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Home›Majors›Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
MASTER'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a master's degree in Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 30 college programs with reportable data.

Personal baseline needed

$81,298 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$81,298Median year-4 earnings
$28,334Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$81,298Typical earnings four years after completion
$81,174Average earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
55thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
2Degrees awarded in 2024–25
30College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 2 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication

How much do Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication master's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $81,298 four years after completion across reportable master's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

A national median federal-debt figure is not reportable for this degree in the current release.

Does the college matter for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $71,664 to $89,265 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 12 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$44,556
Federal debt
$15,833
Programs in the comparison
11
11 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$54,879
Federal debt
$12,000
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$62,087
Federal debt
$24,693
Programs in the comparison
198
183 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$81,298
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
30
30 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$71,664National median$81,29875th percentile$89,265
30 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$89,26575th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
Not availableMedian federal debt across programs that report it
0Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

School of Visual Arts

$126,448 four years after completionNew York, NY · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

University of Southern California

195 reported awards in 2024–25Los Angeles, CA · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$101,932Observed year-4 earnings$51,638
$9,096Annual college-wide average net price$41,943
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1School of Visual Arts$126,4482Georgetown University$115,0913George Washington University$101,9324American University$97,9325Northwestern University$96,2506Boston University$90,2127Marist University$90,0608University of Southern California$89,7609California Baptist University$89,26510Syracuse University$87,500

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Communications Teachers, Postsecondary$78,580 median wage29,420 jobs nationwide+2.1% projected growth through 2035 · 2,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$47,590–$143,720 typical wage rangePublic Relations Specialists$74,750 median wage283,380 jobs nationwide+1.8% projected growth through 2035 · 23,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$44,110–$135,150 typical wage rangePublic Relations Managers$146,910 median wage74,850 jobs nationwide+5.7% projected growth through 2035 · 6,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$82,410–$284,990 typical wage rangeAdvertising and Promotions Managers$133,660 median wage21,470 jobs nationwide-3.7% projected growth through 2035 · 2,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$63,300–$286,240 typical wage rangeFundraising Managers$125,470 median wage38,810 jobs nationwide+5.4% projected growth through 2035 · 3,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$75,130–$222,350 typical wage rangeFundraisers$72,550 median wage111,040 jobs nationwide+5.5% projected growth through 2035 · 10,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$46,630–$115,820 typical wage rangeNews Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists$62,200 median wage39,250 jobs nationwide-5.9% projected growth through 2035 · 3,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$36,240–$144,140 typical wage rangeHuman Resources Managers$149,280 median wage220,660 jobs nationwide+5.5% projected growth through 2035 · 16,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$88,200–$267,810 typical wage rangeTraining and Development Managers$133,000 median wage48,050 jobs nationwide+6.4% projected growth through 2035 · 4,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$79,550–$233,600 typical wage rangeTechnical Writers$90,390 median wage45,500 jobs nationwide+0.8% projected growth through 2035 · 3,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$57,440–$145,270 typical wage rangeAgents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes$82,890 median wage12,620 jobs nationwide+9.7% projected growth through 2035 · 2,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,010–$284,570 typical wage rangeEditors$77,920 median wage91,690 jobs nationwide-1.1% projected growth through 2035 · 7,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$41,250–$153,700 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Master's Degree

Communication and Media Studies

Year-4 earnings
$68,404
Federal debt
Not available
61 reporting programs →Master's Degree

Journalism

Year-4 earnings
$72,760
Federal debt
Not available
22 reporting programs →Master's Degree

Radio, Television, and Digital Communication

Year-4 earnings
$79,242
Federal debt
Not available
20 reporting programs →Master's Degree

Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other

Year-4 earnings
$73,912
Federal debt
Not available
7 reporting programs →
EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

NY6 programs$90,363 average earnings

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.