | $33,993 | |
| 143358 | Bradley University | 98 | $33,993 | |
| 169080 | Calvin University | 12 | $33,993 | |
| 217518 | Roger Williams University | 13 | $33,993 | |
| 110097 | Biola University | 15 | $33,993 | |
| 107044 | Harding University | 32 | $33,993 | |
| 206941 | University of Central Oklahoma | 95 | $33,726 | |
| 486840 | Kennesaw State University | 11 | $33,565 | |
| 132903 | University of Central Florida | 52 | $33,518 | UCF |
| 230834 | Castleton University | 11 | $33,459 | |
| 218964 | Winthrop University | 37 | $33,459 | |
| 157401 | Murray State University | 79 | $33,382 | |
| 157951 | Western Kentucky University | 81 | $33,192 | WKU |
| 196158 | SUNY at Fredonia | 59 | $33,103 | |
| 197869 | Appalachian State University | 143 | $33,077 | App State; ASU |
| 207388 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 52 | $32,806 | |
| 127565 | Metropolitan State University of Denver | 40 | $32,711 | |
| 216807 | Westminster College | 16 | $32,711 | |
| 178697 | College of the Ozarks | 17 | $32,391 | |
| 154235 | Saint Ambrose University | 11 | $32,382 | |
| 229814 | West Texas A & M University | 24 | $32,284 | |
| 197045 | Utica University | 29 | $32,210 | |
| 144281 | Columbia College Chicago | 100 | $31,133 | |
| 157386 | Morehead State University | 30 | $30,305 | |
| 156620 | Eastern Kentucky University | 45 | $29,926 | EKU |
| 232265 | Hampton University | 25 | $29,685 | |
| 201104 | Ashland University | 15 | $28,598 | |
| 160658 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | 61 | $28,478 | |
| 221971 | Union University | 11 | $26,353 | |
| 208822 | George Fox University | 11 | $25,824 | |
| 159656 | Loyola University New Orleans | 21 | $25,774 | |
| 228796 | The University of Texas at El Paso | 90 | $24,904 | UT |
| 176044 | Mississippi Valley State University | 15 | $24,421 | |
| 133650 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 42 | $23,014 | Florida A&M |
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